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Canton, IL: Garden Theatre Closed

Posted on Friday, January 30, 2015 and updated on Thursday, February 19, 2015 2:08 PM


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The Garden Theatre in Canton, Illinois closed in January 2015. According to articles published in local newspapers, the theater was not able to continue getting movies on film, as the theater was never converted to Digital Cinema Projection systems.

From the Canton Daily Ledger:

The Garden Theatre on the downtown square in Canton is closing, according to owner Vern Reynolds, who is president of Reynolds Theatres Entertainment Inc.

The closing is due to the lack of films in 35 mm, explains Reynolds, who has owned the theatre since 1999.

"I want to thank the community for its past business," says Reynolds of his decision.

Reynolds explains that digital has replaced the 100-year-old 35 mm format in the past few years and is now the choice of film studios.

"So few 35 mm prints are made that it is very difficult to obtain one. In some cases, only 10 to 12 prints are made - or none at all," says Reynolds, who has not been able to convert the theatre to digital projection.

From the Journal Star:

The film industry switched to digital projection several years ago to save money on distribution costs. Theaters that didn’t acquire digital projectors have seen the number of films available in the 35 mm format dwindle to a trickle, said Reynolds.

“Some studios continue to make 35 mm copies on some films, but in one case made only three prints for the entire state of Illinois,” he said.

Reynolds said nondigital theaters are a dying breed. “There are only a few hundred theaters across the country still operating with 35 mm. I know several hundred have closed,” he said.

An attempt to make the Garden Theatre a not-for-profit operation, similar to what Chillicothe did with the Town Theater, fell through in 2012, he said.

Moviegoers in the Canton area will need to drive the 16 miles to Reynolds' last theater, the Palace Theatre in Elmwood, or 18 miles to the Lawford Theatre in Havana (which isn't showing movies consistently). You have to go more than 20 miles to get the selection of a multiplex, such as the AMC Showplace Pekin 14 in Pekin, or the Carmike Grand Prairie 18 & IMAX in Peoria.

Film-based movie theaters are a dying breed. If your favorite theater has yet to convert and has no concrete plans to do so, it probably won't be open for much longer.



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