Valley Journal: Iconic Polson theater expands with 70 years of history

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Kristi Niemeyer

Gary and Becky Dupuis

Poulsen Showboat Stadium 6

| Kristi Niemeyer (Kristi Niemeyer) for "Valley Magazine"

Paulson-Remember what if you want to place it in a comfortable theater seat, remove all the distractions in the house (dogs, children, the drone of the dryer), then hold popcorn and sink into the big screen ? 

Even now, during the pandemic, viewers can enjoy this experience at Polson's new Showboat Stadium 6. After entering inside, they easily notice that it is not like the old Showboat. The six state-of-the-art auditoriums include luxurious stadium seats, excellent sound and high-definition screens. 

In addition to the standard discounted fare, the theater also sells caramelized corn made in-house. And those smaller single-story bathrooms? Replaced by a spacious, tiled six-story bathroom. 

The Polson Theater was supposed to be a season of boasting and celebration, and the owner’s brand new six-story building on the main street has been turned into a quiet open space, adding an impressive new building to the Polson city area . 

"We just didn't see the COVID coming," said co-owner Becky Dupuis, whose parents Howard and Ayron Pickerill have been since 1971 There is a chain of Posen Theater. "A year ago, my prediction was completely different from now." 

Her husband, General Manager Gary Dupuis added: “We were very, very open when we opened at the end of August.” They said, but please stay tuned. "When all COVID content is over, we will hold a large gathering." 

The family business also operates eight other cinemas in Montana and Salmon, Idaho. The expansion project broke ground in August 2019. They have been paying attention to Poulsen's upgrade work, but the company has converted it to digital cinema in 2011. The equipment in all its cinemas meant that they had to delay investment. 

Becky said: "We know we just need to provide more screens here." "We know that people will go to Kalispell and Missoula. In general, the whole thing needs to be reshaped." 

The theater was originally called the park and was built in 1950 by WA Simons, who also built The Wilma in Missoula. The largest auditorium of the new Showboat has 171 seats, the same footprint as the original theater. The other auditorium can hold 130 people, and the four small halls can hold 70-80 people. 

The biggest factor in the decision to make a major expansion is the enthusiasm of the community. Becky said: "Poulsen has been supporting the scale of the theater." "This is a good performing community."

The couple said that a large number of retirees have high incomes, a large influx of tourists in the summer, and loyal audiences in the tribal community have also contributed to the economic development of the theater. 

Gary said that when deciding to add six screens, "we decided to build for the future." 

Becky added: "In the end, it got bigger or went home." 

The family debated whether to build the new Ridgewater development on Polson Hill from the ground up or to renovate its downtown site. The latter plan won. They purchased the adjacent parking lot from Glacier Bank, moved the building where the Chamber of Commerce they bought a few years ago, and started construction in August 2019. 

When the pandemic broke out in March last year, their road conditions were good. By then, they had promised. Gary said: "Of course we can't stop in the middle of construction and say,'We are going back.'"

Like many business owners, they expect a brief episode before they can reopen the theater. 

Becky recalled: "We thought we would close for two weeks and then another two weeks." But in the end, all of their theaters were closed for three months. 

Four have since reopened; five countries, including Ronan, remained closed until the pandemic eased; two of Shelby and Whitefish were permanently closed. After closing from March to the end of August, the Poulsen Theater gradually expanded, and the last two auditoriums are scheduled to open before Christmas. 

In response to the crisis caused by the pandemic, Dupuis immediately applied for a loan from the Small Business Administration through its "Wage Protection Program", and received an economic injury disaster loan last spring. But in the fall, the business is still bleeding, and the income and expenditure of the Polson reconstruction project are very small. 

When Becky learned that Wisconsin had developed a grant program to help smaller movie theaters weather the epidemic, "I went to the governor's office for help." 

She kept in touch with Governor Mike Cooney, whose staff used existing funds to create the Montana Cinema Assistance Program. 

She said: "I am forever grateful to the country." "Those people are problem solvers and workers." 

