Arts & Entertainment
Survey Looks For Student Interest In New Oxford Movie Theater
Miami University Associated Student Government asking students if they would go to the movies in Oxford.
BY DUNCAN STEWART
Miami University journalism student
Miami University Associated Student Government created a short survey on the desire for a movie theater in Oxford that was sent to majors in the Department of Media, Journalism & Film.
The survey asked a variety of questions around interest in an Oxford movie theater, if students would be willing to donate to bring back a theater, and interest in seeing student-produced films.
Find out what's happening in Oxford-Miami Universityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to data provided by Brandon Fogel, a member of ASG, more than 1,300 Miami students and faculty responded to the survey, with 97 percent saying they would go to a movie theater in Oxford.
Oxford has lacked a movie theater since September 2015, when the Princess Theater was demolished.
Find out what's happening in Oxford-Miami Universityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Kerry Hegarty, associate professor of film studies at Miami, believes a movie theater would be a great addition to Uptown Oxford, and would be beneficial to film studies majors.
“We would love to have a space to screen student films,” she said. “We could collaborate with the community more.”
She also thinks it could present students with a new option on the weekends.
“I think it would offer a lot of our students a place on the weekends to have an alternative space to the Miami party scene,” she said.
G. Alan Kyger, economic development director for the City of Oxford, said that while there is momentum around this project, there hasn’t been more progress at his level.
“There’s always been activity, but this survey gets everyone all excited. There’s the same amount of activity behind the scenes,” he said. “As far as I know the community has the same amount of interest in having a movie theater today as they did a month ago.”
The Princess Theater, formerly located at 10 N. Beech St., was closed in March 2014 after a fire. It was demolished, and a new structure with student housing was added. The new building still has space for a theater on the ground floor, which is currently vacant.
Photo: The apartments that replaced the Princess Theater have room for a movie theater on the bottom floor. -- Photo by Duncan Stewart