The theater location of 3893 Commercial St, SE, lived two distinct lives. Originally opened as part of the General American Theatres chain, it is now operated independently and functions as an iconic part of life in South Salem, Oregon.
The first theater was called SouthGate CinemaWorld, which had a grand opening June 16th, 1976 (1). The opening films played were; The Bad News Bears, Baby Blue Marine, and Drive In, with the first film playing in the largest auditorium, and the following films playing back to back in the other auditorium. Although advertised as having three auditoriums, the final one was not opened until several weeks later (2). The location of the theater was quite nice, with it being located in a small shopping center that would have businesses rotate in and out, making a hub for the people of Salem to get all of their movie, food, arcade, and ice cream needs met.
SouthGate CinemaWorld became a hub for people in a different way, through its affordability. Originally operating as a first-run theater, it switched to what sources call a "bargain" theater in May of 1999 (3). By bargain theater, they mean the movies played became second or third-run movies, instead of playing movies that were just released. This move to becoming an affordable place to go for movies became a key feature of the venue, with families driven to attend by the nice affordable price. Even when this location closed and the new owners took over, it was essential to them to maintain that affordability.
This theater went through many different business chains before it was eventually closed down in September of 1999 (3). It was opened by General American Theatres (which is a subsidiary company of the Moyer brothers), then was owned by Luxury Theatres (post the Moyer brothers splitting apart), was then bought by Act III, and finally bought and closed down by Regal.
The location remained closed until March of 2004, when it was opened independently by Kevin Roudebush who had big plans for the location. He wanted to open a “theater pub” style venue, meaning that customers would order at the counter and their food and drink would be delivered directly to their tables as they watched the movies. Roudebush found himself having to refurbish most of the interior, with Regal taking all three projectors, two screens, and the original seating out of the location, but despite the struggle, the venue officially opened as Northern Lights Theatre Pub (4).
Outside of showing second or third-run films, Northern Lights hosted several special events to provide the local community with a unique experience. Sports events were one of such activities, often showing UFC matches, local college football games, and the NBA on a big screen for all to enjoy (5). Another key event was “Double Play Saturday", which was directed at kids, promising a live theatrical play, followed by a kids film. The ticket for one of these Saturday events also included lunch (6). “Lights, Comedy, Laughs!” featured monthly comedy shows with guest comedians from both Salem and across the country. These comedy shows were typically aimed at patrons over 21 (7). Unfortunately these events do not seem to be active as of writing, but there is another event that is: Sensory Sensitive showings. These events are designed for anyone with special sensory needs; the lights of the theater are left up, the volume lowered, and people are encouraged to dance, walk around, yell, and sing. Anything they need to do, they are welcome to do it. The theater also encourages families with allergies to bring their own food, without any penalty (8).
COVID was a difficult time for theaters, and Northern Lights was no exception. In August of 2020, the doors were officially closed after having been in a temporary closure since the Spring. During this time, Kevin Roudebush partnered with another local theater owner and his longtime friend, Jeff Mexico, to save Northern Lights. The two eventually decided on running the venue together and with the help of the “Shuttered Venue Operator’s Grant”, were able to open the theater once again (9). They did make one key change to the theater about a year later, when they shifted from being a second-run theater to being a first-run. The team cites the restriction from large chains like Regal and Cinemark, that don’t allow independent theaters to screen films at the same time as them, to be a key reason, as well as the trend of production companies to bypass theatrical releases all together and go straight to streaming. Although this did slightly raise prices of attendance, it is nowhere near what larger theater chains cost, still earning Northern Lights the reputation of being a local, family-friendly, bargain theater (10).
Northern Lights Theatre Pub is still in operation today, its convenient location and prices still attracting lots of attention from the local Salem crowd. It is truly a lovely place to gather with loved ones to watch a movie!
