By Sumner Bender, Executive Director
As I reach my three-year anniversary leading The Nickelodeon, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on where we are today and how much has changed.
In the years before 2020, independent cinemas like The Nick thrived as homes for independent, international, and documentary films, offering a unique cultural experience that stood apart from the big multiplexes and bringing films to Columbia that might never otherwise have made it to the big screen. Art house cinemas filled a vital role.
From my perspective inside the organization, it’s clear that the cinematic landscape we’re navigating in 2025 is fundamentally different from what existed before 2020.
The changes we’ve faced are not because of one issue. They are the result of multiple, compounding shifts both locally and nationally that have dramatically altered the entire moviegoing landscape. To understand why The Nick has made programming changes, we have to understand the environment we are navigating today.
Consumer behavior has changed.
Moviegoing used to be a regular habit for many households. Today, attendance remains 20 to 40 percent below pre-pandemic levels. Streaming services, inflation, and changing routines have pulled many viewers out of the habit entirely. For many households, going to the movies has become an occasional luxury rather than a regular activity.
In earlier years, a city like Columbia could sustain a niche art house theater because there was a broader, more consistent base of moviegoers. More people were regularly attending films across all genres, which allowed spaces like The Nick to serve a smaller but passionate audience with the confidence that there was still enough overall traffic and community support to remain viable.
The film industry itself has changed.
In 2018 and 2019, roughly 700 independent films were released theatrically each year in the United States. By 2023 and 2024, that number had dropped to around 134, representing an 80 percent reduction.
Industry consolidation and the rise of streaming platforms have played a major role. Studios like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple now acquire many independent films that once would have played in art house cinemas. Instead, they debut exclusively on streaming platforms and bypass theaters entirely. Just recently, Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated Frankenstein was announced as a Netflix exclusive, a film that would have been a perfect fit for independent cinemas like The Nick.
The Hollywood strikes froze production pipelines.
In 2023, both the writers’ and actors’ unions went on strike, shutting down production for over six months. Independent films, which rely on tight production schedules and smaller budgets, lost a full development cycle. The result is fewer independent films available for theatrical release throughout 2025 and into 2026.
The cost of doing business has risen dramatically.
Staff wages, film rentals, insurance, utilities, and operating costs have all increased. At The Nick, we have chosen to prioritize paying living wages and building a stable staff, which has created a stronger organization but adds to our financial responsibilities. Meanwhile, our audiences are also managing higher expenses at home, making every night out a more carefully considered decision.
Even as operating costs rise, we have worked hard to keep The Nick accessible. Our ticket prices remain affordable, and we intentionally keep concession pricing far below typical theater levels. That is not by accident. It is part of our mission to make sure going to the movies remains affordable for as many people as possible.
The local theater landscape has contracted.
In the past, Columbia had more theaters across more parts of the city. Several locations have closed entirely, while the remaining first-run theaters are now clustered in suburban retail centers. The Nick is now Columbia’s only downtown cinema, continuing to bring people into the heart of the city year-round, supporting restaurants, shops, and small businesses that rely on downtown traffic.
So what does this mean for The Nickelodeon?
The foundation of my time at The Nick has been built on diversifying our audience and expanding who sees themselves reflected in our theater. That means offering a wider selection of films with broader appeal. Inclusion means everyone.
We still program independent, foreign, and documentary films whenever possible. But we have also incorporated more mainstream titles to stabilize attendance, welcome new audiences, and ensure financial sustainability.
Some may assume that including more mainstream films means abandoning our mission. It does not. We have not abandoned our mission. We have adapted to protect it.
Our guiding question remains simple: How do we stay open, stay relevant, and ensure that independent films still have a home in Columbia for years to come?
That is the work we are doing every day. That is the balance we are striking. And that is how The Nick will continue to serve Columbia for decades to come, not as a museum to the past, but as a living, evolving part of Columbia’s future.