Kevin Smith's Theater Officially Open as Smodcastle Cinemas

By Russ Burlingame

The deal is done, and Kevin Smith is part-owner of his childhood movie theater, now open under the name of Smodcastle Cinemas. Smith announced the deal back in August, and has big plans for the moviehouse, which includes a merch store in the lobby, a "film school camp" for young, aspiring filmmakers, and of course, plenty of special screenings of cult classics, including Smith's own movies, complete with Q&A sessions, special events, and marathons. He has already screened Clerks III at the former Atlantic Moviehouse, and the first big View Askew event coming to the newly-renamed Smodcastle Cinemas will be a screening of Tusk next month, which will be preceded by a taping of Hollywood Babble-On, and followed by a Q&A.

Smith announced his intention to buy the theater -- along with his wife, Jennifer Schwalback; investor Jeff Swanton; and Leeloo Multiprops, a company that sells movie props, collectables, and celebrity experiences -- during a recent episode of Hollywood Babble-On, his podcast with Ralph Garman. The theater -- which is almost 100 years old, and has been a staple of Smith's hometown for his whole life -- will be rebranded as Smodcastle Cinemas, and Smith plans to screen movies as normal most of the year, but also use the venue as home to speaking events, live shows, film festivals, and other View Askew-related shindigs.

You can see the new sign coming to life below.

During the transition between ownership, Clerks star Ernie O'Donnell (he was Rick Derris, a role he reprised in Clerks III this year) was the caretaker for the theater. He had previously reported that the theater was receiving bomb threats shortly after Smith's announcement that he would take over the storied building.

Smith is currently on the road with Clerks III, doing a roadshow-style release that includes a hefty ticket price...but one that also includes a Q&A with the director and, often, members of the cast. The movie generated $2.7 million at special Fathom Events screenings earlier this month, which is a little over a third of the movie's reported budget. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which got a similar release in 2019, reportedly sold so many copies on DVD and Blu-ray that Lionsgate approached Smith and told him that if he could make more View Askew movies "under a certain price tag" (Smith's words), then they would be happy to have him.

You can find out about Clerks III's screenings and see if there's one near you at clerks3.movie. Smodcastle Cinemas already has profiles set up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where you can get details on upcoming screenings and events.

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