Bison 6 Cinema chosen Best Entertainment Venue

JAMESTOWN — The Bison 6 Cinema received two awards in the Best of the Jamestown Area contest: first in Best Entertainment Venue and third in Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party.

Placing second and third in Best Entertainment Venue were Hidden River Acres and Spiritwood Resort, respectively.

Placing first and second in Best Place for a Kid’s Birthday Party were Party Crashers and The Story Nook, respectively.

“I was kind of surprised with the birthday party nomination,” said Cory Keim, owner of Bison 6 Cinema. “The (Best) Entertainment Venue … it was a lot of competition and there’s a lot of great places and we’re glad that we got it, we’re proud of it. It goes back to the employees, the employees are the ones that make it what it is.”

Bison 6 Cinema has 15 to 20 employees, he said. It opened in June 2011 in the Buffalo Mall, with six screens in individual theaters.

“They’re all different sizes …,” Keim said. “The biggest one is 210 seats down to 77 seats (smallest theater). …”

The theaters have digital cinema and stadium seating, he added.

The Bison 6 Cinema has adapted during changing times, Keim said. The industry has weathered numerous changes, from the invention of color television to VHS tapes, DVDs, Blue Ray, streaming and COVID, he said.

The Bison 6 Cinema took steps to continue operating during COVID and through other issues, Keim said.

“First of all, it was tough because the film companies weren’t releasing movies to the theaters. There was very few,” he said. “A lot of them went to streaming. Then there was a writer’s strike, (and) an actor’s strike that held back a lot of movies. We didn’t have any movies or products to play. … We just kind of cut back on payroll and watched our budget and held in there and was hoping for something better.”

He said since COVID, “it’s been a tough four years. A lot of theaters have closed across the country. And we just kept plugging at it. But Wednesday (Nov. 27) was our biggest Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 28).”

The Friday after Thanksgiving was its third busiest of all Fridays and the Saturday after Thanksgiving was its second-busiest Saturday ever, he said.

“It was a big shock to everybody (theater analysts), everybody expected it to be busy but not record-breaking busy,” he said. “It was just a phenomenon, I guess. And hopefully, this is a sign of the future. We’re optimistic that this weekend (during Thanksgiving) is the start of what we believe is a full-on charge into the future.”

Keim said going to the theater is more than “just going to the movie.”

“It’s an event. It creates stories,” he said. “It provides an escape for a few hours and immerses yourself in another world. Big screen, big sound, sit back, relax, turn your phone off, turn your day off and enjoy the show.”

A number of good movies are expected during the holiday season, Keim said, including “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” “Mufasa: The Lion King,” and “A Complete Unknown,” on Bob Dylan’s life.

Bison 6 Cinema sells gift cards that can be used at the box office and concessions. They sell free popcorn T-shirts for $25 each. A person purchasing the T-shirt gets a free small popcorn for the year when attending a movie and wearing the shirt, which has the names of the movies coming out that year, Keim said. A portion of each T-shirt sale is given to a charitable cause each year, he said.

Bison 6 Cinema also offers private parties and other events.

Birthday parties are available at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, he said, and are popular. The children attending the party have a movie showing from one of those currently available, and each child gets a kid’s pack with a drink, a scoop of popcorn and candy. The cost is $13 per child and they don’t charge a facility fee, he said. There’s a table set up in the theater as well where they can bring presents, a birthday cake or pizza. The party has to conclude by 1 p.m., he said.

“It’s great for the parents because everybody’s contained in one theater,” Keim said.

Birthday parties for adults are also available.

The Bison 6 Cinema also provides private Christmas parties with movies it is currently showing.

“Everybody gets a small pop and small popcorn for a price,” Keim said. “And I’ve had meetings in the theaters. If a person wants to rent out the theater just for educational meetings or whatever.”

Theaters are available for corporate business meeting events including seminars, training, product launches, speaking engagements and team building, other events and worship services.

“Thanks to everybody for voting and hopefully see them at the movies,” Keim said.

For more information, call 701-252-5688.

Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or ksteiner@jamestownsun.com.