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[3/21/2008] State of the State

State Theatre's First Quarter "Beyond Our Wildest Dreams"
Traverse City Film Festival Releases State Theatre's First Quarterly Report
"Every Prediction and Benchmark We Hoped to Reach Was Shattered"
Over 50,000 Tickets Sold "In Dead of Winter With 'No One' Around!"

The Traverse City Film Festival, headed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, has released the first quarterly report of its newly-renovated historic State Theatre. And the results they are reporting today are, in Moore's words, "nothing short of amazing."

From November 17 until today, the State Theatre had 56,106 admissions, resulting in a box office gross of over $300,000 (the majority of this amount goes to the film studios). Every single week it has been open, the State has been in the top ten percentile amongst all theaters in the country in box office grosses for the films it was showing. Many weeks, the State was in the top three percentile. On most nights, the State's box office for the day's main film has been two to four times the national per screen box office average. In its very first week, the State was the number one theater in the country showing "Lars and the Real Girl."

"You have to understand the film business," notes Moore. "By all measures, this just shouldn't be happening. Not in a rural area like northern Michigan. Not in the dead of winter when the population is a fraction of what it is in the summer. Not when the nearest full-time art house is 250 miles away and the public is not used to seeing these kinds of films on a weekly basis."

Moore points out that none of the predictions or expectations he announced last fall have come true.

"In our business plan, we expected to lose money, as any new endeavor does, for our first three years. Instead, we have been in the black since the very first day.

"We've had 56,106 people attend movies at the State since November 17. We had estimated that number would be 8,100.

"We have grossed over $300,000 in box office receipts in just three months. We had expected to make $187,200 for the entire year.

"We have netted $62,914 in concessions revenue since we have opened. We had expected to net $26,000 -- again, FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR!"

The TCFF, which has well over 2,000 volunteers for its annual summer festival, had hoped that at least 100 of them would agree to volunteer at the State once it opened. Today there are a whopping 745 State Theatre volunteers who have donated 2,435 volunteers shifts since the theater opened, during which time the State has presented 633 screenings of 97 films.

"We are so grateful to our phenomenal volunteers," said festival executive director Deb Lake. "They make the State work, and they make it a wonderful place to see movies. They deserve so much of the credit for the theater's great success. And we're also grateful to Rotary Charities, whose grant made it all possible, and to our major donors, the Buzz Wilson family, Richard and Diana Milock, the Herrington-Fitch Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Deluxe Film Labs, and Anonymous."

The generous grant of the State Theatre by Rotary Charities to the Traverse City Film Festival before the third annual festival in 2007 has enabled the festival to bring a wide range of educational and cultural programming to the community. In addition to showing weekly runs of new independent cinema, the State has also:

Held an Opening Week Festival with an Open House for the public. Over 5,000 people attended;
Held a benefit screening and raised $5,000 for area food pantries;
Held Free Movies for Kids on snow days when the schools were closed;
Held Free Student Film Days and Nights;
Worked with three High School Film Clubs to institute a monthly High School Film Club series, featuring short films by club students and feature films programmed by the clubs;
Brought the Metropolitan Opera Live from Lincoln Center to the screen at the State;
Beamed in the State Championship High School Football Game from Detroit when the local St. Francis Gladiators played there;
Held free screenings of great films for the general public;
Instituted a monthly Interfaith Film Series featuring films programmed by local churches;
Hosted the monthly Library Film Series programmed by the Traverse Area District Library.

And most astonishing, whereas the TCFF hoped to convince 500 area residents to pay extra and become "members" of the State Theatre, 1,200 citizens have officially signed up.

But statistics alone don't tell the whole story of the State.

Audience response has been overwhelming. Comments like, "I've been to more movies at the State in the last three months than anywhere else in the last three years!" are common. The film festival staff believes this success has happened for a number of reasons:

The State shows nothing but the best of independent film. "It almost never happens that we hear someone say they didn't love the film they just saw," says Lake. "People have come to trust that if it's on the screen of the State, it's a very good movie."
Perfect projection and sound in an extremely comfortable setting. "There's nothing like seeing a movie at the State," says acting theater manager Jennifer Craven. "We don't have the kid behind the popcorn counter running the projector. We have a professional, full-time projectionist. There are no commercials before the movies, and anyone caught on a cell phone is, as we say, 'banned for life.'"
A step back in time. "The first thing you notice at the State is a friendly, helpful and happy staff," said acting co-house manager Linda Barry. "It's all volunteers from the community." Prices are kept below what the commercial theaters charge, including concessions. "You can get pop or popcorn here for two bucks," adds co-house manager Lynn Bailey. "This is an affordable place."

