PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Emagine Willow Creek Theater in Plymouth is decking their screening rooms with Christmas throwbacks. It's part of a larger plan to celebrate and showcase beloved blockbusters of the past.
"'Elf,' and 'A Christmas Story,' which we do every year, but we always try to bring back the ones that are requested," said Tim Holly, the creative manager for Emagine Entertainment.
In 2023, the list includes cult classics 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' and 'Bad Santa.' The theater also makes events out of Flashback Cinema, like creating specialty drinks, Peppermint Hot Cocoa-flavored popcorn, and a 'Build your own Desert Cookie (A giant cookie baked in a pizza oven and it comes with whip cream, M&M's, sprinkles and chocolate sauce).
These classic showings aren't just about reveling in nostalgia. They're also introducing a new generation to movie magic the way filmmakers intended, on the big screen. "Like seeing it big and being immersed in it, like not having the distractions of your phone at home or things like everyday life. Like you give yourself over to a movie," described Holly. "It's the shared laughter; it's that shared emotion that everyone's feeling at the same time."
Emagine Theaters go even further down the retro rabbit hole year round. "We do the [classic] screenings where we have a live presenter," said Holly, who helped dream up Secret Movie Nights.
Special guests and artists pick a film and explain why it's valuable. Best of all, the audience doesn't know what they're watching until the lights go down! There's even a question-and-answer element after the screening. A classic holiday movie is presented each week at select locations.
For seasonal titles still to come:
- NATIONAL LAMPOONS CHRISTMAS VACATION – 12.13.23
- A CHRISTMAS STORY – 12.13.23
- TOKYO GODFATHERS – 12.13.23
- IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – 12.17, 12.20, & 12.24
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