Despite an unfortunately and saddening all time low in theater attendance in 2015, the theatrical experience is still the gold standard cinematic for many. For those of you who hope to proliferate this sentiment, a man named Mike Hurley is giving away his theater in Houlton, Maine (valued at $350,000) to the person who writes the best 250 word essay about why they should be the new owner.
- $100 entry fee.
- 250 words.
- Deadline January 31st.
- Refunded if less than 3,500 entries are collected.
- Enter Here
Credit: Steve Minor
The Temple Theatre, which was renovated in 2002 with a new sound system and seating, is a two screen theater with deep historical roots to the small town of Houlton. If you couldn't tell by the spelling of its name (theatre vs. theater) — this place has been around since 1907, and eventually evolved into a movie theater in 1919.
The price of a child’s admission was one thin dime and adults had to fork over fifteen large (cents). Originally, the projection booth was located at the rear of the balcony and the concession stand was where the current projection booth is located today. In the 1980s, the single screen theatre was split with the construction of a wall down the center of the auditorium in order to provide greater film title offerings.
Since Hurley has owned the theater he spent $200,000 in renovations and just upgraded to digital projection last year. Additional stats from THR:
Hurley owns (and is therefore giving away) only the first two floors. Each screen comes with a balcony and seats 200. The second floor consists of 4,200 square feet of office space and a 2,000 square-foot apartment, where his manager lives.
Since Hurley claims he will not announce a winner unless a minimum of 3,500 entries are collected, applicants don't have much to lose. In a lot of ways it would be a dream to own a theater — but I'm sure it's a lot to manage, and apparently too much for this man to handle. On one hand it's a romantic notion, on the other hand you just might be inheriting a full time job.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
