Holy Comic Books, Batman! Orono Theater Pays Tribute To Superheroes!

It's been just over a year since local men Zach Hussey and Charles Moody took over ownership of Spotlight Cinemas in Orono and changed its name to Black Bear Cinemas.

Read More: Spotlight Cinemas In Orono Now Under New Ownership With New Name

When they took over, the new management team wanted to make sure that if folks in the community come out to see a movie, they don't just walk into a building to watch the show; they want to make sure they're treated to an entire experience.

Read More: Local Movie Theater Goes All Out Decorating For Halloween

For big movie premiers, they have gone all-out with decorating the lobby, featuring special collectors buckets and memorabilia, and teaming with local artists for poster contests and theme theaters.

This past May, they created their first "Space" themed theater, to celebrate "Star Wars Day."

Read More: Orono Cinema Gets 'Star Wars' Treatment In Time For May the 4th

This month, to celebrate another iconic movie franchise, the folks at Black Bear Cinema are unveiling their second themed theater, and this one is an homage to comics!

Nathan Paris, General Manager at Black Bear Cinemas, has been spearheading this latest project to create a "comics" theater.

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"Superhero movies are for people of all ages, whether Marvel or DC people can find some character(s) that they see a bit of themselves in, so a comic theater is family-friendly and exciting since there's always some big new Marvel or DC release on the way.”

Paris said that the plan is to eventually have all of the theaters be "themed out."

"2024 gave us 'Deadpool & Wolverine', and is giving us 'Venom 3' and 'Kraven the Hunter' later this year. When we learned 'Batman' was celebrating its 85th Anniversary this year and we took the opportunity to do something special with that."

They reached out to the local comic store, Galactic Comics and Collectibles, and devised a plan to collaborate on this particular theater, and 350 comic books mounted on the wall later...

"As we're the only theater in the area showing Batman (1989), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and Batman Forever for this anniversary, we hope anyone who may travel to see their favorite hero on the big screen will see the extra stuff we do and remember Black Bear Cinemas as wanting to give the best experience."

"Our goal is to get local artists involved to make our own special Black Bear comic. We've painted a blank outline of an empty comic book page and will be looking for artists to express themselves by adding their own interpretation to what it means to be a superhero."

"Movie theaters are meant to be a fun experience from the moment you enter to the moment you leave, so our goal is to eventually make each stop along the way to your theater something that catches your eye - whether it be a spot to take photos together, a bunch of posters lined up showcasing classics or upcoming films, or seven theaters that all have their own unique charm."

For movie times or for more information you can check out the Black Bear Cinemas website, here.