Following the closure of the North Adams Movieplex 8 in January 2023, Images has seen demand for a wider range of films. The theatre’s current facilities have struggled to meet this demand without sacrificing its traditional programming of international and arthouse films, according to Images Executive Director Dan Hudson. “We’ve been able to be creative on how we approach events and festivals, but it does mean that we usually can’t say yes to as many big new movies as people would like us to,” Hudson said.

Images was established in 1916 when Hiram C. Walden repurposed the former Sigma Phi College fraternity house into a theater showing silent films. Since then, the theater has gone through many changes, including an expansion of its lobby and a restoration of its original entrance. Despite its long history, this renovation will be the first time Images has diverged from its single-screen model. 

“We had all this programming that people liked, and it’s just been harder and harder to say yes to all those requests and opportunities,” he said. He cited the Barbie versus Oppenheimer phenomenon in 2023, which Images could not fully participate in because it could not show both films at the same time. “We don’t want to have to make that Solomon decision of having to pick between two big movies,” he added. 

 According to Hudson, Images’ facilities have long been due for an upgrade. “It has been over 15 years since our last really substantial renovation,” he said. “There are new sorts of technologies and standards for projectors and surround sound. [Even] if we were to just do a basic remodel, … that would be significant project that would already be $500,000 or $1 million.” 

Images has already been experimenting with using new spaces to host events: The theater opened the Lounge, an event space that serves as both a bar and small screening room, less than a year ago. The addition quickly settled into its role as a significant community space. “We’ve been hosting so many different types of events there,” Hudson said. “[We’re developing] a regular audience for the bartending nights too,” Hudson said. “It also allowed us to preview what it [would] feel like for there to be two programming spaces in Images.” 

Images often uses the Lounge to screen smaller new movies or classic movies — this month they paid homage to David Lynch by screening some of his movies in the Lounge. 

Hudson clarified that the addition of a new screen involves renovating the existing space, not expanding the building. “We are expanding in the sense that we’re adding another screen, and we’ll be able to do more in terms of different types of programs and events,” Hudson said. “But we’re not adding to our square footage.”

Hudson is not concerned about the decreased seating capacity for the larger screen: “We’ve run the numbers on all of our programming going back almost 10 years, and 99 percent of the time, 70 seats or less serves [demand], even when we have events and speakers,” he said. “[How] I like to describe [the remodel], is that we’re right-sizing.” 

Images has already raised $1.3 million for the project, bringing it about 60 percent of the way to the renovation’s estimated cost of $2.2 million. Now that the campaign has gone public, Images anticipates donations from its approximately 800 members. Hudson also expects grants from the local and state governments and non-governmental organizations that support the arts in the Berkshires. Additionally, Images has already received a contribution from the College. “The one silver lining right now is that we’re not relying on federal money for this project,” Hudson said. “So it’s about [what] we have confirmed in grants and institutional-organizational support.” 

The theater plans to remain open through the summer of 2025 and then close for the following fall semester, during which Images plans to continue some of its programming externally, according to Hudson. “We’ll find new homes for [programs], so we’re in conversation with different organizations in the area,” Hudson said. “We’re actually already working on doing some programming on the Williams campus as well.” 

Hudson views the demand for additional screenings as evidence that community members are still interested in the traditional cinema experience. “This is very much … pushing back against [the idea] that people aren’t going to the movies [anymore],” he said. “At the end of the day, more people are coming in more often because it feels like a community space and they feel a sense of belonging.” 

Correction: In the Feb. 19 issue, the article “Seeing double: Images Cinema to open a second screen” incorrectly stated that “The seats in the auditorium will also receive an upgrade, including new upholstery…” Images Cinema will be installing 100% new seats, not refurbishing the existing seats.