Vendor Spotlight: Royal Cinemas

There is a particular kind of quiet that used to sit on the Royal Cinemas marquee. For five months, Main Street just did not feel finished without it lit up.‍ ‍

Rick Novak has owned and operated Royal Cinemas since 1994. He is the reason Front Royal grew from a two screen theater to three, the reason the projectors went digital back in 2011, the reason the popcorn has smelled the same for thirty years. In January, an electrical fire broke out in the second floor projection room. No one was hurt, but the theater closed, and for five months this town was without its movie house.‍ ‍

What happened next is the part worth telling. Downtown Front Royal Inc, led by board president Ellen Aders, showed up. On Cue Sports Bar and Grill owners Danielle and Cole Haase showed up. Lizi Lewis, who manages the Front Royal Visitor Center for the Town, showed up. Rick brought on local hands for the rebuild itself, so the people putting the theater back together were, in a lot of cases, the same people who grew up going to it. That is not how you rebuild a business. That is how you rebuild a place people love.‍ ‍

Royal Cinemas held its soft opening on Friday, June 19, with two of its three auditoriums running Toy Story 5 and The Devil Wears Prada, new Dolby sound and laser projection humming behind the screen. Rick is already working toward getting all three screens back by the end of July.‍ ‍

I went with two friends, and here is what I will actually remember. Not the new sound system, though it is a real upgrade. It was Rick and his wife standing at the door welcoming people in, while the rest of the staff worked the counters selling tickets, popcorn, candy, and drinks with big smiles. By the end of the night, it was mostly the two of them cleaning up to get ready for the next showing. I caught the matinee of The Devil Wears Prada. Live action Moana and the next Spiderman are on their way.‍ ‍

Royal Cinemas sits on Main Street surrounded by restaurants, bars, and wine shops, so a movie night downtown can easily turn into a wine tasting, a plate of tapas, or a bottle of Virginia wine to take home.‍ ‍

Royal Cinemas has served on the Festival of Leaves planning committee for four years running, and honestly, you can feel that same spirit in how this rebuild came together. It still feels like the community cinema Front Royal has always had, the kind of place where the person tearing your ticket has probably known you for years, and where showing up to help rebuild it was never really a question.‍ ‍

For any offsite or retreat that wraps up with a group activity, a private screening or a block of tickets at a hometown theater is the kind of easy, low-lift evening that gives people something to talk about together. It also means supporting a business that just spent the better part of a year fighting to come back.‍ ‍

Visit royal-cinemas.com to learn more about Royal Cinemas.

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