Penn Hills theater owner irked over getting barred from showing Mister Rogers movie

It’s an ugly day in the neighborhood, according to a disgruntled theater owner in Penn Hills.

Penn Hills Cinema wasn’t allowed to show “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” the highly anticipated film featuring Tom Hanks as Pittsburgh legend Mister Rogers, during its $14 million opening weekend.

“I can be subjected to the increased traffic congestion (on Rodi Road) because of their production, but I can’t show their movie until it’s done 80% of the business it will ever do somewhere else. Thank you, Sony,” said Paul Looker, the theater’s owner and manager, in a video he posted Nov. 20 to the theater’s YouTube channel.

The movie, directed by Marielle Heller, was filmed in Pittsburgh, including parts of Penn Hills along Rodi Road, in 2018.

Sony Pictures did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment.

The decision to not allow the small theater to show “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” comes at a time when missed opportunities for opening weekend ticket sales could mean the difference between breaking even or losing money for the month, Looker said. It costs around $30,000 a month to keep the theater he’s owned for eight years open, he said.

It’s hard to say how much money the movie would have netted the theater in ticket sales, he said. But Looker said Penn Hills Cinemas had a two-week delay on “Harriet,” and that cost him $10,000.

The Penn Hills theater will screen the Mr. Rogers movie starting Dec. 6.

Other locally owned theaters, like Squirrel Hill’s Manor Theater and Dormont’s Hollywood Theater, are currently showing the movie.

Looker said the “stupid” reasons he was given from Sony Pictures through his booking agency included Sony’s assumption that the theater wouldn’t make enough money.

“It doesn’t matter that I know, based on 14 years of experience, that it is extremely likely to do a very respectful business for us. They say it’s not enough,” Looker said.

Looker said it made sense for production companies to not release movies to theaters when they were produced on film reels.

“Now that we get our movies on reusable hard drives that we pay to have shipped here, cost is not a factor. It doesn’t make sense,” Looker wrote in a comment under the video he posted on YouTube.

He said the theater is charged a portion of its ticket sales to host a movie there. Some surcharges reach up to 70% of ticket sales, Looker said, and rarely dip below 55%.

A representative from Looker’s booking agency, Ohio-based Cooperative Theatres Inc., declined to comment.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” expected to gross in its first weekend what it cost to produce — $25 million, according to IndieWire.

Opening weekend for the Mister Rogers movie paled in comparison to “Frozen 2,” which opened to the tune of a whopping $127 million — an animation record for November, according to media reports.

Penn Hills Cinema showed “Frozen 2” this weekend.

“It was fantastic,” Looker said. “There’s not a problem with Disney. They’re very nice to us. There’s never been a time we couldn’t have a movie when we asked for it.”

Looker said there were only two movies this year — “The Lion King” and “Avengers: Endgame” — that outperformed “Frozen 2” at Penn Hills Cinema.

“We had a great summer, so we’re doing all right,” Looker said. “But we could be doing better.”

To attract more viewers, Looker said the theater has recently pushed its social media presence on Facebook and YouTube, which seems to be helping. Viewers of Looker’s video vowed to wait until Penn Hills Cinema has “A Beautiful Day” to see the film. One viewer vowed to never watch it in protest.

The theater keeps ticket and concession prices down to lure customers in.

Tickets are $5 Monday through Thursday. On the weekends, movies are available for $5 if caught before 6 p.m. Prices bump up to $7 anytime after. Kids and senior citizens see movies for $5.

Looker said the theater’s prices are up to $7 cheaper than competitors in the region. He said concessions are “on average, 50% lower than any other theater in town.”

Penn Hills Cinema is currently showing “Frozen 2,” “Harriet,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “21 Bridges.”

The theater is located at 76 Federal Drive, within the Penn Hills Shopping Center.