Here’s a bit of Black excellence to celebrate as we wind down Black History Month. As reported in Shadow and Act and CBS News Baltimore, there are two Black entrepreneurs in the great city of Baltimore, Anthony Fykes, and Robert Wright, who own NextAct Cinema, which is one of the few Black-owned movie theaters in America.
Located in Pikesville in Baltimore County, Nextact Cinema recently re-opened after extensive renovations. Fykes and Wright came from the healthcare industry but wanted to provide a different experience for the community. CBS News Baltimore reported further.
“We didn’t want to be an AMC. We don’t want to be a Cine-Bistro. The idea behind NextAct Cinema is that you are coming to a theater that feels like your home,” Fykes told the local CBS. “We wanted it to be original and we knew that we wanted it to be very boutique.”
NextAct Cinema, which used to be called Pikes Theatre, includes two theater rooms with 43 seats. According to the NextAct Cinema website, the location is more of a relaxing dine-in experience similar to upscale and technology sound theaters. Guests can order during the film directly from their seats and enjoy a meal, traditional concessions, and even wine.
And regarding what films NextAct is showing, they have the same caliber of films as your neighborhood AMC or Regal. “We have had great movies such as The Color Purple. We have had The Beekeeper. We had Beyonce, so it is all different cultures, ages and ranges,” says Lea White Young, in the CBS News interview.
But the challenges of movie theater ownership are just as challenging as other cinemas in the post-pandemic world. But Fykes and Wright have been able to keep NextAct alive and well.
“It was challenging— now because we’ve had so much community support. We’ve made it for five years. We actually can call up a studio, ask them for a movie and we usually don’t have an issue with getting it,”‘ said Fykes. “We are still around five years later, and we were able to celebrate another Black History Month. It is really special to us.”
What the theater means to the local community is significant. “We know that movies are the thing that transforms families together,” White said. “I can’t sing and nor am I an actor, so I can’t accurately be in a movie, but one of the things I could do and provide, and provide as a resource to the community, is potentially open up a theater,” said Fykes.
It’s good to see Black-owned businesses in the media, and it’s even more exciting to see what’s to come for NextAct. Hopefully, they will inspire more folks to build on this entrepreneurial momentum.
The post Black-Owned NextAct Cinema in Baltimore Re-Opens After Renovations first appeared on The Source.
The post Black-Owned NextAct Cinema in Baltimore Re-Opens After Renovations appeared first on The Source.