AMHERST — Three straight years of deficits at the Amherst Cinema, considered an unsustainable trend for the independent, nonprofit arts and education center, is prompting leadership to return the facility to its original three-screen site that opened in 2006, and to reduce the number of weekly showtimes.

As a cost-cutting measure at the 28 Amity St. cinema, the Studio Theater will be closed in mid-May, meaning there will be one 190-seat cinema and two 49-seat screening rooms.

A decade or so ago, the Studio Theater was carved out of adjacent storefront space between restaurants, an art gallery and a coffee shop.

In addition, the showtimes with the lowest attendance, identified as the 9 p.m. movies scheduled for Sundays and Wednesdays and the 2 p.m. Wednesday movies, will be removed from the schedule.

“We’re taking measures to reduce costs as part of a broader organization-wide sustainability plan, directing resources where they can have the greatest impact and safeguarding our ability to deliver on our mission,” Barton Byg, who chairs the cinema’s board of directors, said in a statement. “We will also redouble efforts to increase membership levels and philanthropic gifts.”

The changes are being announced in advance of the cinema marking its 20th anniversary in 2026 and an aim to sustain its core mission and operations. In a letter sent to members and supporters, the Amherst Cinema team cited continued fallout from the COVID pandemic, and that while audiences have returned and ticket sales have rebounded, sales remain 20% below pre-pandemic numbers and memberships are around 85% of what they were in 2020. 

The permanent shuttering of the Studio Theater, according to the Amherst Cinema leaders, leads to the most sustainable path forward, mostly because that is leased space, rather than part of the building it owns. Closing the Studio Theater also allows for a proportional reduction in staff.

Another change will come to the Masked Morning program, which had been in place in recent years for the first morning showings on Saturdays and Sundays. That will be consolidated to Sundays only.

Even as the nonprofit arthouse has worked to minimize financial losses, it has invested in equipment and facility enhancements to deliver improved customer and cinematic experiences. This has included upgraded projection technologies that mean better picture and sound quality in the remaining theaters.

Executive Director Yasmin Eisenhauer said the cinema remains committed to its programmatic values as “an arthouse born out of the community,” and despite losing one screen, will continue to showcase more than 250 films and events in more than 35 languages each year.

“Two things can be true at once; while we're feeling the impacts of a disrupted film exhibition landscape, our commitment to advancing cinema arts and culture has never been stronger,” Eisenhauer said. “We’ll continue to program critically acclaimed stories from around the globe, bringing audiences together for emotional, educational, and entertaining moviegoing experiences. As we like to say, there is something for everyone."

The Amherst Cinema also intends to mark its anniversary. “Headed toward this milestone, our goals are to shore up and preserve our fiercely independent, local treasure,” Eisenhauer said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com