By Jonathan Kirkham
Bicknell, Utah is believed to be the smallest town in America with its own operating movie theater.
It is the only theater in all of Wayne County and also home to the Bicknell International Film Festival.
But 10 years ago, the theater almost folded.
The Wayne Theater was owned for decades by a local couple, and, over the years, maintaining the aging one-screen movie house got harder and more expensive.
'The old owners were playing movies on video,' said James Anderson, current owner of the theater. 'The projector was in bad shape, sometimes the film would break. It was about to go under. If someone didn''t buy it, it would have.'
Anderson, originally from Salt Lake City, had a second home in Bicknell, and heard about the theater from his wife''s friend, who was staying at his house.
'She saw it was for sale in a local paper ... and a small voice told me to buy it,' Anderson said.
His initial investment was minimal, less than some people pay for a decent car, he said. But a lot of work was needed to get it in running order again.
Andersen said virtually everything but the building has been changed out over the past decade including a new roof, film projector, theater seats, audio system, toilets and septic tank.
The theater even has a cry room for mothers with fussy babies.
Anderson said he thinks of the Wayne Theater as a sort of service to the community.
Prices are always $4 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. It typically breaks even every week, never earning or losing too much money.
The Bicknell International Film Festival, held every year on the weekend closest to Pioneer Day, is more expensive, but it usually involves rare prints of older films.
The theater shows current popular movies about four to six weeks after the original release dates, allowing Anderson to buy films with substance, not hype, he said.
'I see what does well, and then book on a monthly basis,' he said.
Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with a new movie each week.
Reservations and advanced ticketing are not available and not required. The theater holds 300, and with a local population of 325, good seats are usually available at every show.
The only time the theater came close to selling out was with 'The Mask of Zorro,' Anderson said.
'I don''t know what stars aligned, what happened, but it was darn near 300,' he said.