Nestled in the center of downtown San Jose sits one of the cities few cultural landmarks worth saving. The Camera Cinemas have been an institution since 1975. They serve as the unofficial home to San Jose’s small, but popular independent movie following. Unfortunately, they are at risk of being shut down for good if a new home can not be found in the next few years. This paper discusses the historical fight the Camera Cinemas have had to endure and what they must do to survive into the next century. They may be saving their best performance for last.
Prior to 1975, there were no art movie houses in San Jose. The South of First Area (SOFA) Camera One currently resides in, was a red light district, home to prostitutes, porno theatres, and drug pushers. So what in the world was an art movie house doing in area like this? You could say the Cameras were ahead of their time, paving the way for what soon would be recognized as one of most culturally intellectual areas in the world. Because the closest art movie houses were 50 miles away, independent film fans looked to the Cameras as a source for entertainment in their own backyard. The Camera chain would expand in 1984 adding the Camera 3 theatres to their small but soon-to-be growing chain. It was during this time that the Cameras would start to receive top quality art and foreign films with the likes of those seen in San Francisco. The Cameras would eventually expand to four movie houses adding the Towne and Los Gatos Theatres. The relationship seemed like a match made in heaven; a small independent movie chain showing first run foreign and art films in the large and growing Silicon Valley. What could possibly go wrong? Much like everything else, too much of a good thing hardly ever goes unnoticed.
The Camera Cinemas served as the only theatres downtown for nearly twenty years. So when the area started to flourish, big business started to open its eyes and take notice. With the opening of the brand new Pavilion Shops in downtown, AMC movie theatres looked to capitalize on an untapped market. In many situations, such as with department stores and supermarkets, competition can sometimes help to generate business. However, due to film zoning laws and the sheer commercial power of a chain like AMC, the Cameras stood to be jeopardized and ran out of business.
The Cameras were saved by the city of San Jose when local citizens came to their rescue in the form a 5,000-name petition to put a hold on building the 16-screen movie theatre with no restrictions on what they could show. AMC would eventually pull out and UA Theatres would move into the vacant theatre that was constructed. During this time, the Pavilion shops would open and eventually lose most of the tenants that originally occupied space. The downtown mall that used to house San Jose Live nightclub and a variety of retail shops now stands like a ghostown; a dismal reminder of San Jose’s abandoned attempt to create bustling retail mecca.
The latest casualty of the Pavilion curse is the UA Pavilion Theater which closed less than four years after it opened. The financially troubled UA chain is closing 79 of its theaters nationwide, to retrench after their recent bankruptcy filing. UA's other local theater, the Pruneyard Twin, closed earlier this year. The UA Pavilion fought for bookings with the mighty AMC and Century chains, and the downtown theater never brought in the crowds necessary to justify the $5 million that the Redevelopment Agency spent on building the theater.
The Camera Cinemas chain has shown interest in moving into the UA building, which has eight screens and 3,700 seats. San Jose would like to see a movie theatre there according to Mayor Ron Gonzales. In earlier talks, UA had expressed interest in replacing the failing theater with offices as a way to get out of its lease, which expires in 2008. One idea is to have Camera Cinemas operating theatres on the ground floor and the upper floors would be converted into office space, which are in high demand in downtown San Jose. Another would have theater screens on the second and third floors with retail stores on the ground level. Jim Zuur, who opened the first Camera Theater in 1975, said the partners would like to have 8 to 10 screens in the building.
San Jose has plenty of people to support a 10-plex independent movie house that has never been an issue. But getting enough people to attend on a regular basis could be a whole other story. For starters, San Jose is a very diverse community with a varied cultural background that has many interests. Because many of the films that the Cameras show are so diverse it could be difficult to get the crowds in on a regular basis to support 10 independent films all playing at once. Another question is location. San Jose is largely made up of suburbs and people don’t need to go downtown for central purposes. Many of the malls such as Oakridge and Westgate have theatres either in them or nearby.
The demographics of the audience that go to independent films are generally older, educated types who have a lot more options when it comes to spending money. The Bay Area provides a lot choices when it comes to things to do. The next few months will prove to be interesting for the Camera chain. If they are to survive, it will be against the backdrop of city filled with transformation. Only time will tell if the Cameras can change with it.
