1. Your Local Independent Movie Theater
It may seem like a cop-out to not have a defined number one. It probably is. But the way things are going, there may only be one independent theater left by the time this article is finished. The conversion for movie theaters from 35mm film prints to Digital Cinema Projection (DCP) has decimated independent cinemas. From a distributor's point of view the switch to digital makes a lot of sense. Instead of printing thousands of physical copies on 35mm film stock, distributors now use and re-use hard drives that can be installed onto the digital projectors. Furthermore, shipping compact hard drives is a lot cheaper than sending out film cans that weigh between 30 and 45 pounds per movie. But independent theaters don't pay less for movies now that they are digital, and instead of saving money they have to spend more to keep up with their distributors. The cost of buying a new projector (preferably one that can run RealD 3D programs), updating stereo systems, and renovating projection booths costs around $65,000, which has led to over 1,000 theaters going out of business. If you type "movie theater" into Kickstarter's search engine six of the top ten results are for theaters that are looking for the money to convert to digital. The simple truth is that unless an independent theater is owned by someone with deep pockets, they most likely didn't survive. Big theater chains organized a pact with major distributors called the Digital Cinema Initiative, in which distributors shared the initial money they saved by distributing digital cinema packages instead of films. So most "Mom & Pop" movie theaters are gone, strategically replaced by multiplex behemoths that were already running little theaters out of town with a Walmart-esque vigor. This is not to say all chain theaters are bad and all independent theaters are good (technically three of the four theaters already listed are part of chains, albeit small ones), but if you have a small theater in your town it is far more likely to have films that are selected by the owners rather than picked out by distributors. When a chain like Regal Entertainment Group books movies, they are essentially given a list by distributors to show a certain movie on a precise amount of screens and which areas they assume the movie would be most successful in. It limits audience exposure and it makes the art of moviegoing a more calculated exercise. So if you have an independent movie theater that you love where you live, that offers something that other theaters don't, that shows movies that you like to see, that makes attending a movie an experience rather than a routine, then please support it. If movies are still made to be experienced in theaters, then experience them in great theaters like the ones on this list. If there are any theaters that you feel were left out, any local theaters you want to be recognized, or any ideas you want to share about the article, please comment below.