In the last year, Pueblo’s Tinseltown theater finally received some much-needed upgrades, such as luxury stadium seating that cinemas in Colorado Springs already long had offered moviegoers. But since the renovations were completed, fewer special events have been offered to the cinema’s customers. I used to enjoy attending many of the one-night screenings offered in tandem with Fathom Events, for example, but such things now are rare here. If I want to see the 40th anniversary screening of “Alien” on the big screen in mid-October, I would have to drive a half-hour to the north now.

Considering also that Cinemark — Tinseltown’s owner — and Regal Cinemas are planning to increase the number of commercials that play before the pre-show movie trailers, according to Deadline Hollywood, you really have to wonder if the company is trying to accelerate its own demise.

The TV in my living room gets bigger, cheaper and fancier each time it’s replaced, after all. Special events such as the ones Pueblo customers no longer enjoy are just about the only thing movie theaters have left to offer that we can’t get delivered right to us in the comfort of our own homes. Theater managers would do well to take note of what sets them apart — before it’s too late.

Published Oct. 9, 2019, in The Pueblo Chieftain “Letters to the Editor”