Rally to Save Tower Theater April 29, 2004

Tower is one of Sacramento's oldest movie theatres, and has been showing movies continuously since 1938. It is also one of Sacramento's two remaining "arthouse" theatres. But on March 4, 2004, Mayor Heather Fargo and the Sacramento City Council approved subsidies to help Westfield America Inc., the world's largest shopping mall owner, and Century Theatres, the fifth-largest US theatre chain, build two new theatres in Downtown Plaza and at 10th and K Streets. Century Theatres would then control 18 screens downtown, or 75% of the total. Century's greater buying power would also allow them to control art film distribution downtown, preventing Tower Theatre from obtaining premier art films.

The $15.8 million subsidy, more than half of the available $31 million fund for downtown economic development, was approved without any economic or market analysis. The intent is to revitalize K Street Mall--a worthy goal--but Tower Theatre and its supporters believe that subsidizing private corporations is not an effective way to approach this problem. If Westfield America and Century Theatres want to build additional theatres in Sacramento, they should do so in a free market, without public subsidies benefiting them and harming one of the area's oldest businesses.

Join supporters of Tower Theatre at the rally this Thursday for speeches, music, a press conference, and free ice cream and refreshments.