BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Reports of the demise of the Maple Art Theatre in Bloomfield Township are greatly exaggerated.
Landmark Theatres announced that the haven for independent and avante garde films is closing at the end of the month.
Jon Goldstein begs to differ.
When he heard the same reports he was surprised, to say the least.
"I said, 'Well, that's interestingly wrong,'" he said.
Goldstein, of Cloud Nine Theatre Productions, is taking over a new and improved Maple in February.
"We just want to renovate it, make it clean, new and nice and make it a place people want to come back to see movies," he said.
Goldstein is planning digital projection, improved seats, an expanded lobby, a modernized exterior and better customer service. The Maple will still have three theatres.
"We're going to move the exit doors to make the screens bigger," Goldstein said.
Goldstein is even planning a fireplace with Pewabic tile. Customers can sample locally brewed beer and hang out even if they don't want to see a movie.
The theatre will close from April to June while the renovations are underway. While the building will change a lot, the attractions will change a little.
"We'll show mostly the independent films, but we'll sprinkle in some other films my audience wants to see or should see," Goldstein said.
It will be called the Maple Theatre rather than the Maple Art Theatre. Goldstein said it's up to the people buying tickets to decide whether a film is a work of art.