A historic cinema with a glorious neon marquee deep in the mountains along the Columbia River, the Roxy Theatre in Revelstoke, BC, is a timeless institution for the legendary ski town.
This month, we chatted with owner/operator Greg Rose, who took over the Roxy in November 2020. Going in with no previous cinema operating experience, Greg has guided the venue through lockdowns and maintained its position as a key space for the community.
Hosting a variety of new releases, live performances and local film festivals (including their very own “Roxy Adventure Film Festival”!), the Roxy is a vibrant cinema that’s sure to shine bright in the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges for decades to come.
Tell us about The Roxy:
The Roxy is a single-screen, 245-seat cinema nestled deep in the mountains along the Columbia River, sandwiched between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges. We are a resort town, with world-class skiing, mountain biking and more.
The venue has been a theatre since 1938, but only the Roxy since 1959. I took the theatre over in November 2020, and had only five days of operation before we were closed for seven months—but made good use of the time to attend to a lot of repair, maintenance and upgrades which were much needed.
Many locals share stories of working here in there early years. Its the only theatre in town, and an institution in my opinion! We currently have 11 employees.
What makes The Roxy unique?
Our layout is unique, I’ve never been in a theatre like ours. The venue has two sections (upper and lower) and a gentle slope, with a decently-sized stage. Many people comment on it.
We also have storage units in the basement which serve as another income stream. I put those in a few years ago.
What sort of films do you show?
Mostly first run films play at The Roxy, but with only one screen sometimes movies stack up and we play 2nd run as well. We also show the Banff Film Festival in cooperation with the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as our own Roxy Adventure Film Festival (RAFF) showcasing ski movie from major houses and local filmmakers.
What are The Roxy’s greatest challenges?
After making it through COVID, nothing feels that challenging anymore! But seriously, we are lucky to have an engaged population here, and that there are no zoning issues so we mostly play what we want.
The building and equipment are old, and need lots of care and attention, so that is always an ongoing concern, but we are slowly picking away at that, too.
What are your favourite compliments that The Roxy receives from your audience?
Many people comment on our auditorium, it’s unique and very charming. The kids get lots of compliments, our young staff does a really great job.
What’s a memorable film screening or event you hosted? Our ski film festival is always great, as is Banff Film, but my favourite was the Taylor Swift: Eras Tour. Seeing our guests dancing out of their seats will stay with me for a long time.
What are your most popular concession items?
Peanut M&Ms and Maltesers sell really well here, and of course our popcorn. Mike and Ike candy also does well with us.
What projects are you considering for the future?
There are a few projects! The building is in the process of getting painted, hoping to be complete this Oct or in the spring if we run our of time. And I’m close to releasing the news that we are getting a new screen. It has been in the works for a bit, just waiting on a few details, but when complete our screen should be 30% bigger.
Past that, our CP750 will need to be replaced soon, as well as some aging amps—but they are all still serving us well, so time will tell when that needs to happen.
Tell us about yourself; how did you get your start in film exhibition?
This opportunity fell in my lap in October 2020. Before thatm I was a movie fan as many of us are, but had never worked in this business. I had worked in the service industry in my early years and owned a small business in the past.
Its been such a wild four years since I took over. I have had a lot to learn and teach myself, but it’s been a lot of fun. I really love this work, this business has its challenges, but also so many rewards. After all, how many businesses can say they have a target market of 4-94 years old?