A big crowd attends final “Frozen 2” matinee at Charles Theatre

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The smell of buttered popcorn wafted onto Main Street early Thursday afternoon in downtown Charles City.

It was a surefire signal that the Charles Theatre auditorium was quickly filling up for the day after the Christmas matinee showing of “Frozen II.”

“Tonight will be our last night,” said Karen Youngerman, manager of the theatre that was built in 1935 and rests right off the square in Charles City.

Youngerman’s referring to the final showing of the 3D-computer animated fantasy film that finished off a two-week run in Charles City this week. The sequel to “Frozen” has generated over a billion dollars in sales worldwide and is one of the highest-grossing films of 2019. Many local families packed the seating area to see popular characters, Elsa and Anna, light up the screen with song and breathtaking imagery.

“This is what we work for. This two-week period really sets us in good shape,” said Youngerman.

A steady stream of cinema lovers opened the doors to the theatre early and often in order to snag the best seats for viewing. That produced a decent line up to the snack bar and upped the wait time in order to retrieve the required soda, popcorn and candy that best fit each movie-goer’s mood.

But the many volunteers that help out at the theatre had that covered and didn’t seem to miss a beat as happy faces walked back to their seats in anticipation of the movie’s start.

“These are all volunteers. That’s how we do it, is through volunteers,” said Youngerman. “They never tell us no.”

Youngerman said the seating capacity at Charles Theatre is 316 people, but they usually cut the crowd off at around 275. She said 202 people packed the house to witness the last matinee of “Frozen 2.”

“We shut ‘em off at about 275 because nobody wants to sit down in the corners to watch the film,” said Youngerman.

Over 200 attendees for an afternoon flick isn’t quite a sellout, but that’s a lot of kernels popped and plenty of soda poured.

“For every dollar that we charge, we pay Walt Disney 68 cents,” said Youngerman. “The concession is where we make the money.”

Tickets to the historic venue are still some of the cheapest in the state. Even after the price of admission will jump to $3 for adults after New Year’s Eve – the first price increase the non-profit theatre has instituted in over two decades to be able to watch a motion picture up on the big screen.

“We had one negative comment,” laughed Youngerman about the $1 increase on price per ticket for adults/seniors/children.

Thursday’s matinee was free – courtesy of CUSB Bank in Charles City, which sponsored the final showing of “Frozen 2.”

She said Thursday’ gate was the biggest crowd of the season for a matinee. This is the third sponsored matinee that has been free of charge to attend. The family and friends of Steve Buseman sponsored a matinee in Buseman’s memory on Sunday, Dec. 15.

Buseman died Jan. 26, 2019, at age 53.

The family hopes to sponsor a free kids matinee every year.

Last Sunday, Jeremy Rogstad of State Farm Insurance in Charles City sponsored a free matinee movie as well.

Youngerman, who has been Charles Theatre manager since 2013, thought Thursday night’s crowd wouldn’t be too bad either to come watch the children’s movie.

“We book especially for the holiday season. Last year we had the Grinch, which was fantastic,” said Youngerman. “We request animated movies, because that’s what we usually do our best on.”

How much popcorn will the theatre pop for “Frozen 2’s” final two showings of the year in Charles City?

Try, 30 pounds.

“We go through a lot of popcorn,” said Youngerman.