Even though I never set foot inside, I did some asking around.
Here are the reasons others say the place flopped.
The food was mediocre, at best, and expensive. However, ticket prices were cheap, about $ 6 in the final days. the discounting of tickets was a red flag that something was wrong.
People didn't like wandering around in an urban parking garage late at night.
Look at the design. You can't put windows on the corner because that's the location of the elevator shaft. But, you really could have done something more interesting than corrugated metal. How about an electronic message board, listing movies, food specials and show times? It is not a visually appealing, striking, and inviting corner.
In a news release Sunday, Marketplace at Steamtown management said it wanted another company to operate the theater, a company that marketed better to the Scranton area. I never saw much advertising. On top of that, when I hear "movie bistro," I think of something artsy-- a theater that plays unusual and different films. Iron Horse played mainstream, popular stuff-- as it should have been. That's the way to draw a crowd.
When I was trying to discover reasons for the failure, one sentiment dominated-- theater megaplexes in Moosic and Dickson City simply do it better. Easier access. Better and more convenient parking.
This is the third time a movie theater has failed on that corner. Marketplace management wants a theater to remain. It might be time to face facts. If three theater companies fail, it's possible people no longer want to watch movies downtown. The space could be used for something else.
