Hoping to boost financial stability, among other benefits, the Onyx Theatre is in the process of becoming part of The Magic Lantern, the nonprofit organization behind the Nevada City Film Festival. Festival Executive Director Jesse Locks says the two groups have shared a connection for decades, with the Festival founded at the Magic Theatre, the predecessor to the Onyx. Locks says a national survey from Art House Convergence shows that 81-percent of art house cinemas, like the Onyx, are nonprofits…

 

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Locks says audience growth has slowly recovered for movies at theatres since the COVID shutdowns. But that also allowed a much greater growth in watching films on streaming platforms at home. She says the theater will continue operating under its current management, with the same programming. But she says there will eventually be, in the next year, an expansion in events and activities…

 

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Locks says this transition is less a merger than a formalization of what was always true. The Festival was founded at the former Magic Theatre 25 years ago and she says the Onyx becomes the official home base for the event.