Film screenings at base theater will go dark at month's end

  • Published
  • By Michael P. Kleiman
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. --  If you want to watch a flick at the Kirtland AFB theater, time is running out.

After the 7 p.m. showing of The Ice Age: Continental Drift on Saturday, Sept. 29, the curtain will come down on movies screened at the facility, originally opened in 1950 as part of what was then Sandia Base.

"It's a sad day to see it go. It's been a long-time service that we have been able to provide, but the film industry is changing," said Robert Cooper, Army Air Force Exchange Service general manager at Kirtland Air Force Base. "Right now, we use film in our theaters, but by mid-next year, film will be no longer - movies will be digital and the cost of upgrading, estimated at $120,000, is prohibitive. At this point, I do not see the door opening for movies to be shown at the base theater anymore."

For theater supervisor Fred Willett, who has served in his position since 1989, the cost-cutting decision by AAFES represents the end of era. He fondly recalled when the base theater operated seven days a week, tickets cost 99 cents and the 500-seat facility frequently reached capacity. Willett said that since the 9/11 attacks, more than 30 films have premiered on base, including the 2009 science-fiction thriller Terminator Salvation, which had been shot on Kirtland AFB and around the Albuquerque area the previous year. That event featured the film's director McG and star Christian Bale. Even with such special attractions, he said, attendance had been declining over the years, due in large part to the increased accessibility and decreased price of movies via the Internet or through outlets such as Redbox and Netflix.

"It has been a lot of fun the past 23 years, and I have really enjoyed meeting the customers and dealing with them. They'll catch me after the movie, while I am trying to do other things, to talk about the movie - that's cool," Willett said. "I know them on a personal basis - many of them have brought gifts during the holidays for the entire staff, which now consists of two other employees."

Before the final film showing, a special activity will occur at the theater acknowledging the milestone, but details have not been determined. Although its silver screen will go dark at month's end, the edifice, administered by the 377th Force Support Squadron, will still be used for other functions.

Cooper acknowledged that AAFES is examining its theater operations across the country and it is likely movie showings at other installations will also cease in the coming months.

Nevertheless, he thanked moviegoers for their continued support of screenings at Kirtland's theater, saying it brought many people, including himself, a lot of joy.

"After the last show, I will be working a couple of weeks, breaking things down -- stripping out the theater and stripping out the offices," said Willett. "It will definitely leave a hole in my life."