Ridgefield”™s nonprofit Prospector Theater has announced it will be temporarily closing on April 5 and is canceling plans for a second venue in Wilton.
In a Facebook posting, theater founder Valerie Jensen acknowledged that while the cinema has operated since its reopening last June, the challenges facing her industry have made it difficult to proceed at this time.
“The movie theater industry is in crisis,” Jensen wrote. “Our largest trade organization, The National Association of Theater Owners, has warned that 75% of independent movie theaters will be insolvent within the next month. The two biggest movies we were expecting to show on the big screen, ”˜Black Widow”™ and ”˜Cruella de Vil,”™ would be released on Disney+ the same day as they opened in theaters.
“Without new content,” she stated, “and with COVID cases on the rise, the smartest and most strategic move was to press the giant pause button, and close our doors.”
Jensen also blamed the rise of streaming services as being responsible for abandoning plans to open another Fairfield County theater.
“It is because of this changing landscape that The Prospector Theater decided to negotiate an agreement to end our plans to open a second theater in Wilton,” she said.
