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Regina will soon say goodbye to the Rainbow Cinemas.
The theatre was built on Regina’s southside in 1998 and was the go-to place for people to see the movies they love at a discounted price.
Tom Hendrickson, now one of the managers at the theatre, first started working there part-time in 2007.
He says it has been an emotional time as he nears his final shift on Sunday.
“It is an absolute roller coaster of emotions. Everyone of course is really sad to be losing this core piece of Regina,” he said.
While it’s a sad time for lovers of the theatre, Hendrickson has noticed a bump in attendance as people try to catch one more flick before the theatre closes.
“It’s been a little positive to see people coming back through the doors and seeing that little bit of outreach. Overwhelmingly, it’s a lot of love and we’re going to miss you people,” he explained.
“People tell us how long they’ve been coming here; they came as kids and now they’re bringing their kids. Some people are in disbelief with the fact that we’re going to be gone. It’s been a lot of love and support.”
The closure of the theatre seemed inevitable.
Hendrickson and the company, Magic Lantern Theatres, point to streaming services as to why the theatre is closing.
“The big one everyone is kind of pointing fingers at is the rise of streaming platforms,” he said. “There’s so many out there each offering their own wide selection of titles you can play from the comfort of your own home.
“You combine that with the pressures of the pandemic and people being forced to stay home in the first place – I think people just got used to staying home using these streaming platforms.”
Hendrickson suggests this could be the end of the cheap theatre industry.
“I think the big boys will be able to recover in time and do fine in the grand scheme of things,” he said. “I just think the long waits for new titles and the fact you can get them at home, it might be the end for the discount.”
After just over 25 years in business, the theatre is going back to its original roots in order to give it a proper sendoff.
Until the theatre closes, operators have rolled back their admission prices to $1.50 for afternoon movies and $2.50 in the evenings.
On Sunday, he says they’ll be running a final blowout popcorn sale which will allow people to buy two take-home sized bags and get a take-home size bag for free. It will be the last opportunity to purchase that Rainbow popcorn.
As the theatre’s final day draws closer, it still hasn’t fully sunk in for Hendrickson.
“I can count how many shifts I have left on one hand and that’s been a pretty big eye-opener,” he said.
“The full reality probably won’t hit me until early October where I’ll be so out of my routine thinking, ‘This is when I’d be selling tickets.’ All good things have to come to an end, I guess.”