Pop in for some corn and show your support

Columbia Cinema at 2727 7th St., The Dalles is offering drive up concessions today on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to help offset costs while awaiting movies to return to the big screen.

By Tom Peterson

Bruce Humphrey probably feels like Bruce Willis in Die Hard and his Columbia Cinema in The Dalles is being held hostage by COVID-19.

Humphrey, 61, who owns the theater, came to the Dalles in 1992 to operate Cascade Cinema in Cascade Square.

Humphrey said the last four months have been tough with screens blacked out and social distancing stymying ticket sales.

And that’s tragic. “People come to be happy, and we try to keep it that way,” he said of the movie experience. “People are choosing to be entertained and escape so everybody is happy. It is an unbelievable energy.”

But Humphrey is in a tough fight with the curtain’s pulled. 

He is introducing some new characters in this epic battle - popcorn, nachos, pretzels and candy are hoping to save the day until movies flashback on the big screen. 

Columbia Cinema at 2727 7th St., which employs 10, is selling all of these items on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to create some revenue to keep the theater out of the red. 

It’s a drive up, and everything is $5. Large popcorn, nachos with extra cheese, pretzels with cheese or two candies. Take your pick and know that you’re helping to keep the flicks flicking in months to come.

“It’s a great way to show some support for the theater - a lot of people say they miss our theater popcorn,” he said.

Columbia Cinema has been closed since March 16.

“We thought it would be for four weeks, and now it’s been four months. It is starting to take a toll on us. We are doing our best to hang in there, but it’s getting uncomfortable, and there are a lot of bills to pay and there is nothing coming in…”

Humphrey said his second Cinema in Hermiston is in the same story line. But even worse, a torrential windstorm damaged the roof and the heating and air conditioning on May 30. Eight of the 12 trees in that parking lot fell as well.

While using concession sales to thwart the storm for now, he said the plan is for movies to come back in August if possible. He hopes to reopen with Tenet, the sequel to Inception. The upcoming spy film was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.

“Hopefully they will not move the date,” Humphrey said, noting he attended a National Association of Theater Owners webinar Thursday, July 16.

Movies, however, will be released when a great majority of theaters can reopen throughout the United States .The motion picture industry wants major markets such as in Texas and Florida to be open as well to have a strong showing with a film, he said.

It’s a bit of a cliff hanger. 

And the popcorn is always good.