Rendering by Marcelo Valdes
The Main
St. Anthony Main is getting a facelift thanks to the MSP Film Society. The well-loved movie theater closed its doors early January to begin the process of refreshing and modernizing. When it reopens in late March, St. Anthony Main will be rebranded with a new name: MSP Film at the Main. The updated theater will launch just in time for the 2022 MSP International Film Festival, scheduled for March 31 through April 14.
COVID has painted a bleak future for theaters around the Twin Cities. Uptown Theater closed this summer after being unable to pay back its rent since the beginning of the pandemic. Landmark Theaters, which operated Uptown Theater, had similar bad luck with the Edina Theater, which closed temporarily during spring of 2020. In May of 2021, Landmark relinquished its ownership of the theater, but Edina Theater gained an all new partnership through Bloomington-based Mann Theaters with assistance from the City of Edina. The $1.5 million renovation will be the first renovation the theater has seen in the last 30 years. New partnerships and renovations seem to be local theaters' game plan for resurrecting the downtrodden movie theater business.
MSP Film Society’s partnership first began making moves at St. Anthony Main in 2008 when the organization brought the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) headquarters to the theater.
MSP Film Society’s vision with the theater is to expand their year-round programs of film festivals, workshops, and community outreach. The film society will begin operating all five screens to expand their MN Made program which provides opportunities for local filmmakers to screen their content for local audiences.
“Daily programming on all five screens at The Main is a step forward for us, and we are excited to being crafting a destination where you are certain to be surprised, entertained, comforted, informed, seen and heard, through the movies," MSP Film Society’s program director Jesse Bishop said in a statement.
Once MSP Film Society takes over, moviegoers can expect a true indie theater feel with a focus on local filmmakers. Big box releases will only be screened if they match the film society’s overall programming.
The rebrand will involve some physical changes to the theater too, including a new theater marquee which will incorporate the historic lightbulb sign reading “The Main.” New projection equipment will be part of the refresh and closed caption options will be added to each screening room for a more accessible experience. Concessions will be getting a refresh, but MSP Film Society isn’t letting go of The Main’s famed popcorn.
With COVID still on the horizon, MSP Film Society will be expanding their policies at The Main building. That means proof of vaccination, two-thirds capacity, and masking are here to stay with the rebrand.
A new name, new equipment, and even new concessions complete this major rebrand, but MSP Film Society still aims to bring the community theater experience The Main does best, just on an upgraded level.
