Arts & Entertainment

Downtown Plymouth's Penn Theatre Goes Digital

Vintage nonprofit theater adopts new industry standard digital projection.

Next time you see action stars performing acrobatic leaps across the screen at the , you'll be able to enjoy it in its full digital glory.

The Friends of the Penn, the group behind the nonprofit, historic Penn Theatre, announced Tuesday that the single-screen movie house now features state-of-the-art digital projection with all weekend movies being presented using this new format. 

The new digital installation, Executive Direcetor Ellen Elliott said, abides by new industry standards that state that by the end of this year, the major studios only will release new films with digital as its native format. 

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The need to upgrade means an added $70,000-85,000 cost per screen, the Friends of the Penn said in a news release.

“This project would not have been possible without the support of our generous donors,” said Executive Director Ellen Elliott in the news release. “The Penn Theatre is an irreplaceable part of our history and the Friends of the Penn are doing everything possible to ensure that it contributes to the vibrancy of Downtown Plymouth for generations to come.”

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Not all Hollywood filmmakers are thrilled about the mandatory switch to digital, however. Christopher Nolan, director of this year's second-highest-grossing film The Dark Knight Rises, shoots exclusively on film — although his films are converted to digital for screening at many theaters — and, believing film still presents the best picture quality, has decried the forced adoption of digital.

With the switch, the Penn Theatre now is equipped for both the newest Hollywood films, which soon will be exclusively distributed in digital format, and classic films, which still have film prints.


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