Movie "1917" draws crowd to Ritzville theater

RITZVILLE – Sixty-seven people attended “1917,” shown at the Ritz Theater last weekend.

“It was a good movie. And with 67 (in attendance), it was a money-maker for us,” said John G. Rankin, running the recently remodeled 1937 theater for non-profit owners, the Ritzville Downtown Development Association. Rankin said he needed at least 50 people to view it in order for a movie to break even. “Last week it was just 17 (attending “Bombshell”), and that’s not good.”

Rankin said studios take a $250-$350 deposit, plus a $40 shipping fee to send the film, then a sliding percentage of how many viewed i...