Michigan’s independent movie theaters are finding alternative ways to stay alive

Southeast Michigan has been home to hundreds of movie theaters over the years. Some of them have closed their doors, but some remain open and are finding new ways to generate revenue and keep foot traffic flowing. Theaters still open include the renowned Redford Theater, which opened in northwest Detroit in 1928.

“We’re really trying to create as much of an experience here as possible by going to the movies like people did in the 1940s and ’50s,” said John Monaghan, a film expert and volunteer at Redford. Theatergoers can also purchase merchandise related to the films and enter a 50/50 raffle to keep the theater’s doors open.

About 45 minutes west of Detroit, in Livingston County, is the Historic Howell Theater. Like the Redford Theater, the independent cinema opened in 1928 and shows independent films. However, to keep the coffers full, owner Tyler DePerro also hosts other events.

“We had concerts, improv comedies and church services every Sunday in this theater,” DePerro said.

Then there’s the Alger Theater on Detroit’s east side. The beloved theater lay dormant for nearly four decades, but today the nonprofit organization Friends of the Alger is trying to breathe new life into the theater. Friends of the Alger supports the theater’s bills by renting out the theater tent, which serves as a community billboard. The nonprofit hopes to revitalize the theater as a community gathering place.

“We’ve probably put close to half a million dollars into this building right now that the public doesn’t really know about,” Jackie Gran saidt from Friends of the Alger said. “It not show hisCause for you not see sanitary facilities outside. You not see Electrics.”

One Detroit’s Chris Jordan and Bill Kubota visit some of metro Detroit’s remaining theaters to learn how independent cinema is surviving in the streaming-focused post-COVID world. Jordan also speaks with Monaghan, DePerro and Grant about why saving these old theaters is so important now and in the future.