“We’ve got a smoking lineup right now,” Myers, 32, said. “We’ve got some blockbusters like Thor, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 for the kids. But we’ve also created the Oxford Fine Arts Cinema, which is kind of a backdoor cinema that we wanted to curtail to what the community members might enjoy, so we’ve got Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen, and The Grandmaster, a foreign film that might be something our foreign students appreciate.
“So our goal is not only to cater to the blockbusters, which is what the old theater used to do, but do some independent films that city might enjoy. And not only that, but sometime down the road, to link up with the university and get an Oxford Film Festival up there.”
Students like Miami senior Logan Gabriel appreciate the new approach that Myers and company have taken, and the independent film offerings seem enticing. Gabriel said he loved Blue Jasmine and couldn’t be happier that he’ll now have some off-brand options to choose from.
He’s also happy to have a local theater to go to again.
“It was a good experience,” Gabriel said of the Friday-night opening. “It’s a small, more homey theater that fits Oxford, and I think if it can provide some unique offerings, it could get a decent following.”
Alliance Entertainment and Great Escape Theatres chose to close down the Uptown landmark on Nov. 25, 2012. After almost a year of collecting dust, the Princess has been given new life – and though a movie-going makeover is in the works, it hasn’t quite happened yet.
Myers said that priority number one was giving film back to fans in Oxford.
“We just purchased the Princess about a month ago, so we haven’t had the opportunity to do any of the renovations,” Myers said. “Since Oxford has been deprived of a movie theater for almost a full year, we thought, ‘what a great gift to give to our city, especially over the holiday season.’ Sometime after the new year … our game plan is to come in with all new digital equipment. We’re going to do the whole deal and really bring Oxford a first-class experience.”
Myers says he and Matt Rodboro have been in business together for over 10 years, and his father, Chris, also saw the importance of bringing the movies back to Oxford. Ted Woods, owner of several bars and restaurants in town, was eager to invest as well.
“The thing that attracted me to the project was Oxford people, people who care about Oxford” Myers said. “All of the money is staying in town. This whole project is a win on any spectrum I look at how cool is it to own a movie theater? Oxford was deprived of a movie theater for an entire year, which blows my mind. What’s a city without a movie theater?”
Myers added that in addition to giving back to the city, he also has fond memories of going to the theater as a kid – an added bonus to his investment.
“It was the first place I ever took a date in middle school, and it was where I had my first kiss,” Myers said in an interview with the Miami Student.
Tickets are still being offered at the discounted price of $5. For showtimes and more information, check out the Princess Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SaveThePrincessTheater.
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