Earlier this month, Harbor Theater installed a new Christie RGBe laser projector to replace its outdated and increasingly unreliable system. The theater’s technical advisors, American Cinema Equipment of Portland, Oregon, said the new projector should last a decade.

The theater’s technical guru, Robert Jordan, said this week, “The new projector was installed as scheduled. It has been running flawlessly, checklists have been revised, and all projectionists have been retrained. The colors are amazing, and you may have noticed that the Wes Anderson film, “The French Dispatch,’ was a fantastic demo of its color capability. Anderson’s films are known for their intense hues and deep color saturation. The colors are far beyond what our old projector could produce.”

The Christie projector's unexpected $40,000 cost was quickly covered by several generous donors. We are exceedingly grateful as this cost came on the heels of a planned, but not inexpensive, theater renovation completed just before our re-opening in October.

Just as the projector brings films to life on screen, community support remains critical to the future of the theater. Ticket sales generate only 50% of revenue in a typical year. The annual giving campaign launched in October, and the contributions of our friends and members are more important than ever.

The projector’s installation finalizes the theater’s recent renovation while dark during COVID, which included a revamped and more spacious concessions area, new auditorium acoustical wall panels, improved lighting and repainting throughout, and HVAC system improvements to provide fresh or highly filtered air at all times.

Harbor Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity in the Mini (Meadow) Mall at the juncture of Routes 27 and 96. Operated by a volunteer board, it has four part-time staff and five trained projectionists. The theater presents a wide variety of 80 movies year-round – first run, classic, Indie, art and educational – up from around 35 when it assumed ownership in October 2017.

For more information on joining, renewing membership, or making a gift, please visit www.boothbaycinema.org