Made-in-the-Maritimes movies help Cineplex score big box office numbers

Movie theatres experienced a boost in business last month, thanks in part to a couple of Maritime movies.

Cineplex Theatres reported its highest May box office numbers in seven years last month, with a pair of made-in-the-Maritimes movies helping the bottom line.

Singer-songwriter Adam Baldwin was a co-screenwriter for the movie ‘Little Lorraine,’ which was inspired by one of his songs. It tells the tale of a group of Cape Breton men who fell on hard times and got involved with smuggling illicit drugs.

“I went to a couple of screenings for some Q & As a week and a half ago, and the count was up to 15,000,” said Baldwin about the number of people who went to see the movie at the Cineplex in Sydney, N.S.

While ‘Little Lorraine’ has drawn big box office numbers across Canada, Baldwin had some local context for what the Cape Breton crowds mean.

“That’s like two-and-a-half Centre 200s,” said Baldwin, referring to the Sydney arena with a seating capacity of roughly 5,000. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Another film with a Cape Breton connection – Tracy and Martina: Goin’ out West – made its debut on Sydney screens Friday.

“We’ve been touring Cineplexes all across Nova Scotia and I think we’ve sold every single one out,” said Justine Williamson, who plays Tracy as part of the comedic duo.

While their movie will be available for streaming in the fall, the Cape Breton comedians say it’s the type of flick that really pops in a theatre.

“It’s kind of a special thing to view it with other people,” said Greg Vardy, who plays Martina. “I think the laughter is contagious. Some of the things that we didn’t even really pick up on as funny are now my favourite parts because watching it with audiences has been a whole different experience.”

The COVID-19 lockdown led to an influx in people streaming movies at home. Now, CTV film critic Richard Crouse says a whole new group of people are learning about the communal aspect of going to theatres.

“There is a younger generation – the Gen Zers – who have kind of rediscovered going to the movies,” Crouse said. “You sit with a group of strangers. You’re all watching the same thing and there is a connection that you make, whether or not you speak to anyone else in the auditorium or not.”

Crouse added there has been a variety of big movies lately that appeal to a wide array of people and they’re not all traditional Hollywood blockbusters.

“You have movies like ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’ that are two lower-budget horror films which have gone on to become phenomenons [sic],” said Crouse.

Now, Little Lorraine is being given the retro treatment at the Cape Breton Drive-In Theatre.

“This is not hyperbole, I am not making it up,” said Baldwin. “One of like the greatest cinematic experiences I ever had was at that drive-in theatre in 1995 with my cousin Darren. It was Apollo 13 and Jurassic Park double-feature.”

There appears to be an appetite – quite literally – for that kind of nostalgia.

Cineplex said May saw its highest monthly concession spending per patron on record.

Whether it’s inside a theatre or at the drive-in, Baldwin hopes his film can make a lasting impression in someone’s memory.

“I hope that it sticks with some youngster up there the same way that those two movies stuck with me all these years,” he said. “That’s all I can hope for.”

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