Darkside Cinema co-owner Paul Turner has announced he and his business partner will be retiring, but there’s a couple of twists. They’ll stay on for another two and a half years, if need be, and they’re publicly asking the community for ideas that would allow the movie house to continue on after they leave.
Turner, in his typically rye way, wrote in an open letter, “We are hopeful that with community input, we can come up with a solution that will keep the Darkside viable while I run off to spend my remaining days watching soap operas and dusting my ceramic cats, and Lainie can pursue her passion for powerlifting and exotic orchids (* Paul hyperbole TM *.)”
The news was dropped via the Darkside’s email list on Saturday, by Sunday the outpouring of love and ideas on Reddit drove Turner to post an AMA on the platform.
Turner tells us he’s been blown away by all the responses. Much of it has centered on fond memories and a deep love for what the Darkside has always been, a place offering a combination of mainstream movies that don’t suck as much as most, and movies and documentaries you probably couldn’t find anywhere else.
The place has a vibe to it, like the time it showed Bowling for Columbine, and offered Republicans free admission. There’s nothing slick or hoity-toity pretentious about the Darkside – it feels like home with a dash of warm congenial sarcasm. Like, their slogan is, “We suck less!” Which is intended to favorably, and we think rightly, compare itself to industry norms.
The responses on Reddit have ranged from recounting first dates at the Darkside, some having become lifelong partnerships, to ideas for how to keep the place going once the Turners bid adieu. Top contenders include morphing the cinemas into something like an educational nonprofit, or merging it with one, or maybe having it become some sort of membership club. There’s also been a slew of content suggestions.
Turner is welcoming, as he puts it, “…thoughts, feelings, and threats of protests. Oh, and your IDEAS to keep the Darkside part of the downtown landscape, too.” You can email him at paul@darksidecinema.com.
Turner tells us he’s expecting it could take time to put a good idea into motion, which as he says, is why he and his partner are giving over two years of notice.
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