Brogan: Another One Bites the Dust!

Today marks the last picture show on Loudon Road for the Regal Cinemas. Having opened in 1996 as Canad Cinemas, the theater has struggled in recent years since the Covid Pandemic forced audiences to change their moviegoing habits. No longer do people jump in their car and venture out to Loudon Road to take in one of the latest blockbusters from Hollywood and beyond. It has become easier to sit in the comfort of your living room and enjoy a movie on your large screen television, with periodic visits to the kitchen to replenish your snacks.

For Concord, going to the movies was once a pastime that almost everyone indulged in. The choices too were endless, it seemed. Dating back into the late 1800's when movies first entranced our locals, indoor and outdoor movies provided escape, entertainment, and eye-opening realizations of a world beyond our local confines.

In 1946, almost one million tickets were sold locally, to movies at the three downtown theaters: The Capitol, The Star and The Concord. With movies changing at each site, two or three times a week, there was indeed something for everyone.

From the early years, movies made their mark at White's Opera House, Phenix Hall, the City Auditorium, Conn's Theatre, the Liberty Theatre, and finally the Star, the Capitol, known by most people as "The Cap", The Concord and in 1967, Cinema 93.

There were also neighborhood theaters such as the Scenic in Pittsfield and the Palace in Penacook as well as two Drive-in theaters in the area: The Concord Drive-in and the Sky-Hi Drive-in.

"Going to the movies" was something everyone did, and it was often the first date that a young couple would go on. The smell of freshly popped corn as you walked in, often set the tone for the evening. If the popcorn was good, you could sometimes excuse what you were forced to watch on the screen.

The multi-plex cinema arrived in Concord in the summer of 1979 when a four-screen cinema opened on Loudon Road. It is now the site of a carwash and Dairy Queen. The cinema, known by many names through the years including Merrimack Cinemas, Sack, Sony, USA, Entertainment Cinemas) added two additional screens and thrived, despite a horrific parking lot, for about three decades. Canad's arrival helped to bring about their demise.

The Drive-in's faded out in the mid-80's, the Capitol stopped showing films around the same time before finding new life as a wonderful performing arts center. The Concord closed in 1994 and Cinema 93 several years later. With Canad's departure, there is no longer any movie theater to visit on the other side of the river as has been the case for 57 years.

Fortunately, there is still Red River Theatres on Concord's South Main Street. With their stadium seating, exceptional concession and amazing staff, they are a destination stop for many and I continue to be amazed by how many people have never set foot inside the place.

With two cinemas and one great screening room, which I utilized last week for the final class of a film class I was teaching for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), there's not a bad seat to be had and the sound system and screens make moviegoing the kind of experience you want it to be. Their variety of titles include current and popular films as well as art pictures and some Hollywood classics. Even better, after going a couple of times, you will get to know the staff and they will recognize you. In too many of the multi-plex theaters, you see a different group of staff working each time you attend. There is never any kind of personal connection, the kind that signified Cinema 93 (Barry Steelman) and the Concord Theatre (Theresa Cantin).

This would seem to be the perfect time to test the waters of Red River or, if you've not been in a while, pay a return visit. Let's make sure that Concord continues to have the opportunity of providing our community with the magic that can only be found on the "Silver Screen".