Fans of “Stranger Things,” one of Netflix’s biggest shows, will be able to travel to the “Upside Down” and experience the finale at a few local cinemas, including the Mayfair Theatre on Bank Street.
Last week, Netflix aired the first half of the last season of the popular 1980s sci-fi show, with the second half airing on Dec. 25 with the exception of the final episode, which will be available on Dec. 31.
To highlight the end of the show, the streaming giant announced in October that the 125-minute finale would be screening at select theatres across the U.S. and Canada on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
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Lee Demarbre, owner of the Mayfair, said he got a call from Netflix late last week to see if he was interested.
“I was excited to say yes to them because there’s a huge fan base for the show and advanced ticket sales have been doing really great so far,” Demarbre told OBJ on Wednesday, adding he expects tickets to sell out soon.
With a busy season from September to April, Demarbre said the Mayfair usually hits a slower patch in the lead-up to the holidays, but business picks back up between Christmas and New Year’s.
“It dips right before Christmas (as) people are out shopping. Right after Christmas for two weeks I can sleep at night knowing the theatre is packed,” he said.
Demarbre said he hopes the “Stranger Things” event will bring opportunities to grow his customer base.
“I’d like to think there’s going to be a lot of new people coming to the Mayfair for the first time. The cinema has been open since 1932 and we continually meet people who have never heard of the Mayfair … We hope to sell lots of new membership cards and get people coming back.”
While he initially thought that streaming services would spell the end of the movie theatre, Demarbre said partnering with Netflix on events like these is good for business.
“I thought maybe Netflix would be the nail in the coffin for the Mayfair. It certainly was that way for shutting down video stores,” he said. “But I think what happens is that artists who are making these movies and shows are inspired by the things they see on the big screen and have a desire to have their films released theatrically. Filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Martin Scorsese who make movies for Netflix (are) demanding a small window in theatres before they stream.”
Although the Mayfair has faced obstacles in the past, Demarbre said he’s confident that the nearly 100-year-old theatre will pull through.
“When I took over the business, we took over a failed business. But now I think multiplexes might feel the need to make one big theatre instead of (having) 20. The content is really slimmed down for cinemas and we get to experiment with things like (the) ‘Stranger Things’ finale.
“Every time there’s an obstacle, our patrons get us beyond them. I stopped worrying so much because we seem to be getting through every little thing that tries to keep our doors closed. We’re kind of like a library. When the internet was invented, people thought libraries would close, but people still read printed books. The Mayfair is kind of (like) that. Single-screen theatres might not ever go away if there’s enough love for art.”
Demarbre said he’s used to hearing from Netflix around awards season, when his theatre screens the Academy Awards. However, screening the finale for a TV show is a first.
Fans of the show could stay home and watch the finale, but Demarbre said watching it at the 335-seat Mayfair Theatre will be a different experience.
“You could Google the Mona Lisa right now and see it or you could go to the Louvre and see it in person. I suggest people living in Ottawa come to the ‘Louvre’ at 1074 Bank St. … We call it the Mayfair Theatre.”
The finale will also be screening at the Scotiabank Theatre Ottawa on City Park Drive and Landmark Cinemas in Kanata. Demarbre said he thinks Netflix recognizes the value that independent theatres such as the Mayfair bring to the experience.
“Those (commercial) theatres have 40 to 50 seats and are already sold out. We have 335 seats. When we sell out, that’s where fans will want to be; in a room with over 300 other fans screaming, shouting and watching ‘Stranger Things’ come to an end.
“I think Netflix realizes that single-screen theatres like the Mayfair are real cinema. It’s like going to cinema church.”
