Students at Texas State can go to Showplace and watch cheap movies near the Square if they missed a new release or are looking for something fun to do.
Showplace has been in business since the seventies and is the oldest theater still running in San Marcos.
Movie tickets are normally $1.50 during the week. Friday and Saturday prices are $2, and Tuesday is the cheapest day at 50 cents.
Hope Shimek, 21-year-old geography major, believes Showplace is a great place to watch movies at a discounted price.
“The theater room is just as dark, if not darker than a regularly priced theater and you still have the big screen, Surround Sound and most everything else the regular theater provides,” Shimek said.
Showplace is one of the only movie theaters that has not gone digital, unlike what most movie theaters are turning to.
Victoria Joy, general manager at Showplace for three years, said she likes how unique the theater is.
“I definitely like that we are still showing movies with actual reels instead of digital films,” Joy said. “Showplace has been around for a while, so tradition is a good thing.”
Movies are split into six or seven miniature reels that weigh between 30 to 40 pounds and build up into one full-length movie. The theater also uses flat screen projectors, rather than flat or scope screens.
Tuesday is the busiest day for Showplace, which is when many college students go. Up to 200 hundred people attend daily, including a few regulars.
“I had absolutely no money after I graduated from college, so I went there to do something cheap and fun,” Joy said.
Slowest days are on Monday’s and during the holidays when fewer than fifty people attend. It is also less busy during the fourth week when a movie will be shown for the last time.
Showplace gets at least one new movie a week, depending how popular it is in regular priced theaters. The “Twilight” series, for example, took three months to show. After a month or two, the theater changes what is showing and receives new movies.
Three separate theaters that show three to four movies at a time during the year. The front theaters are old, smaller and have fewer seats. The sound quality is decent, but not like a regular priced movie theater like Starplex.
“I would rather see a movie here then rent one though,” said Joy.
Shimek rarely goes to the movies, so she always looks what is playing at Showplace first.
“I enjoy that it is never really crowded, and I feel comfortable talking in a normal voice rather than softly when I am waiting for the movie to start,” Shimek said. “Cost is definitely a plus being a college student and the food tastes just like any other regularly priced theater.”
Concession prices are cheaper. A small drink at Starplex is $4, and at Showplace it’s $1.50 to $2 cheaper.
Aaron Davenport has been working at Showplace for a year and says it is a nice work environment.
“It’s a real relaxing job most of the time and a great place for a college student to get school work done since there’s hardly anyone here,” Davenport said.
There are also advantages to working at Showplace.
“We get to watch movies for free and are able to get our friends in free also,” Davenport said. “We got limited passes to see movies at Starplex and we can eat as much free popcorn we want.”
A future change for Showplace may include renovation into an Alamo Draft House where adults can eat and drink while watching movies.
“I don’t think they will do anything with it soon, but in five to ten years I believe they will,” Joy said. “They will need a big investment to pull through.”
For now, Showplace remains a popular and convenient spot for students to watch low-priced movies during their free time.
