A SOCIAL media campaign by a former council candidate to bring the movies back to Kempsey has created a lot of interest.
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Peter Chapman from Aldavilla first created the Macleay Movie Cinema Facebook page in August 2013.
Mr Chapman ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Kempsey Shire Council at the 2012 elections.
He said his tilt at public office made him think about what he could do to add to life in the Macleay.
“After the council elections I got to thinking what is lacking in Kempsey and what I could do about it,” he said.
“So I started the page and it got a bit of attention for a while and then died out and there was the occasional like, but in the past few weeks for some reason it has just gone mad.
“One of the things that struck me was what little incentive there was for people to visit the CBD for something other than shopping.
“I knew from talking to business owners that there is a desire for them to stay open later or open on the weekend but there is no one around.
“If there was cinema for instance then there would be people coming into the town who would like somewhere to eat or buy a coffee or visit the shops that were open.”
Mr Chapman said he had done some research on the economics of running a cinema and Kempsey’s comparatively small population would always make it a challenging task.
“It would need to be done by a small group of investors with some money behind them or perhaps on a subscription basis like a movie club to generate some seed capital.
“The cinema itself I believe would also have to show first- run films to have any chance to be viable and have at least two screens.
“Art house-style films or second-run films, effectively what you can rent at the video store, would not have a chance.
As far as possible venue is concerned Mr Chapman said that it would have to be in an easily accessible location.
“For it to have any chance it would need to be within walking distance of the CBD for sure,” he said.
“So some of the possible locations – some people have suggested the Slim Dusty Centre – probably rule themselves out.
Mr Chapman said he had been contacted by representatives of the Kempsey Shire Council who also expressed an interest in attracting a cinema to the town.
You can find Mr Chapman’s page at www.facebook. com/ Macleaymovies
