Last year we learned that the Endicott Cinema Saver won a national prize for thousands of dollars in crucial theater upgrades–but now, we’ve learned that the theater, and the community, were scammed.
The theater entered a contest run by an organization called Save America’s Cinema’s. The company promised to help struggling community theaters go digital by offering a $40,000 digital projection system upgrade. Cinema Saver owner Amber Earle said she was amazed when her sister called letting her know she’d won. In January, Save America’s Cinemas held a $150,000 awards gala in Miami, including paid celebrity visits.
Cinema Saver had to finance their own way to the ceremony, a requirement to accept the award. But as three months went by, the organization never came through with their promise. Earle said Save America’s Cinemas’ owner Walter Shaw gave her dozens of excuses for why he couldn’t come up with the equipment or cash. When contacted, Shaw admitted to not raising a fraction of the money needed for the equipment. On why he didn’t use some of the money spent on the awards gala, he said the intent was to raise awareness and donations. It was also for personal gain, he said.
Earle, a movie lover her whole life, felt conned.
The total cost of upgrades to the Cinema Saver’s five theaters cost $192,000, including a new 3D theater. The prize would have saved Cinema Saver $500 dollars a month in loans. Despite being scammed, the theater says it should still be able to keep their ticket costs the same, which range from $2 to $5.