Yellowknife looks for alternatives as credits roll for its only movie theatre

Growing up, the world was a bit of an isolating place for Mica Prazak who had speech and hearing issues. But the movies were somewhere he could escape or learn or laugh or cry.

So when he found out that it was curtains down for Yellowknife’s only movie theatre, Capitol Theatre, Prazak said he was saddened but not surprised because entertainment has become “personalized.”

“We took music and we made it personal in our earbuds. We took movie theatres and then put them on our couch,” he said.  

“One thing I’m realizing is, I’m a realist. I know I view the movie theatre different from [how] my daughter views it. We’ll both have fun there, but she won’t fight for it like I would maybe.”

Earlier this month, Capitol Theatre’s owner said the business had been struggling, and the lease was not renewed. The theatre’s last day of operation is scheduled for March 31.

On Sunday, Prazak joined about two dozen other Yellowknifers who gathered for a meeting at the Weledeh Catholic School gym to talk about the importance of the space for the community, see if they could get more information about the theatre’s closure and discuss next steps.

One of the frustrations expressed was the lack of transparency regarding future plans.

Aidan Charpentier, organizer of the meeting, said the next step is to write to the theatre’s management asking about their plans for the space. “Right now we know nothing,” he said.

Further steps can be decided once it is clear what is happening with the space that is now home to Capitol Theatre — and whether it will remain a movie theatre, he said. Det’on Cho, the building’s owner, previously said that its “focus is on moving forward with a new leaseholder who will continue to use the space for a similar purpose.”

The consensus at Sunday’s meeting was that the city needs a dedicated screening space. Whether that space would be managed by a non-profit, a cooperative or another group still had to be discussed. Ideas ranged from forming partnerships with local schools to pop-up screenings, although some noted that it would perhaps not be possible to show new movies. 

Charpentier said he had contacted other theatre chains and is waiting to hear back. But Cineplex declined the offer to bring its franchise to Yellowknife, he added.

Movie theatre is a space for more than just cinema

At the meeting, people talked about how Capitol Theatre was more than just a place to watch movies.

They talked about how the theatre was a safe space for a date, where soccer teams could unwind at the end of a tournament, families could have a night out, or simply where the magic of cinema came alive on the big screen, sharing emotions with a roomful of people, just the way movies are meant to be.

Prazak, who is a school teacher, said it is not just a bonding moment when people come together during epic movie moments, but also the “powerful” connection that comes with watching a foreign film and spending time discussing it afterward.

A movie theatre, he said is one of the last places left where people focus on a story without distraction.

“When we’re watching [a movie] at home, we’re distracted When we’re listening to albums in our earbuds but walking through life we’re semi distracted,” he said. “A movie theatre is one of the few places left where people just put usually put their phones away and just allow themselves to be present for a while.”

Charpentier said Capitol Theatre’s closing means Yellowknife’s youth have one less place to go to in a city that offers few spaces.

“Especially indoors — in the winter time where you can go inside and just shut off our brains for a little bit and be entertained.”

The North in general and Yellowknife in particular is already geographically isolated from the rest of Canada and the world, said Jacob Charpentier, who worked at the theatre from 2011 to 2020.

The closing of the movie theatre means that people will lose out on watching the movies along with the rest of the world, he said. 

Jacob Charpentier, who is Aidan Charpentier’s twin brother, said he is planning a trip down south to watch some of the big releases scheduled for August such as “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” and “The Odyssey” because now there is no movie theatre in Yellowknife.

The twin brothers said one of their favourite memories about the theatre was staying up late and going to a midnight screening.

“It’s us bonding and seeing [the movie] together and then talking about it after,” said Jacob Charpentier.