Cinema owner thinks the worst has passed

The Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge Photo credit WBBM Newsradio

By Rob Hart

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The movie theater business was slow to recover from COVID-19 shutdowns two years ago, but the owner of a northwest suburban cinema says the industry has turned a corner for good.

Dino Vlahakis, owner of the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, said business was just a fraction of what it was when the movie theater re-opened two years ago.

After an additional shutdown, and a few dropoffs in business, Vlahakis said this summer's slate of blockbusters is bringing people back to the movies.

When the COVID-19 emergency order closed the cinema in spring 2020, Vlahakis allowed people to buy space on the theater's iconic marquee as a way to make ends meet. It is now a reliable revenue source. People can have messages conveyed on the space.

"The marquee just took off and is still going on,” Vlahakis said.

The Pickwick has five screens, including the large screen in the original 1920s vintage theater.

Vlahakis said he is now showing new releases on several screens, so that the theater can maximize audiences in the short window before a movie migrates to streaming.