Philadelphia Film Society is raising funds toward renovating three Center City movie theaters

The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) is looking to raise funds toward a $1.2 million renovation project at the Philadelphia Film Center, which could begin as soon as this summer.

“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said CEO and executive director Andrew Greenblatt.

The PFS has already completed the first phase of the renovation at the Film Center, at 1412 Chestnut St., which included installation of a new projector and converting the Black Box Theater into a multifunctional screening room. The renovation, which started in 2019 and concluded in 2020, also added a lobby bar, and upgraded the HVAC system in the main level.

The next phase of the project is expected to cost $1.2 million, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is matching $500,000 in contributions towards the renovation.

“God willing, we will start this year,” said Greenblatt. “It is about making sure that we have that match, obviously — that is the only way we can start this year,” he said.

The renovation includes updating the street-level entrance of the theater, adding digital film posters outdoors to communicate programming, and improvements to accessibility such as upgrading ADA-compliant doors and adding a new lift. The upgrades will also include relocating the box-office space away from the lobby, an expanded concession area, and improvements to the lobby bar area.

Work is expected to take around three months and could take place between Memorial Day and Labor Day, as the Film Center has historically had a lower attendance during the summer, says Greenblatt.

Although he didn’t share exactly how much has already been raised toward the project beyond the matching grant, it’s “not a lot,” he says. “We’re on the way but we’ve got much [farther] to go.”

While the number of members is higher than it’s ever been, donations, particularly corporate ones, are down from where they have been historically for the organization — a trend across the arts nonprofit sector, says Greenblatt.

Last year, the Film Center, along with the two other PFS theaters, PFS Bourse Theater and PFS East Theater, had almost 144,000 attendees combined, up from almost 78,000 the prior year, according to Greenblatt. “Ticketing revenue is not 100% where we want it to be, but we’re pretty happy with it,” he said.

The PFS took over the Ritz at the Bourse in 2021, a year after it shuttered. The film society has since installed new projectors and sound systems. The theater’s carpeting, concessions area, and escalators were also updated.

In 2022, PFS took over the Ritz East which had closed during the pandemic, adding new fixtures to the theater and updating the restrooms.

The PFS is also looking to renovate those theaters, which could cost $250,000 each, and could include new seating and updated projectors at PFS East Theater and upgrades to the escalators and lighting at PFS Bourse Theater.

But Greenblatt says the focus right now is on the Film Center.

“People have shown time and time and time again they want to be in theaters, they want that experience. There’s nothing like it,” said Greenblatt. “Comedy is never as funny as when people around you are laughing with you. … And most importantly, you can’t push pause.”