The show will go on, says the Laramie Film Society. For weeks the group has been hawking pre-sale tickets for its annual Spring Film Series at the Wyo Theatre.
The series usually features artistic films, many of which are nominated for Academy Awards. After years of poor attendance, the owners of the single-screen Wyo Theater threatened to cancel the series unless the group could sell 500 tickets by the Monday deadline. The group has sold more than twice that many.
Film Society President Bob Roten says film buffs usually have to go to other cities to watch movies like these. This series is meant to give them options.
“There’s a shortage of really good films in Laramie. The Wyo Theater generally shows the same stuff that the Fox Theater showed. It’s the same stuff. Nobody shows anything different.”
Roten says the theater owners make their money showing blockbusters, so film series-goers have to be more vocal if they want artsier movies to stay.
“It’s only going to change if people demand that it be changed. If people demand better movies and they attend those movies, then we’ll get better movies. The theater owners want to make money. They’re not going to show better films if people don’t go to see them.”
Roten says there are still tickets available for the series. The first film, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” will play February 19. More information is available at film.dot.laramie.dot.wy.dot.us.
