The death of a movie theatre?

News dropped late last night that Landmark Cinemas is closing the Paramount Theatre in our home town of Kamloops. The theatre is a landmark indeed, having entertained moviegoers since 1955.

Landmark stated that closing the theatre is a business decision, meaning attendance at the old movie house has been on the decline for a while. The last movie I caught there was Overlord back in November, and it was not well attended.

What does this mean for the Kamloops Film Society, which has been hosting film festivals and special screenings there since 1997? This remains to be seen. But Kelson Group, a local developer behind a proposed performing arts centre, has purchased the theatre. Maybe there's hope, not only for a proper arts centre in Kamloops, but for future film screenings at the location.

The news is still sad. The Paramount was where I saw countless classics during my youth, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Lethal Weapon and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A lot of my childhood memories are attached to those seats, and that big screen.

Should the Paramount be torn down, the act will see the end of an era in this city. Sure, we've got the big, shiny googolplex on the hill. But there was a charm to the old theatre that cannot be replaced by eight cinemas with sound systems that make your ears bleed, and pointless moving seats that distract from the moviegoing experience more than add to it.

You can't stop progress but, at the same time, progress shouldn't obliterate the past. Here's hoping Kelson Group keeps that in mind when they decide what to do with the old building.

The Paramount ceases operation April 17.

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