In the famous 1957 Dr. Seuss children’s book, the Grinch – prompted by the pleadings of Little Cindy-Lou Who – eventually brought the spirit of Christmas to Who-ville. This year, the movie adaptation of that story – prompted by the
In the famous 1957 Dr. Seuss children’s book, the Grinch – prompted by the pleadings of Little Cindy-Lou Who – eventually brought the spirit of Christmas to Who-ville.
This year, the movie adaptation of that story – prompted by the charity of a local movie theater owner – will bring the spirit of Christmas to the children of Kaua’i.
Damon Marc, owner of the Kilauea Theater, said he was watching actor Jim Carrey’s latest film, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” when he decided to do something that would emphasize the importance of personal interaction during the holiday spirit.
“It made me think that Christmas is a day that really should be special,” he said.
Marc’s initial plan – to put on several free showings of “The Grinch” during Christmas Day for children 16 and under – seemed like a good idea until he realized he was obligated to pay movie studio Universal Pictures for each person in the audience.
With 250 seats in the theater and plans to show the movie four times that day, Marc said paying for 1,000 customers would likely clean out his savings account. So he called local businesses to see if anyone would be interested in donating the needed money. But at $2 per child – $1.77 for the move and 23 cents for a complementary bag of popcorn – his hopes weren’t too high.
Little did he know that he was not the only one with holiday cheer to spare.
“Within 48 hours, I had every kid sponsored,” he said. “I was just blown away by the generosity of the island businesses.” Donations have come in fast and furious, Marc said, ranging from paying for 10 children to the sponsoring of 300 members of the audience by the mysterious benefactors “Jimmy and Cindy.” And with rumors of a certain celebrity’s presence on the island, Marc said something unexpected could be happening at the Dec. 25 showings.
“There’s something special going on that could be a great Christmas surprise,” he hinted, refusing to divulge more.
So with plans to give out more than 50 pounds of popcorn and hurriedly clean out the theater in-between showings, Marc said he hopes families from all across the island – and of all different sizes and economic status – reserve their seats for the movie.
“We wanted to give them a chance to see a movie together that they may not be able to see otherwise,” he said.
In preparation for the big day, tickets can be picked up at any of the donors’ offices (see sidebar), and possibly at the theater on the day of the show. Calling the theater Christmas morning at 828-0438 will get a recording of how many seats remain for the 12, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. showings, Marc said.
While 50 seats at each show will be reserved for adults, Marc said enough chaperones would be on hand that he encourages parents to find something to do while their children are otherwise occupied.
“They could go out and take a Christmas drive along the North Shore,” he said. “The kids will have plenty of supervision.” In addition to the free bags of popcorn being given out, Marc said families are welcome to bring their own food and drinks – either of the healthy or sugary variety.
Additional refreshments will be available for sale, but what matters most is that they come out for an afternoon of laughs and good times, he said.
“We’re going to have a wonderful time, he said.” Staff writer Matt Smylie can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 226) and msmylie@pulitzer.net
