Big news today (from here, via Universal Hub) is the Brattle Theatre’s call for help, specifically a warning that if it doesn’t meet $400,000 fundraising goal it’s going to shut its doors. Part of it’s a story of the changes Harvard Square has seen, facing both "mallification" and retail recession. As their website complains,
BFF and the Brattle are feeling the pinch of the changes in Harvard Square’s make-up. As Harvard mainstays like Wordsworth Bookstore, Brine’s and HMV close their doors, the Brattle’s surroundings have lost much of their draw as a vibrant, independent destination. Empty storefronts lead to a decrease in foot traffic, which leads to a decrease in ticket sales.
Indeed, it’s been sad to see the departure of McIntyre & Moore, the razing of Wursthaus, and the decline of Colonial Drug, and I hope the Brattle isn’t just another loss.
And part of it’s a story of declining film attendance. I suspect the repertory cinemas have been hit pretty hard by DVD and Netflix; anecdotally, I can say that as much as I value projected 35mm and 16mm prints, I spend more time these days watching films on video. On top of this, I have to admit that I haven’t actually been to the Brattle since their programming changes have put more emphasis on longer runs, less on regular series. Maybe Monday film noir and Thursday Agnes Varda series didn’t rake in the bucks, but the advantage was you could remember what was playing a month or two at a time. I suspect they’ve been caught between the market niches of indie first-run cinemas like Coolidge Corner and the true repertory programming of the Harvard Film Archive. Serving both worked when there was a bigger local audience for such fare, but today it may be squeezed out.
No comments have been added to this post yet.