Black theater thrives on the South Side

Hey, I just gave a brief review of the ICE Chatham 14 a few weeks ago. Courtesy of the Defender more about this particular business located on 87th Street just a block off the Dan Ryan:

ICE is an11-year-old, Black-owned entertainment company started by husband and wife team, Donzell and Alisa Starks.

“Our South Side theater is our bread winner, and there are no plans to close that site,” said Alisa, president of ICE. “That site did over $4 million in sales last year, and second quarter sales suggest we will do slightly more this year.”

One reason for ICE’s success is the niche market it serves.

“About 80 percent of our customers are Black, and 20 percent are Hispanic,” Alisa told the Defender. “We are not a national chain like Sony, so we do not market to a national audience.

Our audience is the Black community in Chicago, predominately the South Side and that is who we cater our services to.”

David Jefferson, an entertainment analyst with J.P. Morgan Chase, said small, independent movie owners like the Starks should enjoy their success while it lasts.

“ICE has one movie theater to bring home the bacon, and that is not good when you have bootleg DVDs being sold right outside the theater's parking lot for $10,” he said.

The soft economy has also forced a lot of families to either minimize or eliminate entertainment expenses like going to the movies, especially when they can buy a bootleg movie, rent a DVD or watch movies for free on the Internet.

“Going to the movies is a big waste of time because you have to deal with teenagers talking on their cell phones, babies crying or fights breaking out afterwards,” said Roshanda Walker, 50. “Why go through all that when I can buy a bootleg copy and watch it at home with less interruptions?”

Alisa said she is not worried about rising ticket prices, DVD rentals or bootleg movies chasing potential customers away.

“Our prices are comparable to other nearby theaters such as Ford City and River Oaks (in south suburban Calumet City),” she said. “We have been able to remain an independent (movie) theater owner because we create a family atmosphere at our theater. You don't have to worry about getting shot or robbed at Chatham.”

If want to know more about Inner City Entertainment just go over to the link to their homepage over in the local business section in the sidebar.