YES Cinema, the movie, meetings and events facility that funds a range of nonprofit programs for some of the city’s most impoverished residents, is determined to win back its followers despite a current slow struggle to do so.
Leaders of the nonprofit Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, which operate YES, reopened the facility July 3 after closing in mid-March due to the COVID-19. They estimated that the closure resulted in a estimated $60,000 loss in revenue, including on-screen advertising and ticket and concession sales.
Those losses mean that YES will generate no proceeds this calendar year to fund programming free to Lincoln-Central’s residents.
YES has seen markedly smaller movie audiences since reopening.
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Randy Allman, Lincoln-Central’s executive director, said he sees two reasons possible.
One is that Hollywood is releasing no new movies until next week, so YES’ recent schedule has been filled with nostalgic favorites such as “Jaws” and “The Hunt For Red October.” And theory two is that Allman believes some people still aren’t venturing out as they did before the pandemic, despite the fact that YES has instituted a whole range of intense cleaning and safety features.
Plus, in another safety measure for social distancing, seating in the smaller theater is limited to 79 people and seating in the larger theater is limited to 95 — both about half capacity.
“The numbers have been extremely low,” Allman said, adding that some showings have attracted fewer than 10 people. “But we’ve heard from the people who have attended the nostalgia movies that they have loved them. And we’ve heard from people who’ve told us how safe they have felt in the theater.
On YES’ Facebook page, moviegoers such as Jenny Baker have lauded YES for the throwback films.
“Our girls night had so much fun tonight,” she posted.
Proceeds from films — or, more accurately, concessions sold during films — at YES fund some of the nonprofit center’s 30 programs. Those programs range from job training to academic tutoring to parenting classes.
Plus, YES serves as a literal job-training ground for Lincoln-Central residents and clients aiming to build skills for eventual self-sufficiency, since that is a core element of the center’s mission.
“We’re going to stay open for those who still want to go to the movies,” Allman said. “And we’ll stay open for our employees. Our goal is to have a regular rest of the year. We’ve gone to great lengths to make it a safe and enjoyable experience. People need not be leery coming in.”
A bright spot on the horizon is that YES has begun to book more event rentals, for everything from local Rotary meetings to family anniversaries. Plus, YES’ annual film festival, which normally draws healthy-sized audiences, is still set for Oct. 23-25.
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YES Cinema will present Hollywood’s first new release since spring on Thursday with "Unhinged," starring Russell Crowe as a man with road rage.
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For more about YES Cinema in downtown Columbus, visit yescinema.org.
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