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Agawam Cinemas, formerly Agawam Family Cinemas, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $40,000 for all-digital projector equipment. The theater could open as soon as Thanksgiving weekend.

(Laura Newberry)

AGAWAM -- A young film enthusiast has taken over Agawam Cinemas, and the beloved theater could reopen as soon as November.

Kimberly Wheeler launched a Kickstarter campaign Thursday night to raise $40,000 for the two-screen theater that closed in May.

Wheeler's background isn't in film; she's actually an emergency medical technician. But the 31-year-old Agawam native grew up watching flicks at the theater, formerly known as Agawam Family Cinemas, and was heartbroken to hear of its closing.

"When it closed I had to start going to the bigger cinemas, and I realized there was a gap between what they were able to provide and what I was used to on a customer service level," she said.

This summer Wheeler contacted the landlords of the theater building, located in the Southgate Plaza on Suffield Street, to see about buying the business. She signed a lease on the place three weeks ago.

"I kind of jumped into it with both feet because it’s something I wanted to do so badly," Wheeler said. She's been incessantly researching the film industry since.

If all goes as planned, Wheeler said, the cinema could reopen as soon as Thanksgiving.

The theater opened in the 1971 as Jerry Lewis Twin Cinemas, part of a national chain that went bankrupt in 1980.

Former owner Sal Anzalotti ran the theater from 1996 until it closed. Technological advances ultimately led to its demise, according to The Republican.

A Kickstarter campaign poster was placed in Agawam Cinemas' box office window Friday.



As the film industry shifts from celluloid to digital, theaters have been forced to replace their 35-millimeter film projectors with all-digital equipment. But the conversion is pricey - sometimes as much as $100,000 per projector - and has put many small cinemas out of business.









The complete digital conversion for Agawam Cinemas' two screens will cost about $113,000, Wheeler said. The Kickstarter's purpose is to raise $40,000 of the funds Wheeler hasn't been able to come up with herself.

The campaign has raised $1,145 as of Friday morning.

Before its closing, the cinema was operating as a lower-cost movie house featuring second-run films that no longer played at larger theaters.

Wheeler said the renovated cinema will play first-run films at a slightly higher cost to viewers. Tickets that cost $5.50 in May will now be $6.50, with discounts for matinees, seniors, veterans, students and children.

In an interview Friday, Anzalotti said it's more difficult than ever to run a local theater. He was competing against three large multiplexes in the area, and he felt like he wasn't getting enough support from Agawam residents. But he's hopeful Wheeler will be able to get the cinema back on its feet.

"Sometimes it takes a fresh face," Anzalotti said. "I'm hoping that even though one door closed for me, another door opens for her."

The cinema's landlords have agreed to foot all renovation expenses, Wheeler said. Movie-goers should expect a revamped concessions stand and some new seating, but the theater will keep its old-school counters that run the length of each row.

"The community support we’re seeing behind this is heartwarming," Wheeler said. "So many people care about this space."