This injection will help the company survive at least until early summer, when Dupuis wants people to come out of home again, and they are eager to watch movies on the big screen. 

The future of Ronan Artist Cinema is still up in the air. Although it is not the company's money-making tool, it does have digital equipment worth $100,000, very comfortable seats, and space for bands or comedians in the front row. 

"I don't want to log it off. This is a nice little theater," Becky said. She wondered if it could double as a movie theater and smaller event venue. "We want to figure out how to make it work-how to make it part of the community." 

To some extent, this epidemic helped Polson's construction process simply because it is much easier to renovate an empty theater than to try to mess up the building during movie screenings every day. 

"This has greatly increased the execution speed of this work," said Gary, who stopped work. "We were able to break into these two auditoriums, remove the concession and bathroom, and start business."

Finishing the interior decoration of the Showboat is a family affair, with parents, siblings and children all participating in the activity. "It's a lot of hands-on work," Gary looked around the largest auditorium. 

Home workers installed seats and aisle lighting, and hung speakers and screens, while local film producer David King was willing to cut fabrics for soundproof wall panels.

"The construction crew was surprised by the work entering the auditorium," Gary said. He added that the entire construction crew "all came forward and did a very good job."

Due to the pandemic, theater owners found themselves in a very different market. Since March last year, film production has been at a standstill, and films originally scheduled for release in spring and summer last year are now in theaters. 

Becky said: "Hopefully when we go, we will have so many great movies. We don't know what to do with all these movies."  

At the same time, with many people still staying at home, major distribution companies are now showing movies to theaters while introducing movies on their streaming platforms. 

"Our relationship with the studio is symbiotic; we both need it." Becky said. "We didn't realize how fascinated we were until we didn't watch a movie. Without a new product, you can't even try to make money."

The movie studio instructs the theater in which auditorium to show and how long it will show. This is a strange equation. Dupuis hopes that there are six screens, which can provide more choices for moviegoers and keep the choices fresh. 

Becky also looks forward to showing more independent films, documentaries and art films. "In a small town as big as Poulsen, there will be a certain number of people watching those movies, and they are usually very loyal." She also hopes to show film festivals (such as the Sundance Film Festival) or International Wildlife Movies at the Animal Film Festival.

Showboat will once again host the fascinating Flathead Lake International Film Festival from January 29th to 31st. The Dupuis said that the six-story building will allow them to show film blocks in different auditoriums while still complying with social distancing requirements. 

The couple are also exploring other ways to use their new facilities, including private screenings, enabling someone to rent an auditorium for up to 20 people for $150 and watch one or a movie in the Showboat library. 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Gary talked to a family who chose to perform privately. "They said they enjoyed the fact that they don't have to wear a mask inside and they can talk to each other in the movie." 

Before the COVID-19 retirement, Showboat’s safety requirements were recommended by CinemaSafe, which was a plan developed by the National Theater Owners Association. Movie viewers must wear masks in halls and auditoriums unless they eat or drink, and they are encouraged to keep at least six feet away from other audiences who are not theirs.

Every other row of seats has been blocked. When moviegoers buy tickets, seats will be allocated to ensure that there is at least six feet between all parties in the auditorium. 

All Showboat personnel wear masks, wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizer. The theaters between each theater must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, including seats, armrests and cup holders, as well as toilets, door handles and lobby seats. Plexiglass barriers separate the conductors and discount staff from the customers. 

Since the seats have been reduced to 30% of capacity, the risk of encountering crowds is small. Gary said: "We are doing everything we can to make it a safe environment." 

He suggested that those who are particularly vulnerable or worried about COVID should attend meetings within a week and consider attending a matinee. Performance times are 4pm and 7pm from Monday to Thursday and 1pm, 4pm and 7pm from Friday to Sunday.

"In theory, watching a movie in Montana is one of the safest outdoor experiences you can get," Becky said.

So far, moviegoers who have ventured into the new theater are enthusiastic about their experience. "The feedback was'We no longer need to go to Kalispell and Missoula; we are now in the big city."

Learn more about Showboat on polsontheatres.com. 

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