To celebrate the first quarter's good news -- and to make going to the movies even more affordable -- the State is announcing a number of price reductions for April and May:

Admission at the Saturday morning kids matinees and the Wednesday morning classic matinees will be 25 cents -- the same price the State (then called the Lyric Theater) charged when it opened in 1916.
Students of any age will pay only $3 for regular and matinee shows.
Tuesday is free popcorn day! Patrons may get a free small popcorn when attending a movie at the State on Tuesday.

The TCFF notes that, while attendance has far exceeded expectations, the State Theatre is not out of the woods yet.

"The renovation cost us at least a quarter-million dollars more than we had budgeted, over $1 million so far, and we're not done," said Lake. "We had to take out a $100,000 loan to pay the most pressing bills. We are required to install a sprinkler system throughout the entire building, and that will cost at least another $100,000. We haven't begun work on the faade of the building, and we need air conditioning in the lobby. There is much more work to do. It is a great help to us every time we get a new State Theatre seat sponsor. We are committed to keeping the State open 24/7, and we can do that with the continued financial help of the great State Theatre supporters."

[2/11/2008] State Theatre launches online forum

The State Theatre has created an online forum where you can discuss movies and film with fans of the State Theatre and the Traverse City Film Festival. Click here to join.

[12/5/2007] New York Times: Curtains Rise Again

By Keith Schneider

Traverse City, Mich., Dec. 1 - When the director Michael Moore moved to northern Michigan from New York City in 2002, the marquee of the State Theater on Front Street here had been dark since 1978. It was a sullen space in this Great Lake city's central business district.

Last month, the marquee woke up with a splendid billboard of blinking lights and a triumphant message. The message said "Mission Accomplished!" as Mr. Moore and hundreds of residents celebrated the opening of the nearly 11,000-square-foot State Theater as a year-round art-house movie theater.

Read the entire article

[11/27/2007] Detroit News: Filmmaker puts Traverse City in spotlight

By Louis Aguilar

Traverse City - Filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore has found one place where he's not creating controversy -- this scenic upper Michigan Republican bastion.

The Oscar-winning local resident spearheaded the $850,000 renovation of a old downtown movie theater that is feeding this town's aspirations of becoming the "Ann Arbor of the north."

Many here hope that Moore and the newly reopened State Theater will tap into the affluent, educated empty-nesters who are turning this once-seasonal tourist town into an upscale village of culinary and cultural delights.

"This isn't about politics for me," Moore said. "It's about celebrating this beautiful state of ours, sharing the power of great film and really using a great old movie palace as both an economic power and a community gathering place."

Read the entire article

The Met Comes LIVE to Traverse City

Performances from the Metropolitan Opera to be Simulcast Live via Satellite at State Theatre Starting December 15

Traverse City, Mich. (Nov. 30, 2007) - For many music aficionados, a chance to see a performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera is a lifelong dream. For residents in northern Michigan, however, that dream is about to become a high-definition, surround-sound reality.

Thanks to a new deal with the Metropolitan Opera and National CineMedia, Inc., starting December 15, opera lovers -- and those who would like to experience the opera for the first time -- will be able to see the Metropolitan Opera "as it happens" in a live simulcast from Lincoln Center via satellite to the historic State Theatre.

The State will present eight full-length, live performances from the Met's 2007-08 season, live from the stage at Lincoln Center, on the theater's gigantic 50-foot screen with its 10,000-watt Dolby surround sound system.

"Every city lucky enough to have this series sells out every show. It's become a national phenomenon," said Oscar-winning filmmaker and State Theatre Director Michael Moore. "The State will be the only venue in northern Michigan simulcasting these performances -- live, in real-time, as they occur at the Met in New York City. It's a real coup for the residents of Traverse City."

Thanks to the State's new satellite system and digital projector, along with state-of-the-art sound, audiences will experience the Met as they never have before.

"Because of the generosity of our donors -- specifically the Herrington-Fitch Foundation, who sponsored the $75,000 projector -- patrons who might not otherwise ever have had an opportunity to see a Met opera will now be able to," said Moore. "It will be an extraordinary viewing experience."

Moore added that donors are still needed to help cover the costs of the program. "We'd love to find five opera angels who will become the major sponsors of "Opera at the State," said State Theatre Fundraising Chair Mary Fisher. "This will truly be one of the most exciting developments for Traverse City this year. We already have nearly a hundred people who have requested season tickets."

Barb Wilson, wife of Buzz Wilson (who was the first person to become a major donor of the State Theatre) has also pledged to raise funds to bring the Met to Traverse City.

Wilson and Fisher point out that the new satellite and high-definition system will allow other live simulcast events to be beamed into the State Theatre in the future, including sporting events, concerts, and perhaps even the Oscars.

Ticket prices (set by the Metropolitan Opera) are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors 65 and over, and $15 for kids under 12.

To contribute financially to the State Theatre or the Opera series, call 231-392-1134.

View the 2007-08 "Metropolitan Opera: Live in High Definition" schedule

Programs and casting subject to change. For more details on the operas, please visit the Met's website at www.metopera.org.

