Who’s going to save Grayling, Mich.’s Rialto theater?

On Wednesday, The Times’ Op-Ed page published a plea from the owner of the Rialto, a little movie theater in Grayling, Mich., for the movie studios to help small-town theaters make the transition to digital projection. While we didn’t go into depth on the cost in the piece, it is an expensive proposition.

Projectors are just part of the cost, author Jordan Stancil told us during editing. A cinema that already had a high-quality sound system and modernized screen components might be able to spend about $40,000. But if a theater needs new wiring, screen masking and sound upgrades, it adds up quickly: $65,000 or $75,000.

By comparison, a 35mm film projector cost $15,000 the last time the Rialto bought one. But that was in 1991.

“I think the cost difference there is what is a problem for small-market theaters. Also, no one expects digital projectors to last 20-plus years. So this really does change the business model that sustained small-town theaters.” Especially when your regular ticket price is still just $5.

The Rialto couldn’t wait for a happy ending to be delivered by Hollywood. So it turned to Kickstarter.

As of Thursday morning — with eight days to go — the campaign has attracted 620 supporters and raised $96,865 of its $100,000 goal.

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