These Sask. movie theaters still fill seats, despite streaming boom

The availability of thousands of choices across various streaming platforms has changed the way a lot of people consume films. Yet three independent movie theaters in Saskatchewan say they're seeing a uptake in business.

Scott Hamilton, the film programmer for Saskatoon's Broadway Theatre, contends that people still love the big screen.

"Our numbers are going up. We are a major anomaly," Hamilton told CBC.

He believes the theatre's variety of programming is a factor. The Broadway features holiday-related events and director spotlights. For example, it's planning to run a seven-and-a-half-hour movie by Hungarian director Bèla Tarr called Soft and Tango.

If you haven't seen your favourite film on the big screen yet, you should, Hamilton said.

"Restored on the big screen with the best audio you could hope for and everything like that, like … that's a really special thing."

"I think there's a magical part of seeing a movie with an audience that really makes a difference. So when you get scared in a movie, everybody around you is scared. When you laugh in a movie, everybody around you is laughing," said Ryan Holota, chief operating officer of the Saskatchewan Science Centre, which has an IMAX projector.

Holota said the IMAX screen, which is five storeys tall and 70 feet wide, along with its powerful sound system, drive the film-watching experience.

He feels all films are for theatres.

"I think a lot of times people will assume that like a horror movie or an action movie might do better in a movie theatre. But then you look at something like Oppenheimer … it was one of the most successful movies that we've ever shown here."

Sam Heinrichs runs the Regina Public Library's theatre. It's had an uptick in attendance over the last five years, he said.

 “A film theatre is kind of curated. There isn't the waiting, browsing through Netflix trying to find something. It's just there's something playing and you go to see it as part of an experience, and that's something special," he said.

Many classic films are even better on the big screen, he noted.

"You can kind of make an evening of it. You can go out for dinner, you can have a night."