Local businesses partner with DMC for free holiday movies at the Chateau Theater
(ABC 6 News) -If you’re in the mood to see classic holiday films on a lazy Sunday, downtown Rochester may be the place for you to be this month.
Each Sunday over the next four weeks, the Chateau Theater will be showing a classic holiday film for free. Thanks to a partnership between Destination Medical Center, Threshold arts, and Pop’s Art Theater, families and community members can come downtown to see a holiday classic for the first or hundredth time.
Naura Anderson is the founder of Threshold Arts, which operates the Chateau. Repurposing the theater for what it originally opened for in 1927.
“It’s just one fun way we can bring the community together to celebrate the holidays,” said Anderson. “It’s been a huge goal of ours to make sure that as we’re using the space that we’re paying tribute to the way it was used in the past and also putting a fresh, new, modern twist on that.”
Helping with that modern twist is Nate Nelson, co-owner of Pop’s Art Theater which opened in May. Nelson says it’s nice to change up the usual routine and have screenings catered to a wider audience than the niche films usually shown at Pop’s Art Theater.
“We can’t just play weird things all the time because that doesn’t always connect with people, especially with families. So this is an easy way for us to do things that everyone can see,” said Nelson.
While it’s still a trial run for Nelson and Anderson, the first show time was a hit before the projector started rolling. All 300 seats were booked for the first showing of the month with 1990’s Home Alone. There was an additional waiting list of 150 people to follow. Which made both all the more excited for what’s to come with their favorites.
“I am super stoked for Jingle All the Way, which is egregiously underrated and was also filmed partly in Mall of America, in Minnesota,” said Nelson.
“As someone who grew up in the 90s to see this movie on the big screen here with families and kids who are maybe seeing it for the first time is really special,” added Anderson.
There are still three more showings to catch with Jingle All the Way on December 3, It’s a Wonderful Life on December 10, and the 2018 animated Grinch film on December 17. Tickets are booked full for the Grinch on December 17, but are still available for Jingle All the Way and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Showtimes for all films start at 4 p.m. and tickets can be found here.