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Lyric Cinema Café: Independent owners, films |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 01 March 2007 |
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 Covered in drywall and sweat, Ben Mozer and Josh Glossi are just weeks away from their big premier. The same guys who grew up playing G.I. Joes and Star Wars together will soon open Fort Collin’s first independent movie theater, The Lyric Cinema Café.
“Independent film is a category that is generally ignored,” Mozer said. “We will be filling a niche that is desperately needed.”
 The idea is to offer films you wouldn’t find at the big theater chains and match them with a contemporary atmosphere where hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and coffee are served, in addition to traditional concessions.
Mozer, 27, chased the Hollywood dream after studying film at Montana State University.
“Film is what interests me,” Mozer said.
But, after pursuing the film industry in the Motion Picture capital of Los Angeles, Mozer and his family returned to Fort Collins.
“It’s just not possible to do film if you have a family,” he said.
Fortunately, Mozer had a Plan B.
“The theater had been on the back burner since I was 19,” he said.
Mozer approached Glossi, 26, about the business after a previous partnership fell through. Glossi has managed Cozzoli’s Pizza in Fort Collins for the last six years.
“It’s been pretty fast,” Glossi said. “Neither one of us have started a business before.”
 Mozer spent five years researching and reading about how to start a theater. He found other similar cinema cafés to use as models such as Moxie Cinema in Springfield, Mo.
Kimball Bayles, 54, of Colorado Springs, where he owns an independent theater. The former University of New Mexico film professor opened Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater in 1994. His alternative movie theater features independent and foreign films — with the occasional blockbuster — and a wine bar that also serves espresso drinks and beer.
“I don’t get involved with car chases or explosions,” he said. “I don’t have stadium seats. It’s funky. It’s nice, but funky.”
Though opening a theater can be a rocky road, Bayles said it’s worth it. At one point, he considered breaking into the Fort Collins market himself, but didn’t because of financial reasons. Still, he says northern Colorado definitely has the market for an independent theater.
“Anytime you have a university, art will do better,” he said.
He wishes Mozer and Glossi the best and knows they are meeting a need.
“My only critique is they should have found bigger space,” Bayles said. “There’s such a demand for it, but it’s just a growing process anyway.”
He started with a smaller theater in Colorado Springs and outgrew it quicker than he had expected. Kimball’s Twin Peak Theater has two screens — one with 300 seats and another with 200 seats.
With challenges flickering in front of them like movie previews before the feature presentation, Mozer and Glossi sought advice from several business owners and potential investors. The biggest obstacle was finding the right location, which they finally settled on at 300 E. Mountain Ave., formally the Gorillas Clothing store and a laundromat. The 3,600 square-foot building will feature two intimate theaters — the bigger one seating about 75 people and a smaller theater seating about 40 people.
“Finding a spot was a serious task,” Glossi said. “We went to so many places in town.”
Another challenge was that the theater is the first of its kind in the area.
“Fort Collins has never seen this before and doesn’t know how to classify us,” Glossi said.
Peggy Lyle, Event Coordinator/Entertainment Director of the Downtown Business Association, said she is excited to have the theater as part of the neighborhood.
“I think we are lucky to have creative minds bringing this to Fort Collins,” she said. “It’s going to do nothing but flourish... I think we’ve been needing it for a long time.”
The Lyric Cinema Café, named after a theater that used to be in Old Town, will mainly show independent and foreign films.
“We are obviously not going to get Spider-man,” Glossi said. “We would like to do classics.”
Glossi enjoys movies, but says he is not a film guy like Mozer. He either likes a movie or doesn’t, but he doesn’t want to have a huge discussion afterward. For those who do, the café in front will be the perfect spot. The plan is to add a patio before summer.
Mozer and Glossi are shooting for a tentative opening date of March 11. The first few weeks will probably be by invitation only. For now, they are working 15-17 hour days to finish remodeling.
Mozer said they have been fortunate to find materials and supplies at affordable prices. For example, they snagged recycled theater seating from The Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. They’ve also cut costs by doing some of the work themselves.
“Construction is construction,” Mozer said. “It’s a headache. It’s a pain in the ass, but you just have to bulldoze through it.”
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THUMBS UP
Well, they’re starting a new theater, so we thought we’d ask Ben and Josh what flicks are their favorites. Check it out.
Ben Mozer’s Movie Picks
“Brazil”
“Adaptation”
“Being John Malkovich”
“Mulholland Drive”
Josh Glossi’s Movie Picks
“Urban Cowboy”
“Smokey and the Bandit”
“Wild at Heart” | Only registered users can write comments.
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