No more changeovers, breaks or burnt film to worry about. After years of being one of the last 35 mm projectionists, he now enjoys the ease of the upgraded system. The new technology also gives John a welcome break. Finney is a former video editor, engineer, director and camera operator with the appropriate nickname, “The Reel Wizard.” They had help bringing the theater into the ‘modern age’ by Dwight Finney of Salida. The first digital film, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” was shown on August 10 th. After several setbacks the new technology was installed. They purchased a used Barco 4k Digital Projector, enabling them to get all the latest blockbusters. In May 2018 the process to obtain a digital projector finally became a reality. Deciding to make such a big investment wasn’t easy for the Groy’s – but became necessary. That’s been the fate of most small rural theaters when faced with such an extravagantly expensive upgrade.
#Comanche drive in movie
Without major corporate backing, this independently-owned local treasure may have gone dark when the movie industry switched to digital, though. The family kept it open by showing classics only, which people liked and supported. In the last five years, however, it became harder and harder to get 35mm films. It closed after the 2008 season and reopened in 2011. John and Pearl Groy opened the single-screen theater more than a half century ago and it ran for 42 consecutive summers. “It part of our family heritage and will remain a family business,” they say.
They’re committed to keeping it running because it provides a form of classic entertainment every generation should know. John and Barb Groy, the second-generation who now run daily operations, credit its longevity to being family-owned and persistence on everybody’s part. The theater has been in the Groy family since it opened. They hope to open at Christmas with a holiday movie and open earlier in the spring, as well. And away from “city lights,” movies at the Comanche come with a milky way – the starry kind, that is.īecause the new equipment makes showing new movies possible, they’re extending the viewing season through fall, rather than closing in September. The Sawatch mountain range, dominated by peaks over 14,000 feet, provides the theater’s backdrop. It is the highest elevation drive-in theater in the world. Nationwide, only about 300 drive-in theaters still exist. Opened in 1966, the Comanche is widely-considered one of the nation’s official “Cinema Treasures.” In this multiplex world, drive-ins are a rare piece of pure Americana.
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