For a small-town theater, Yosemite Cinemas tends toward industry firsts.The owners caught national attention in 2013, when they took over their hometown theater and implemented a community-based subscription model, in which viewers paid a monthly fee.It was a rarity at the time — a niche idea mostly designed to save small, independent theaters from going under.
The owners had to take meetings with the major movie studios just to convince them the idea could work.Of course, subscription-service theaters have proven to be a viable business model, with versions picked up by major chains like Regal and AMC.
Source: Cinema near Yosemite now home to first permanent VR theater in U.S. Here’s what’s playing