Amherst Cinema Announces Various Cost-Cutting Measures

On March 7, Amherst Cinema announced a variety of cost-cutting measures, including plans to shutter its Studio Theater and stop offering certain showtimes, cut back from four screens to three, and reduce staffers.

The cinema’s press release reported that ticket sales and Amherst Cinema memberships are only 80% and 85%, respectively, of what they were pre-pandemic. “These factors, combined with rising costs, have resulted in three straight years of deficits for the cinema, an unsustainable trend,” the press release said.

The cinema has decided to discontinue some of its least attended showtimes, which include the 9 p.m. Sunday screenings, as well as those at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Wednesday. These “cost-saving measures aim to reduce costs and sustain core mission and operations,” the statement said.

Barton Byg, president and chair of the Board of Directors, said in the release that “we’re taking measures to reduce costs as part of a broader organization-wide sustainability plan, directing resources where they can have the greatest impact and safeguarding our ability to deliver on our mission. We will also redouble efforts to increase membership levels and philanthropic gifts.”

Despite cutting back on certain programs and spending, “the cinema has invested in equipment and facility upgrades to deliver the best customer and experiences possible,” the press release said. These upgrades include better projection technology in the remaining theaters and better audio.

“Two things can be true at once. While we’re feeling the impacts of a disrupted film exhibition landscape, our commitment to advancing cinema arts and culture has never been stronger. We’ll continue to program critically acclaimed stories from around the globe, bringing audiences together for emotional, educational, and entertaining moviegoing experiences,” said Yasmin Eisenhauer, the executive director of the Amherst Cinema, in the press release.

Students expressed disappointment with but understanding of the decisions. “It’s unfortunate that they have to reduce hours, but I completely understand the reasoning behind it,” Christian Hall ’28 said. “The most important thing is that it stays open at all, and I think the worst thing that could happen is trying to stubbornly keep to what worked in the past and then shutter the business as a whole.”

Correction, March 26, 2025: A previous version of this article misstated that Amherst Cinema memberships have dropped by 85% from pre-pandemic levels. Memberships have dropped to 85% of pre-pandemic levels. It also misstated that ticket sales were at 20% of pre-pandemic levels. Ticket sales dropped by 20%.