Late in 1997, three major Hollywood blockbusters emerged at roughly the same time. “Titanic,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet; “Good Will Hunting,” with Matt Damon and Robin Williams; and “As Good As It Gets,” with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, all hit U.S. theaters within three weeks of each other. According to John Tinios, owner of Hampton Cinema Six, that sort of Hollywood muscle—combining quality films with glittering star power—has not been flexed since. 

Tinios recently announced that Hampton Cinema will close before the end of the year. He has already gotten approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment to demolish the building on Lafayette Road, and he will go before the Planning Board in August. The independent theater will be replaced by five new businesses, including a CVS pharmacy. The other four are still being negotiated, Tinios said.

Hampton Cinema opened in 1980, showing “Heaven Can Wait” as its first feature film. The first big blockbuster to run at the theater was Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” in 1982. Last week, the theater was still showing newly released films like “Get Smart,” “The Incredible Hulk” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

But, over the last 25 years, Tinios has witnessed changes to the film industry that have made it virtually impossible for independent theaters to compete. Developments like Netflix and On Demand have made it more convenient for people to watch movies from home, and, whereas new movies once stayed in theaters for six months at a time, they are now available for home viewing after just three months.

“The industry has changed dramatically in the last five years, and it’s quite evident in everything that the media industry is doing,” Tinios said. “You won’t see video stores in the future. Everything will be digital, everything will go directly to your TV box.”

Furthermore, modern theaters are rapidly switching from film to digital screening technology, a transition that costs between $300,000 and $400,000 per screen, Tinios said. In the current economic climate, he cannot afford to make such changes.
“The technology that is on its way to the movie theaters is going to wipe out every independent in the country,” Tinios said.

The Regal 5 Cinema on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth closed last summer to consolidate with Regal Fox Run Stadium 15 in Newington, reflecting a trend toward bigger, corporate chain theaters with more than a dozen screens. Tinios noted that the Newington theater played “Indiana Jones” on four or five different screens simultaneously when it came out, maximizing ticket sales before the film goes to DVD. Independents, he said, can’t keep up. 

The only independent theaters that might survive, Tinios predicted, will be those that incorporate hybrid components like a restaurant or pub. “I wasn’t interested in doing that,” he said.

Tinios also owns The Galley Hatch restaurant in Hampton, Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth and other businesses under Galley Hatch Enterprises. He said he did not want to close the theater but was left with no other choice. Hampton Cinema had a good run, though, and Tinios expressed thanks for all his customers over the years.