In July, Lumina Theater announced it would be closing its doors in September. Being one of the few locally owned and independent movie theaters in Chapel Hill, Lumina has historically struggled against big chain theaters in the area.
Now the theater is staying open under new ownership.
The July announcement was immediately followed by significant public pushback from Chapel Hill residents. Aaron Westrick, a board member of Lumina Theater, said he received an “email tornado” from unhappy Lumina moviegoers after the announcement in July.
The public response spurred Westrick to work on a plan to keep Lumina open with building owner and Lumina partner D.R. Bryan, along with the new team of angel investors from the community.
“D.R. Bryan agreed to keep the theater open while we worked to get a plan together, and he was incredibly supportive so we could make a viable business going forward,” Westrick said. “We also must thank the community. It was the very fast outpouring of support and interest from the community that even made us think this was possible. If people just shrugged their shoulders, then the theater would have gone away.”
Westrick said he is not a passionate moviegoer himself, but he became involved with Lumina because he believes in the community. Westrick said he thinks Lumina is a great asset to the community.
“It’s been a bit of a wake-up call for Lumina, and a realization that we need to invest in improvements that the community really deserves,” Westrick said.
Since July, the new management team has focused on creating a plan that addresses five areas of improvement: investment, customer experience, community involvement and special programming.
To find ways to improve customer experience, Lumina sent out a survey to Chapel Hill residents in September and found that the most requested item is comfortable seating. Westrick said the theater is discussing adopting reserved seating, ticket kiosks and healthy choices at concessions as other ways to improve overall customer experience.
