Burns Court, Lakewood Ranch Cinemas To Close Indefinitely

SARASOTA, FL — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the state, the Sarasota Film Society has decided to temporarily close the two independent theaters it operates, Burns Court Cinema and Lakewood Ranch Cinema. The theaters will close Wednesday and staff of the nonprofit, member-supported cinema is hopeful they’ll reopen this spring, said Trisha Calandra, vice president.

The film society announced its temporary closure in a Nov. 19 letter to members. All memberships will be frozen and will have additional time added to them when the theaters reopen.

In the letter, the organization said it’s experienced an “overwhelming decline in revenue” because of the pandemic and “the lack of content being released from Hollywood (and) independent studios.”

And it’s not just small theaters like Burns Court and Lakewood Ranch that are being affected by this, Calandra said in an interview with Sarasota Patch. “I can’t see how any movie theaters are going to stay open during the next four months.”

Closing their theaters for a second time wasn’t an easy decision to make, she added. They closed earlier in the pandemic — in the first week of March — and staff “was so excited to reopen again (in June) the first time they did the shutdowns,” she said. “We did see some people come back to the movies, but just not enough.”

There’s nothing big enough being released in the coming months that justifies the cost of opening the theaters, Calandra said. Even “Wonder Woman 1984,” which comes out Christmas Day, is “not enough to open the movie theaters…the revenue will not be worth it to open.”

The closures will save the film society overhead costs, she added, stressing that they’re “not in jeopardy of losing the buildings.” The organization owns both of its properties, and Burns Court is even completely paid off.

She remains hopeful for the future of Sarasota Film Society, which has been part of the community for 37 years.

“(It’s) terrible news about the theater closing, and it’s depressing, but it’s not all bad,” Calandra said. “It’s not closing for good and we’re going to come back strong as long as Hollywood keeps making movies.”

She expects Burns Court and Lakewood Ranch to reopen in March or April.

“Hollywood is telling us that’s when it’s going to start releasing movies again,” she said.

In the meantime, there are several ways to watch movies and support the organization. More movies will be available for streaming through the Sarasota Film Society website starting Wednesday. And theaters will be available for corporate and private group rentals.

“People seem to be very interested in this right now. It’s safer to come to the theater with their core group and rent the theater out just for them – small, contained groups that people feel safe in,” Calandra said.

For a $100 donation, people can purchase engraved bricks for the Walk of Fame at either theater location, she added. “It’s a good way to get a lasting memory there forever.”

Donations can also be made to the nonprofit by texting “FilmSociety” to 44321.

The Sarasota area has a strong community of movie lovers, Calandra said. Though membership has dipped a bit in the pandemic, the film society still has more than 12,000 members.

“We still have members that are members from when Dick Morris originally opened the theater,” she said. “They’re very loyal and they love seeing the independent films. It’s always nice seeing an independent film in the movie theater and not on your television screen. Everybody laughs together. Everybody cries together. It’s an experience. And we want to make sure it’s still there for people when COVID is all done.”