On the Friday night the Peerless Theatre was officially reopened, Dec. 25, 1998, a line stretched down the block. People were eager to see “The Prince of Egypt,” but they were probably even more eager to see how the theater had turned out. Two shows sold out that Christmas Day, and 60 people who had hoped to see the first showing had to return for the second. — The Holyoke Enterprise file photo
Reopening the theater was always meant, in part, to preserve a piece of Holyoke history. Though the building had seen better days, care was taken to preserve much of the original brick to be reused. Now 75 percent of the facade is made up of original brick, and the building looks strikingly similar to what it looked like nearly 100 years ago. — The Holyoke Enterprise file photo
20 years later, Peerless keeps weathering ups and downs
Christmas means something different to everyone. On Dec. 25, 1998, it marked the culmination of years dedicated to saving the Peerless and reopening the historic theater. Each Christmas since then has been a reminder of that accomplishment, and many in the community have made seeing a movie there part of their annual holiday traditions.
This year, the community was invited to a free Christmas showing of “The Grinch” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the theater’s reopening, and 78 attended.
As 2019 arrives, the theater is also celebrating 100 years since the original was built in 1919.
A look at the last two decades — and what preceded them — can tell a person a lot about the people of Holyoke. There’s a commitment to preserving history, and persistence to finish what’s been started, even when it’s not easy.
Holyoke’s also a place where faith is important. The first movie shown after reopening the Peerless was “The Prince of Egypt,” and since then, other Christian movies have been routinely well-attended. This year, “I Can Only Imagine” sold the second most tickets at 531. In 2015, “War Room” sold 644 — the most that year. The movie that sold the most tickets in the last 20 years was probably “The Passion of the Christ” at 1,265.
The successful reopening of the Peerless also shows how selfless locals can be. There were many large grants that made the project possible, but a look at the donor wall inside the theater makes it clear that many individuals, organizations and local businesses contributed, too.
When old seats needed to be removed in 1990 to pave the way for reopening, people stepped up to do it. When the roof caved in the following year, people again answered the call for help, donating time, equipment and effort to clean up the mess. Countless people have served on boards and committees — from the 1988 Rec Center Task Force to the 1989 Golden Plains Recreation Center to the 1990 Save the Peerless Theatre steering committee, and of course on the Peerless board since it reopened.
Theater history also shows just how central children are to the community. Looking at just some of the top ticket sales each year, children’s movies stand out. In 2000, “Toy Story 2” sold 847 tickets, “Alvin and the Chipmunks” sold 623 in 2008, “Cars 2” sold 910 in 2011, “Wreck-it Ralph” sold 754 in 2012, “Finding Dory” sold 475 in 2016, “Cars 3” sold 362 in 2017, and “Incredibles 2” sold 665 in 2018.
Those numbers tell another story, too. Some years the people of Holyoke see a lot of movies, and some years they don’t. Prices have hardly changed at the Peerless, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference. In 1998, an adult ticket cost $5. Based on inflation alone, one would expect that same ticket to cost about $7.75 today, but it’s only $5.50. Student tickets acually cost 50 cents less than they did 20 years ago.
Nevertheless, ticket sales go up and down. People in the industry readily recognize that streaming services like Netflix have changed the world of movie theaters. In the same way, it was the rise of VCRs that led to the theater closing in December 1986 when Ralph and Linda Statz owned it.
After all the work it took to reopen the theater, dips in ticket sales don’t stop Peerless board members in their tireless quest to keep the theater afloat. It’s a good thing, too, because the Peerless is so much more than just movies.
On Sunday mornings a church meets there; on Wednesday evenings Fellowship of Christian Athletes meets there. Kids play basketball and have a safe place to hang out on the weekends. Presently, four individuals rent office space in the facility, and dance and gymnastics classes utilize that gym and basement spaces. The building regularly gets used for parties, meetings and events put on by a number of groups and even other businesses in the area.
When the Peerless was saved — 12 years after being closed — it added much to the community. One would certainly be hard pressed to find a local resident who hasn’t used the center in some way, and it continues to be an endearing site for out-of-town visitors accustomed to the usual multiplexes that tend to lack the character found in a century-old theater.
Celebrate the Peerless Theatre with 12 days of Christmas
A giant movie screen
At the center of the Peerless is the theater, but since reopening, it offers much more than just movies.
2 volunteers
A typical movie has two volunteers from the community who help run the concessions.
3 cry room seats
When the theater reopened, a cryroom was included so parents of young kids could enjoy the movies, too.
4 building tenants
Beyond movies, the Peerless provides space for activities, meetings, events and offices for four tenants.
5 weeks of peace
The Peerless was open just five weeks before it was first vandalized.
6 CineMagics
Nov 3., 2012, was the first CineMagic fundraiser. The annual event will have its seventh go this New Year's Eve.
7 days of showings
The first movie shown, "The Prince of Egypt," played for seven days, starting with two sold-out shows.
8 years of waiting
In 1990, the credit union donated the building to reopen the theater, which took another 8 years to happen.
9 board members
According to its bylaws the GPRC/Peerless board must have nine members, must more are allowed.
10 movie icons
At the March 13, 1999, grand opening, 10 people were dressed as movie icons, including Chewbacca and Batman.
11 salt flavors
Popcorn is a movie staple, but these days the Peerless features 11 flavors of salt that can be added.
12 hundred tickets
In what may have been the top-selling movie at the Peerless, over 1,200 tickets were sold to "The Passion of the Christ" in 2004.