Movie theaters are one of my happy places, having worked as a projectionist at Celebration! Cinema for many news. Cinema history has always fascinated me, given that it’s one of the newest art forms and that quite a few inventions were necessary to bring it about.
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Okay, getting off my soapbox. One of my appreciations is finding old local movie theaters, like the Wealthy Theater and the Four Star Theatre here in Grand Rapids. But one theater that still holds a place in people’s hearts long after its gone and inspired another theater that recently closed its doors: The Alpine Theatre.
The Alpine Theatre’s $1.50 Movies
The Alpine Theatre, later known as the Alpine Twin, then the Alpine Four, was located at 3219 Alpine Ave. NW in Walker until 2002. It opened way back in 1970, according to History Grand Rapids. The Alpine Twin was one of many theaters owned by Jack Loeks, the future creator of Studio 28.
VIEW PHOTOS OF THE ALPINE THEATRE HERE.
But what made this theater a hit was its unique business model. The Alpine Theatre was a second-run movie theater that showed movies after their premiere runs for only $1.50 per ticket. In 1970, the average ticket cost $1.55; in 1980, $2.69; and in 1990, $4.22. It doesn’t seem like a big discount, but adjusted for inflation, this equated to $10.04, $8.47, and $8.11, so having a cheap option was a big deal.
What Is A Second-Run Theater?
So, say you wanted to see the latest Marvel movie but never got around to it while it was in theaters; you could go to Alpine Theatre and see it for a discount. This allowed theaters to show movies at a low cost and prioritize concession profits, while distributors could earn a little extra for their post-release films. By the time the theater closed in 2002, ticket prices averaged $5.80…