‘You just don’t get that at home’

Peerless Theatre experienced a scare at the beginning of the month, not from the image of a ghost or dragon or roving hippy commune gracing its movie screen, but from something widely considered more mundane: a power outage. Briefly following the April 3 incident, which cut electricity for five hours to much of Holyoke’s downtown business district, Peerless General Manager Paula Strode worried whether the surge had destroyed two of the theater’s main signs – and this barely into her second month on the job.

Had such damage occurred, she said, fixing the problem would have cost the Peerless “tens of thousands of dollars.” Thankfully, she continued, an investigation proved the signs still functional, and both are currently up and running.

But power outage aside, Strode took note of a much slower-moving issue with which the Peerless must contend: building maintenance. Near its entrance hangs a poster advertising DreamWorks Pictures’ first animated film, “The Prince of Egypt,” an adaptation of the Book of Exodus released in 1998 when the Peerless opened. Holyoke residents arrived that year for the first time to witness Moses part the Red Sea upon the big screen. The following decades, however, have provided some time for the building to age.

The Peerless floor has become worn, Strode said, and needs to be painted; its “fluorescent lights are going out.”

“We’re stable, but there are a lot of things we need to do,” she said. “After 25 years, things are starting to break down.”

Buying movie tickets would provide significant help to the theater, Strode said, and further aid could be provided via volunteer work or a financial donation. With springtime coming, she continued, the theater will be getting busier; as a nonprofit organization, any money provided to the Peerless is tax-deductible.

“I want to start with the Spanish movies,” she noted. “I would need a bilingual person behind the counter.”

Touring the Peerless on Thursday, April 13, Strode showcased other activities offered within the building, such as dance and gymnastics classes, a spot to play basketball, and – on the second floor – office space, and a pool table and air hockey table.

Dianna Vermeulen, the theater’s former general manager who remains active on its board, said Peerless operations often strike a balance between traditional movies and “rec center-type activities.” Peerless owns the building “outright,” she continued, with associated costs for electricity and gas from month-to-month.

Scattered popcorn – most of which had been cleared away via leaf blower – marked a recent birthday party held within the Peerless for a child whose parents had rented out the building for the occasion. Their movie of choice? DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.”

“They had the little party out here after the movie; he opened his presents: a bunch of 7-year-olds, you know, they were like little ants,” Strode said, laughing within the theater lobby. “But they had so much fun and the parents enjoyed it.”

Due to “constantly fluctuating” obligations involving booking agents, producers and a larger cost for showing films at the time of release, Vermeulen said, Peerless often gets movies a week after the larger theaters. On a general level, she continued, the cost of booking agents involves about $150 in costs, movie drives are $40 each – for both Spanish and English versions – and producers must be paid 35-55% of ticket sales.

“Movies cost a lot of money,” Vermeulen said, laughing. “There’s a lot of organization and pieces of the puzzle that have to fit in place before you can see it on the big screen. It looks so simple when you’re watching the movie, but it’s not.”

Strode, for her part, expressed appreciation to residents who could wait to see films screened at their local theater.

Formerly retired, she stepped in from the theater board recently to fill the general manager position when Vermeulen needed to leave and fulfill other business obligations. Though the Peerless faces challenges both from outside competition and online streaming services, Strode took the position, noting simply, “I love the theater.”

Standing before the curtains adorning Peerless’ movie screen, she pointed out new Dolby speakers along the walls and mentioned their upgrade to 7.1 from the previous 5.1 system. This means, now, Peerless surround sound feeds into an eight-channel audio system rather than the previous six for greater immersion. The 5.1 speakers, in a hallway behind the screen, are currently on sale.

To see a movie within the theater, she said, remains a special experience. And now, moving out from the coronavirus pandemic, she continued, the movies are getting bigger. In August 2022, the theater showed “Top Gun: Maverick,” an action drama starring Tom Cruise featuring jet fighters performing acrobatic feats and skimming the skies at high speeds. Due to positive reception, they decided to play it again into the following month. Likes ensued on their Facebook page.

“Aww,” Strode purred. “The planes were… everything was all around you and it just brought it to life.

“And when ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ was here – aww – you just don’t get that at home… it felt like you were swimming with them.”

For more information on the theater, visit peerlesstheatre.com or call 970-854-2453.