Lights, Camera, Action: The Skyline Theatre to reopen July 28 in Cañon City

A beloved Cañon City institution is set to re-open its doors July 28.

The Skyline Theatre has been a community pillar since it opened at 606 Main St. in 1918 and many generations of Cañon City families have grown up watching countless films in its star-speckled auditorium. However, the theater has had a rocky history with the rise of digital production reels and a shift away from home-grown theater aesthetics.

“Our [theater] is more personal and less business, this place has always been more personal than anything else. Our goal is to make sure the place is taken care of,” said co-owner Chuck James.

James and his wife, Marianne, originally purchased the 200-seat theater in 1993 from the McCormick family and successfully ran it until 2004. Though they spent 15 years away from the business, they re-purchased the business and property in 2019, just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.

The couple dove into restoring the defunct theater (which had closed in 2016) and installed a brand new digital production system, and new sound system, recovered the seats, deep-cleaned the carpets, and repaired a leaking roof. Additionally, they repaired and replaced the 2,000-plus fiber optic lights that twinkle invitingly in the theatre’s interior, which they originally installed by hand in 2000. However, the theater’s original charm still lives strong in the overall aesthetic.

“That’s one thing we want to do,” James said. “We want to make sure that the building is as it was designed in the first place. This isn’t a new, high-tech, multi-plex theater, it is a 1918 stage theater that shows films — all the way back to the 1920s.”

The long-extinct ambiance of the roaring 1920s is encapsulated in the theater’s walls, sconces, walkways, and general decor in multiple Art Deco pieces (many of which James built himself). A 1950s projector, which the couple used consistently when they owned the theater in the 1990s and 2000s, has been officially retired but is on display on the east side of the theater’s lobby. According to James, it still works perfectly fine but is now a relic of a bygone era.

To reflect the theater’s origin in a time vastly different than our own, they hope to keep the operation of the theater simple.

Unlike other theaters, which have complicated movie times and ticket prices, the Skyline will operate on a simple basis, including the following:

• Cash only; no credit, debit cards, or checks will be accepted.
• Absolutely no cellphone activity is allowed within the auditorium — those who elect to talk or use their cell phone inside will be asked to leave.
• Tickets, regardless of age, will be $10 and will be sold solely at the front box office.
• Movie times will be 7 p.m., regardless of which day of the week it is.

Like every good theater, the Skyline will have a variety of snacks to choose from at the snack bar (which also will be cash only) and will include ice cream, nachos, and other movie-goer favorites. It is important to note that the owners have decided to round prices to the nearest dollar, which will eliminate the need for change.

At this time, the couple anticipates that the theater will be open Friday through Monday, but the finite schedule is still being confirmed.

On July 28, the theater will officially reopen with a showing of “Asteroid City.”

Though they had originally planned to show “Oppenheimer” as the grand reopening film, the owners have secured it as the second film to be shown at the theater, beginning Aug. 4.

“That is a perfect movie for this theater, I think,” James said. “[We hope to show] a lot of independent films and foreign films. ‘Oppenheimer’ is more of a ‘sit down and think about it’ kind of film.”

The Skyline also will show blockbusters and other major Hollywood-star-studded movies, but the owners hope to offer a larger variety of films rather than just the big money-makers.

“The idea is that we want people to come down and have an enjoyable experience watching a movie, in a pleasant atmosphere without the noise and complexity and headaches of nonsense outside,” James said.

To view current and upcoming movies offered at the theater, visit the Skyline’s website, ccskylinetheatre.com, the Facebook page at .facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094050180445 or call the box office at 719-285-8780.

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