PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Just seven years ago, the Beacon Cinema was on the brink of bankruptcy. 

 

Enter Michigan-based Phoenix Theatres, which purchased the property in 2018 and saved the downtown anchor from closure.

 

The years haven't be kind to moviehouses — an estimated 2,000 screens were lost from the pandemic (including Regal Cinemas in Lanesborough), the challenge of streaming services and rent on demand, and the 2023 writers' strike that delayed film production.

 

But owner Cory Jacobson said the Beacon has been ramping up business and is only seeing that grow. 

 

"We have the ability to look at numbers for that period of time. And between 2010 and 2018, it was averaging about 130,000 guests per year. And in recent years, meaning post-COVID years, our average is 170,000 people," he said. "And that's post-COVID business. The rest of the industry is down. This location just has really bounced back in a big way. And it's good, it's a good problem to have."

 

Phoenix's model is buying older cinemas and revitalizing them. It now has about 69 screens in Iowa,  Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and one on the East Coast: the Beacon. 

 

"The seats that are in this theater are sat in more frequently than any other location in our entire company by probably 30 percent more. It's 30 percent busier in terms of frequency than any other location of ours, and it's just located in a beautiful downtown setting, and we get a lot of support from people here," said Vice President of Project Development Jordan Hohman. 

 

"So the goal right now is, how do you make this just a little bit better, and how do you go back and maintain so that that experience that people receive here is just as good as the day it opened, and that's what we're trying to focus on."

 

The company made some improvements in the 1918 Kinnell-Kresge Building shortly after purchasing it, including flooring and adding some heated seats in the six-screen cinema. The building's getting a refresher with new recliners in five of the cinemas, some upgrades to the the digital signage and a new exterior sign.

 

Hohman said Beacon has been a "beacon" for the Pittsfield community. With the increase in patrons, it was time to update a few of the theater's amenities.

 

The new fixes include a new outside sign, digital signs inside the building, new seats in most of the theaters, and some more cosmetic cleanup. Jacobson said the theater is doing great and he comes to visit it multiple times a year to make sure it is doing well.

 

"The film industry generally has been kind of in this recovery period since the pandemic and the strike and so on and so forth. So we're very happy with where we're at with this business, and if we could expand it, we would," Jacobson said.

 

Jacobson started Phoenix Theatres around 25 years ago. He said he has always loved films and has worked every job in the cinema before starting his own business.

 

"My earliest memories are my father taking me to see Herbie 'The Love Bug' in 1968 and I was a real little kid, and walked up and got a chance to go into the projection booth," he said. "I was really captivated by that. And when I was old enough, I went back and became the popcorn popper when I was 14, the same theater. And then I've worked every job. I've been an usher, popcorn popper, an assistant manager, theater manager, district manager, and then I decided to try this on my own."

 

The sign out front was designed by Hohman and cost about $18,000. The design was inspired by the iconic marquees, like of the Chicago Theatre.

 

"I like to use this phrase a lot. It's like we have this enormous canvas, and here's the paints, here's the brushes, just go at it, have a good time and create," Jacobson said. "And really the inspiration for it was the Chicago Theatre sign, although vertical, it's the letter style. It's the light bulbs that are going to be inside the letters. It's a very different classic look from a 1928 theater."

 

Jacobson said they want to upgrade the building but not change its appearance so to respect its history.

 

"We really wanted to have a new appearance, yet at the same time, be very respectful of the architecture of the building," he said. "It's a streetscape. You're driving down the road and see the Beacon Cinema."

 

The two said the renovations will not affect the cinema's hours and will also not affect prices, an important aspect to Jacobson.

 

"The company who's doing our our seat refurbishment/replacement, they're going to come in at like midnight and work all through the night so that we can stay open on a regular basis the same hours that we always have," Hohman said. "It's important that this stays consistent for people in both the way that we are pricing and our hours.

 

"All we're trying to do is increase the value of your dollar that you pay for admission, making the seats better, making the presentations as good as they possibly can be, and, of course, improving the building."

 

The other reason for the jump on the renovations is to be prepared for the holiday season. With many new movies coming out, and specials like the $1 showings of 2004's "The Polar Express" they do every holiday season, brings in a lot more people who are choosing to enjoy their time at the theater.

 

"I guess what inspires us to be on it right now. We wanted this to have a new face before we got to these Thanksgiving pictures, and particularly, to have it ready for "Wicked [For Good]," which is major movie in the Berkshires," Jacobson said.

 

Phoenix Theatre received a Pittsfield Glow Up! Business Improvement Grant for $7,225 to help pay for the sign. The rest of the renovations will be about $100,000.