TC State Theatre Has Record-Breaking Opening Week

Sold-Out Shows, Packed Crowds and Top National Average For New Film Herald Theater's Opening Week

Traverse City, Mich. (Nov. 27, 2007) - After months of questioning, doubt and deep speculation, local residents faced the question this week that has plagued Traverse City Film Festival founder Michael Moore since he first began his effort to restore the State Theatre: Can Traverse City actually sustain a year-round, art-house movie theater?

The answer? A resounding, "Yes!"

"Lars and the Real Girl," the State's debut first-run film starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Mortimer, opened at the theater Thanksgiving Day. The State was one of 157 theaters throughout the country showing the film over the weekend. Yesterday morning, box office results showed that the national gross average for "Lars and the Real Girl," per screen, was $2,367. The real story, however, was the State Theatre. Against all odds, the State - "tucked away," said Moore, "in a small rural town in Northern Michigan" - set the national record for the largest per screen average: $12,500, quintuple that of the rest of the country. The second and third largest averages belonged to the Landmark Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and the Angelika Film Center in New York City, respectively.

"What that means," explained Moore, "is that Traverse City beat out New York and Hollywood to become the largest-grossing theater in the country for this film. And that was without a one o'clock matinee on Friday or Saturday. What's happening here is absolutely amazing."

The record-breaking performance of "Lars and the Real Girl" was one of many successes, small and large, during the theater's opening week. When the State hosted a free public open house on Sunday, November 18, early projections estimated at most 500 attendees for the day. Instead, by early afternoon nearly 4,000 filmgoers had crossed the theater's doors.

"We eventually lost count," laughed Moore. "We ran out of oil for the popcorn and syrup for the soda, so that became our biggest focus."

Residents packed the theater that night and the following two nights for sneak premieres of Oscar-bait films including "Atonement," "Margot at the Wedding" and "I'm Not There." The last, a biopic about Bob Dylan featuring six different actors playing the troubadour (including Cate Blanchett), played to a sold-out house. At least three dozen people waited out in the cold in a standby line in hopes of scoring tickets.

"For a movie to sell out on a Tuesday night in November in Traverse City - in a theater with 540 seats, no less - is incredible. Nothing like this has ever happened in a Traverse City cinema, so we're in completely unchartered waters. We've thrown the rule book out the window," said Moore.

In total, the State grossed over $25,000 in its opening week - an astonishing number especially considering, as Moore points out, that two of the seven days featured 15-and 35-cent ticket prices (in honor of the theater's original opening in 1916 and reopening in 1949).

Moore says he has high hopes for a similar performance from the State's next film, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." The critically-acclaimed new drama from director Sidney Lumet ("Dog Day Afternoon," "Serpico," "Murder on the Orient Express"), starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, will have a weeklong engagement at the theater beginning this Friday.

Moore said the overwhelming support of the community for the theater affirms his belief that "people just want to see good films" - and instills confidence in the security of the theater's future.

"As part of our business plan that we gave Rotary Charities (who donated the State to the Traverse City Film Festival), we need to sell during the off-season on average 25 tickets a show during the week, and 50-100 tickets on average during the weekend," said Moore. "Essentially, we did in one week what should have taken ten."

SHARE YOUR STATE THEATRE MEMORIES

We are collecting memories of the State Theatre, if you have a memory to share please send an email to swilliams@torchlake.com.

STATE THEATRE OPENS NOVEMBER 17, 2007

TRAVERSE CITY, MI--The Traverse City Film Festival has announced the official opening week of the historic State Theatre November 17-25, 2007, after which it will be open as a full-time art house and film center throughout the year, offering fifty-two weeks of the best in films of all genres for all people in this community.

"The historic State Theatre will reopen on November 17 the way it was intended to be, only with better technology," enthused Michael Moore, founder of the Traverse City Film Festival.

Beyond the restoration of the walls, floors, and exterior, the soon-to-be-opened theater offers glimpses of the past by local artists; metalsmith Bob Purvis is recreating the original wall sconses and Glenn Wolff is designing two murals of the theater's 1916 opening as the Lyric and 1949 opening as the State. Updated pleasures will enhance the future patrons with all new comfortable seating, concession area, a 25x50ft screen (the largest in 100 miles), a digital video cinema, and a satellite extension on the roof for major event broadcast.

Opening night activities, sponsored in part by the Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos, begin with an elegant black-tie cocktail reception and dinner at the City Opera House at 5pm, followed by a red carpet premiere at the State featuring a historic perspective of the theater by local filmmaker Rich Brauer, memorable shorts, and a full-length Hollywood film premier. The evening concludes with a private afterglow at the Top of the Park with the filmmakers, celebrities and special guests. Tickets range from $100 - $1000 available online (starting Oct. 31st!) or (231) 534-4796. Opening week activities include a series of movies and events for all ages, some of which will be free.