Renaissance Place will require patrons to wear masks, but will not require social distancing, said Margot Gerber, vice president of marketing and publicity for Landmark. The move to acquire his own theater comes as Sarowitz’s film studio is developing an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s hit 2016 romance novel “It Ends With Us” with Sony Pictures, starring Blake Lively and Baldoni an action-comedy called “Code 3″ featuring Rainn Wilson and Lil Rel Howery, and a live-action Pac-Man film.Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park, closed since March 2020, reopened on Sept. He said he might like to play movies such as “Coda,” which humanized the experiences of deaf people, and other films such as “Good Will Hunting” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” Sarowitz said the theater is in the process of hiring its staff and selecting the first films it would play. Stamper said he wants to bring back residents and visitors who have previously enjoyed attending movies in downtown Highland Park, but haven’t been recently. what they personally want to be seeing and experiencing in our theater,” Stamper said. “The first three months that we’re going to be in operation, we’re very much inviting our guests to tell us. In addition to Sarowitz’s hope to provide a safe space for the community to enjoy movies and good company, he said he wants to provide engaging children’s programming and use his connections to have directors and others involved in filmmaking say, “Here’s what I did and here’s why I did it.”įor Stamper, the chance to work with Sarowitz on the venture was a chance to curate a moviegoing experience that differentiates from competing with the “big tent pole” productions at other theaters, though Wayfarer Theaters will likely play some big budget dramas and comedies. He and Baldoni also run the nonprofit Wayfarer Foundation, which according to Sarowitz, “funds and supports spiritually rooted and justice-oriented nonprofits” to create a more hopeful world. Sarowitz founded his TV and film company, Wayfarer Studios, with actor-turned-filmmaker Justin Baldoni in 2019. “The whole idea is we want to make movies good and affordable, and make the theater into more of a community center,” Sarowitz said. The logistics around concession stands and what to offer are still being worked out, he noted, but the prices will be lower than under past operators. Sarowitz said another goal is making the theater accessible to people of all incomes, adding that movie tickets will cost $10 after tax. “We’ve had multiple incidences of violence, with the worst being the July Fourth shooting, and I want to do something that would contribute to the betterment of the community itself and be a gathering place for the community.” “Right now, Highland Park is reeling from both COVID and (violence),” Sarowitz said. The emphasis will be on showing films that show off the “spiritual part” of humanity, like love, kindness, mercy, compassion and justice, he said. “Society has all that in social media, and we want to put something positive in the air.” “If you look at most films, the horror films or even the superhero films, there’s so much violence, there’s so much negative energy,” Sarowitz said. As he walked through the five-theater complex with general manager Clay Stamper on Tuesday, Sarowitz pointed out justi concession space where he plans bring in filmmakers to speak about their movies, traded creative and logistical ideas with Stamper and spoke of playing films to “unite and inspire” visitors, rather than those which display “the violence and the lust and the greed” found in some films.
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