75-Year-Old Movie Theater Faces End of the Road

TaiwanPlus News

A historic movie theater known for helping launch the career of filmmaker Ang Lee is set to close, at least temporarily, as years of financial losses catch up with it.

Transcript

00:00For 75 years, if you wanted to see a movie for cheap in the city of Tainan, this is where

00:07you would come.

00:08The family-owned Quanmei Theatre has outlasted much of its competition, weathering the rise

00:13of VHS, DVDs and streaming, as well as the punishing years of COVID.

00:19And though it never shows the newest releases, you can still see an old-school double feature

00:23for less than five US dollars.

00:26It's become a sort of local institution, a landmark and a place of memories.

00:31It's even known for inspiring one regular patron, the famed director Ang Lee, to go

00:36into filmmaking.

00:38But it's been losing 30,000 US dollars a year for some time, and now the financial crunch

00:43is catching up with it.

00:45It's set to close March 2nd.

00:48But that may not be the end for Quanmei.

00:50The owner says he'll find a way to get back into business with new partnerships and a

00:55new strategy.

00:56We've done independent musicals, and most of them have been a success.

01:01Last time, there was a talk show.

01:05In recent years, I've been to Inner Bay and Honglou to see how old theatres have transformed.

01:11They put the image of old theatres in one direction, combining catering and literature.

01:18Of course, there are infinite possibilities in theatres.

01:20A theatre is a space of imagination.

01:24But when this comeback might happen is uncertain.

01:27And for now, locals passing by say they feel a mix of sadness and nostalgia.

01:55For now, the theatre celebrates its 75th year in operation, with at least a few more

02:03weeks of bringing the joys of film to the people of Tainan.

02:07Eason Chen and John Van Triest for Taiwan Plus.

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