Time to roll out the red carpet . . . this is heavy.
Premiere 6 Theatre now offers private group rentals of their auditoriums for screenings—and patrons can choose from a predetermined list of movies or possibly even provide a picture show of their own choosing.
“We had almost every available time slot filled for December. Families couldn’t wait to see Elf or Christmas Vacation on the big screen during the holiday season,” said Premiere 6 general manager Shelby Brantly. “I hope that this will continue to be a major source of income for us. It is very hard to plan anything in the movie industry right now . . . we can show a DVD if someone wants to rent the auditorium for a movie we don’t have. I try to have a wide variety of movies to pick from, but sometimes they need a very specific movie; I have even had someone surprise their family with old home videos!”
Some DVDs and Blu-rays can present some potential issues, though, Brantly added, “so we always prefer to show something that I know will work.”
“DVDs don’t quite provide the movie experience,” she said. “The ratios are a little off, the sound isn’t quite as good, and I can’t show previews at the beginning.”
That said, consider spending an evening with a classic movie, home videos or hitting the right note with a concert film. Premiere recently screened Elvis: That’s The Way It Is in celebration of the movie’s original 1970 release and has also stayed busy with $5 classic movie showings of titles such as Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Singing in the Rain, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Fried Green Tomatoes, Die Hard, Steel Magnolias, Forrest Gump, Ghostbusters, Grease and others. They offered a clause for reflection with The Santa Clause and a cure for cold feet with Frozen. The theater even helped remind us It’s a Wonderful Life.
“This summer we were able to introduce our teen and tween cousins to Back to the Future and Ghostbusters,” one moviegoer said. “It was so much fun sharing movies from when we were the same age and to be able to do it on the big screen.”
February’s selections (which can be booked on Premiere’s website) include E.T., Back to the Future, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Remember the Titans, Shawshank Redemption, Hidden Figures, The Bodyguard and No Country for Old Men.
Prefer to leave the past behind and stay focused on the future? New releases available for rentals are News of the World, Wonder Woman 1984 and Promising Young Woman.
“I ask on social media what people want to see and I do my very best to make it happen,” Brantly said. “Film companies are hesitant to release new movies because some of their biggest markets are still under lockdowns, so release dates are constantly changing. As soon as I plan on a certain movie or get a schedule of which movies I will show for a month it all changes. We have been fortunate enough to have the community support us and come see ‘classic’ movies for $5 for the majority of 2020.”
The theatre also learned to butter up patrons during the downtime of 2020 by subsisting on gift card sales and heaps and bags of fresh popcorn. The community’s support is not taken lightly.
“Thank you for being open almost the whole time,” one patron said. “I have several people who have said ‘I miss going to the movies’ and I always tell them ‘I don’t know why you miss it, I have been going to the movies almost the whole time at Premiere 6.”
The comments continued to fly in.
“I was so excited to see my favorite movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, over the summer. I never thought I would get the chance to see it on the big screen,” another patron said.
Premiere’s private projections project began when TrustPoint hospital wanted to rent out the entire theatre for their employees after weather canceled an outdoor movie night, Brantly said.
“It was the busiest we had been in months. I then had a father reach out to me and request to buy out an auditorium so that his family could watch a movie safely without having to worry about anyone else in there,” she said. These private screenings, when groups can make some special moments together and take in the big picture have been met with tremendous support, she said.
The classic movie screening cost is $100 for up to 20 people and $5 for each additional person, with a 40-person maximum. New releases are $120 for up to 20 people and $6 for each additional person (also with a 40-person maximum).
Premiere 6 Theatre is located at 810 NW Broad St., Suite 200, Murfreesboro.
For information about upcoming films, regular movie pricing, rentals or to order popcorn, visit murfreesboromovies.com.
