A couple of weeks ago I posted a newspaper story about a couple of people I don’t know who live in Port Townsend, WA because I wanted those who come to this site to understand a bit more about a town I consider one of the World’s Top 3.
Here’s another story about how things are done here, in case you want another thing to feel kinda good about during this not-so-good time.
The Rose returns with streaming movies from its site
by Kirk Boxleitner
The Rose Theatre is back in the business of presenting independent films to local audiences, but this time, with an online twist.
The Rose is offering would-be patrons both near and far the opportunity to stream films from distributors. As of April 10, the Rose was offering five films from four distributors–Magnolia Pictures, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Greenwich Entertainment and Icarus Films—but Rose Theatre owner Rocky Friedman expected both the numbers of films and distributors to double within the following week.
“I’m hardly a trailblazer in this case,” Friedman said. “A number of other independent theaters have already done this. One distributor contacted me, and I contacted a few others. One of them wasn’t yet participating, so I asked them to reconsider.”
A portion of the proceeds from streaming sales will benefit the Rose. All streaming tickets are $12, with 50% of the online viewing fees returned to the Rose by the distributors. Most films may be rented for up to three days.
“It’s beneficial to the income streams of both small theaters and small distributors,” Friedman said. “I appreciate all the distributors who are willing to make this gesture on our behalf. The response has been really positive, and while I’m only expecting modest revenues to come from it, it’s better than no revenue at all….”