For many, there is no better feeling than going to the movies. Those dimming lights can kickstart careers, establish relationships and even save lives.
But conditions have changed; sitting in a decades-old recliner, eating stale popcorn and half-melted candy, watching trailers and ads that last just as long as the film itself and paying the price of a five-star meal for a two-star seat.
These massive chain multiplexes decline in quality and rack up dollar signs. Yet the small (but mighty) independent theaters that have been around for years consistently show audiences a mix of classic and modern films, all for a fraction of the price. These spaces allow audiences, including their own family and friends, to see the future of filmmaking.
The Nickelodeon Theater, lovingly known as "the Nick", is the prime example of that local underdog. Columbia’s neighborhood movie theater has been open since 1979 and was originally an arthouse cinema created by two USC Media Arts students, Linda O’ Connor and Carl Davis. The original location was a rented storefront near campus, equipped with a 16 mm projector and a dream of keeping classic movies circulating in the state capital. Dale Campbell became the theater manager in 1980 and has kept the Nick going for students and moviegoers alike.
Glenn German, a media arts professor and USC alumnus, was a moviegoer at the original location, even when he had to stretch every last dollar.
“You could put in your ATM card and get out coins," he said. "But the lowest bill you could get was $5. I would get $5 and five would have to last me a week, so the Nick was a special treat.”
For many students, like German, the Nick was a feeling they had never experienced before. It was an introduction to an entire world of film, right beside their classroom doors. But those a-ha moments were halted in 1988, when the emergence of new technology, which at the time was the VCR, made business decline. The future of the Nick was up in the air until municipal bodies banded together to bring it back.
Now, with the help of partner funding and major renovations, the Nick is an established theater in the middle of Main Street, housed in what used to be known as the State Theater from 1936 to 1961 and the Fox Theater until 1987. The space draws hundreds of visitors each week, yet the original message of O’Connor and Davis remains: to keep the art of film alive in Columbia.
USC students have always been a common thread between the future of cinema and the Nick. Students have created work that has been projected in that theater, but many are also frequent moviegoers who maintain business. The theater frequently supports student projects and short films, giving young creatives the opportunity to have their work seen not only by friends and family, but also by audiences across the area seeking something new. It has hosted countless film festivals and premieres featuring local work from across the city and state, and it also screens independent films from around the world. The Nick offers young artists real-world engagement with their work, providing insight into potential future audiences and the importance of accessibility.
Olivia Wamai, an employee at the Nick and a recent graduate of USC’s theater program, has seen that effect firsthand.
“Any other movie theater, you’re just seeing ‘big’ movies. And nothing against big movies, I love a big movie, but coming here was the first time I saw people I knew on screen or people I know doing talkbacks,” she said. “This is how it starts. This is how people get their start in movies, and I'm watching it, and I'm there for the first time it’s on a big screen.”
Most recently, the Nick supported the premiere of the film “The Grand Strand,” produced by Local Cinema Studios, a nonprofit founded by two USC film professors committed to supporting community filmmakers. The organization works with students, graduates and other professionals to create projects that give back to the community. Like the Nick, it amplifies voices considered “dark horses” in film. The organization has partnered with the Nick on numerous premieres and has continued to help sustain the local film industry.
Kassidy Johnson, the theater’s marketing manager and another USC alum, said that the studio is always welcome.
“We’ve seen a really great response from this movie,” Johnson said. “Everything Local Cinema Studios does is really well done and beautiful, and everything they put out is something that we’re really proud to show.”
The Nick has always cared about educating the Columbia locale on the past, present and future of film. That legacy is being held up by a plethora of individuals who care about the art of filmmaking, many of whom are current and former USC students. The Nick, and all of the people that encompass it, have been there to support aspiring Scorseses, passionate thespians and simply lovers of cinema throughout Columbia and beyond. Without the people that make up the space, we would be left with an empty building lacking soul.
Wamai feels at peace in the space, but not because of its walls.
“It’s relaxing because I know everyone that walks through the door is going to be a great person,” she said.
