The price is right at Riverview Theater
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At one time, a dollar could buy 20 trips to the neighborhood nickel theater. Times have changed and with the popularity of multiplex theaters, ticket prices have climbed to around $9 per trip, not including $7 or so for concessions.
Minneapolis’ Riverview Theater, however, offers an opportunity to take the proverbial step back in time. I took my dollar and with the help of four extra quarters, bought a $2 tub of popcorn at the Riverview in exchange for an interview the manager on duty. And, although a movie ticket costs a little more than a nickel, at $3 per person and $2 for matinees and Tuesday night shows, people come to Riverview for money-saving entertainment.
Melanie Pesarchick, 22, first found out about Riverview as she was driving past the theater on the way to her nanny job.
“I noticed the low prices that were posted on the marquee and when I got home, I went on their Web site,” Pesarchick said. “The theater is very family friendly.”
Pesarchick frequents Riverview’s matinees with the 7-year-old girl she nannies for, but also goes to nighttime shows with her friends.
“I think it’d be a great date place,” Pesarchick said. “The typical date night is wicked expensive nowadays, but here you won’t be spending $50 on dinner and a movie.”
Riverview is able to keep prices low because the movies played are not new releases, but are also not yet available on DVD.
Riverview opened on Dec. 30, 1948 at the hands of Sidney and William Volk. This December is the 60th anniversary of the theater that has become a Twin Cities favorite.
“It’s a small-town place in the midst of a big city,” Pesarchick said. “I like that feeling.”
Local businesses and musicians are advertised on the single screen before a movie starts, a concept that Pesarchick said adds to the theater’s small-town charm.
“It’s truly a neighborhood theater,” Pesarchick said.
Riverview is a slice of Minneapolis history served with a modern twist. Many of the furnishings are original to the 1940s theater, including an auditorium that features a back-lit proscenium – an archway on the stage through which the audience watches the movie.
“I love how beautiful Riverview is on the inside,” Pesarchick said. “I like the old-fashioned look of it. It is really well taken care of.”
Though the theater may look like it belongs in the 1940s, modern conveniences like digital sound and high-backed seats aim to make the customers comfortable and to enhance their theater experience. Riverview has provided stadium seating since its grand opening, and the more than 700 seats were replaced recently.
Katie Holmes, 21, has worked as a manager at Riverview for about six months to help pay for her tuition at the University of Minnesota. Holmes said the theater’s employees take pride in their jobs and the theater. For the last 17 years, the same man has owned Riverview.
“It’s his baby,” Holmes said and added that she thinks the friendly atmosphere as well as its affordability has kept the theater in business all these years.
Holmes sees a variety of customers, from those in the neighborhood who walk to the theater, to those who aren’t so local.
“Some people come from far away because they say it’s the best theater around,” Holmes said. “And they love the popcorn.”
Riverview uses real, melted butter and has a variety of powdered toppings available, such as sour cream and chives. Customers are allowed to come into the theater any time to buy popcorn-to-go.
Aside from playing “second run” Hollywood hits, Riverview also carries niche art films.
“There are a lot of artists in Minneapolis so the small, independent art movies do well,” Holmes said. Holmes also recently hosted a sing-a-long for the movie “Grease” that more than 400 people attended.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said.
Every other Saturday, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is shown at midnight. Prices for the midnight showing and other special events typically cost customers $5 to $8.
Before coming to Riverview, Holmes said she worked at a few other movie theaters. In fact, the only jobs she’s ever had were at movie theaters.
“I like working in the entertainment business,” Holmes said. “People go to a gas station or Wal-Mart because they have to, but people come to the movies to have a good time and because they want to have fun.”
Holmes hasn’t noticed a difference in the customers at Riverview.
“You can watch a movie for $2 and still have that theater experience,” Holmes said. “There’s no way to compete with that.”
“The Riverview is great,” Pesarchick said. “It’s the right price for delicious popcorn and watching a movie on a big screen. What’s better than that?”