If you want to see a movie in theaters but aren't interested in blockbusters and franchises, you're not alone. But it can be hard to find other options.
Susan Green, a resident of Aurora, wanted to know, “What's up with Denver movie theaters?”
“I noticed that they all show the same blockbusters and I have to go to see my family in New York or Chicago or the Bay Area to see movies that I can't see in Denver,” she said. “I'm wondering if movie theaters are afraid that nobody will come see anything but the blockbusters.”
We called Keith Garcia, artistic director of Denver’s independent Sie FilmCenter, to get some answers.
When it comes to cinema culture, some cities are ‘A markets.’ Denver is not.
“There are so many films coming out these days. And very often, New York and LA and Chicago, those places are what's called an ‘A market,’” Garcia said. “The movie studios and distributors think that there are more people (in those cities) who want to see movies all the time.”
Denver is currently ranked as a “C market” by film industry producers, distributors and sales agents. It has an urban population that’s interested in seeing movies in theaters, but it doesn’t have nearly as many patrons as larger metropolitan areas.
“A market” cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco “are much bigger and tend to have more screens available,” Garcia explained. “That's why some of that stuff premieres there and may not get much of a release outside of those cities. Because often, the distributors are just looking to do a very short theatrical run before they sell the movie to streaming or home video.”
How have streaming services affected the box office and movie theater programming?
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way people watch movies. According to a 2024 Advan Research study, the movie theater industry “remains significantly behind pre-pandemic attendance levels with lingering consumer hesitance and shifting viewing habits continuing to impact theater attendance.” However, the report also notes that industry-wide, year-over-year growth is slowly rising, showing “a positive trend in the industry’s gradual recovery.”
Garcia said that since the pandemic, theaters have been recalibrating and reimagining the moviegoing experience. He noted it’s a hard job because people are now used to streaming at home — and they may have a lingering desire to avoid crowded, indoor spaces.
It has likely also made theaters even more concerned with profitable programming.
What’s the difference between corporate theaters, independent theaters, and theaters that appear to operate somewhere in-between?
AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark are the largest movie theater chains in the United States.
Garcia said these multiplexes have a "good problem" that small theaters, like the three-screen Sie FilmCenter, do not: Sometimes they have too many screens and not enough movies.
So, he said, they start scrambling to find something, anything, to fill those theaters.
“Often, someone at this distribution company will call the head of AMC and be like, ‘I have this independent French film. Do you wanna play it on your screens? You know, the screens that you just need to fill in your multiplex?’” Garcia explained. “And they'll say, ‘Sure, why not? We'll give it a week.’”
But there’s little to no marketing done for these limited screenings.
“They're just hoping viewers stop by and happen to be like, ‘Oh, I noticed this French film is playing there when I went to see “Lilo and Stitch.” Maybe I'll come check it out,’” Garcia said.
But those films often disappear within a week. “If you're really looking for some of these smaller films, they may show up at a multiplex, but they're not being handled with any care or any real hope that people will see them,” Garcia said.
That’s what sets the Sie FilmCenter apart.
“We are Denver's only independent movie theater. Every other theater within Denver is a corporation, a corporate theater that is working their programming in a more of an algorithm,” Garcia said. “And that goes for Landmark Theatres, that goes for Alamo Drafthouse, that goes for AMC, that goes for Regal."
Though Landmark Theatres and Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas are known for film series and special screenings, they're still run by corporations.
"Their biggest concern is getting in films that make money,” Garcia said.
But the Sie FilmCenter, run by the nonprofit Denver Film, approaches programming from a different angle.
“We like to take risks,” Garcia said, “to keep it exciting and give opportunities, as much as we can, to as many of these films.”
He keeps an eye on what’s screening and what audiences are enjoying in “A market” cities, with the hopes of bringing those movies to Denver.
“Sometimes it takes a few weeks, sometimes it takes a few months. It might just be that they end up at our film festival in November,” Garcia said. Though it may take some time, “we try to get as many of them as possible to come.”
