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MANITOWOC — Joe Bauknecht believes his $2 million purchase of the downtown Strand Theater Friday is good news for his company and Lakeshore area movie fans.

“Now, the distributors won’t be able to play me off against Bob (Johnson). Everything in this business is driven by dollars and the movie companies want every dollar they can get,” said Bauknecht, who with his wife, Sally, also owns Family Cinema on Dewey Street as the initial business entity of the Bauknecht Corp.

Now, Bauknecht owns all 10 first-run screens in Manitowoc County.

Lance Lange owns the budget, second-run, single screen Lakeshore Cinema on Washington Street.

In a February interview of the Lakeshore area’s movie house owners, Johnson cited the competition between the Strand and Family Cinema, which opened Memorial Day weekend 2003.

“Joe and I aren’t going to be enemies at any time, but the film companies will just squeeze us both. We’ll both be paying more for films. It’ll make it tough to make a living in Manitowoc unless 20,000 people move in,” Johnson said. He had owned the Strand for nearly 30 years.

With no competition between Johnson and Bauknecht for prime first-run films, ticket prices should be able to remain at $8 at both the Strand and Family Cinema “for, at least, the time being,” Bauknecht said. Matinee prices at both theaters will stay at $5.50.

The chances are also reduced, he said, that his booking agent will have to accept a film from a distributor with potentially few customers in exchange for preferred booking on an anticipated blockbuster.

“We will be able to keep the good movies longer and won’t have to play some of the less popular films we become obligated to take,” Bauknecht said.

Bauknecht said popcorn, soda and other concessions would be similar at both theaters, in some cases translating into a reduced price or larger size than previously served at the Strand.

He said there would be minor cosmetic changes at the Strand but the most noticeable addition would be cup holders for all the seats in the six theaters, with a total capacity of 1,150. Bauknecht said he wanted to install brighter bulbs in the projectors for a crisper picture.

His daughter, Gretchen Bauknecht, 23, is general manager of Bauknecht Corp., which also on Friday bought Johnson’s three-screen West Bend Cinema for an additional $500,000.

“I’m excited. This opens more opportunities for us. When I’m not working, I like to catch a movie,” she said. “In this area we have a broad market. Sometimes, I help pick out what (movies) may be popular with the younger crowd,” Gretchen Bauknecht said.

Heritage Commercial Real Estate’s Kevin Neelis, Bill Illgen and Corey Kornely brokered the total $2.5 million transaction.

Joe Bauknecht is counting down the days until his term as Manitowoc County clerk of circuit courts ends on Jan. 3.

“I won’t miss the budgetary constraints. With your own business, you can do what you want when you know it needs to be done,” he said.

He said Bauknecht Corp. may acquire additional movie theaters.

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-10-2004, 02:42 PM:
 
I can't say I'm sorry to hear this news. I'm sure Mr. Bauknecht will do a very good job at running it.

Neither me or Don work there anymore, a couple of months ago Johnson laid off the entire management staff...
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-10-2004, 07:03 PM:
 
Well, I guess it goes to show that a good salesman can sell anything. No way were those two locations worth 2.5 million, thats a farce. The Johnsons were the real winners in this deal and I like that Bob made that kinda dough off the places. Now....What Joe Bauknecht could have built for 2.5 million would have been real nice and could have put the Strand right out of buisness in the Marcus tradition anyway.

Myself having installed all the eqipment in this theatre I can definately say that the net result is that Manitowoc still has nothing but just a tacked together mid grade theatre that charges $8.00 a head, the same price that a high end theatre would get.

Mark
 

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Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 07-10-2004, 07:25 PM:
 
Ouch!!!!! I had no idea they got that much for the West Bend location.They would not tell me. I have managed the theatre for the past 6 years. I had talked to the Johnson boys in the past about buying it. But, they would never give me an actual figure. Its a cool building, with lots of old charm to it. I'm looking forward to working for the Bauknechts, they seem to be a very nice family.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-10-2004, 08:24 PM:
 
Don,
That upstairs theatre is really a nice little gem isn't it??? The downstairs though... oh well a common twin up job. The West Bend place still has a whole lot more charm than the Strand had when it was a single screener. West Bend in itself is a really nice little town!!

Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-11-2004, 01:53 PM:
 
Rachel, I guess you never noticed the No Telemarketers clause in the FAQ. LOL
 

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Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 07-12-2004, 01:51 AM:
 
Mark, you are so right, the upstairs is a very neat theatre. We actually had the seats recovered last year. Plus, I installed cupholders on all seats. Our sound system kicks ass, and is better than our local competitor down the street.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-12-2004, 07:26 AM:
 
Hey, I'm not doing telemarketing anymore! Now I'm doing surveys...we are not included on the 'No Call' list, so THERE!

Anyway, don't pick on my Strand! I obviously never saw it as a 1 screener but I love the upstairs theater (to everyone else's ammusment), it's just 'neat'. The way the stage is the most comfortable seat in the house is to lay down in front of the screen.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-12-2004, 10:30 AM:
 
Don, who did your seats?
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-12-2004, 10:06 PM:
 
Rach,
I love that room as well. Its got better than perfect sight lines from every seat. Ya can thank me for that giant screen up there. Best room in the whole place! I too used to sleep up there in my sleeping bag on occasion when I was there doing service work on the equipment. One morning when I emerged at what used to be the east hall exit door before # 5 and 6 were there. A snow drift had covered the entire side of the building all the way to the roof line. My van was under all that snow .

Don....
Ahh- Err Actually I put in the competitions stuff down the street as well. Steve K. helped with a large part of the install. Its all JBL behind the screens and the surrounds, Some budget Smart systems in the smaller theatres but Ultra Stereo/DTS in the larger houses. This was a long time ago and you may have upgraded yours as well. That DTS you have upstairs I put in for Jurassic Park... one at the strand too in what is #4, these were my 2nd, and 3rd DTS installs. Both were originally a 2 chan stereo DTS that fed the preamp input on the processor!! Later I converted it and the Strands to 6 channel. Janesville was my first DTS install.

Mark @ CLACO
 

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Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 07-13-2004, 10:50 PM:
 
Steve-
Ed Judge and crew recovered the seats.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-13-2004, 11:29 PM:
 
Ed lives just west of Madison but I don't have his number.

Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-14-2004, 08:26 AM:
 
West of Madison? Near Mazo Beach*????

* nude beach on the Wisconsin River
 

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Posted by Charles Lubner (Member # 157) on 07-14-2004, 06:55 PM:
 
I've got Ed Judge's number if anyone needs it. He does all my seat repairs. His father Art Judge did the original seat installs at my theatre, the Marcus Northtown Cinema, back in 1974.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-14-2004, 08:03 PM:
 
Hey Don, is Joe Bauknecht looking for any PT managers at the Strand? Getting ahold of him is not an easy task!
 

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Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 07-15-2004, 12:54 AM:
 
Mark- Kinda think the DTS unit is probably the same one that you installed. I've replaced the drives and a board, but it still keeps a workin'! Oh my gosh....the guys down the street! You should see and hear their theatre. Almost every print is scratched (thanks to the teens who run the projectors) and the audio is bad in a few auditoriums, mainly 1 and 3 (I think). DTS probs galore in #1, usually audio from the surrounds with no screen speakers, or sound cuts out on the right or left fronts ,gotta love those JBLs, #3 has probs with the screen speakers. I'm sure that you and Steve did a great job installing the stuff, but they don't know how to up keep it. I do like their 4 new auditoriums, other than they are small and lack a center aisle.The color scheme sucks!

I was offered a job there about 3-4 years ago.I have could named my hours. But, I passed on the offer, my love of the greek boys...the Johnsons??? I don't think so..I just like movie palaces...not multiplexes.Don't get me wrong, the Johnson's and I got along great. Otherwise, I would not have stuck around for 6.5 years.They taught me a lot. I hope to have the same luck with the Bauknecht's, they seem very nice. I like family run businesses. I really enjoy the 1929 WB Theatre. Finding a blown fuse is always a challenge, thanks to the many re-wiring jobs that place has had.I'd really rather get into tech work than manage. 50 hours managing a theatre and 20 hours working for a lab is beginning to get old. Or is it that I am getting old???

Rachel- If you can't get in touch with Joe, call Gretchen at Family Cinema after 3:30pm. I know that they had to hire a bunch of new employees, I told her that you and Don were good employees. Most of their vendors walked. Kinda think your old pal...the coffee shopper aka mom...had alot to do with it. But, I could be wrong.

Charles- Northtown was my old stoppin' grounds! I worked at Northridge Mall for over 13 years (not at the theatre). I bet that every weekend I caught a movie there, or at the Millroad. Well, the Mall is gone, and the only time I visit the neighborhood is to hit Best Buy.
 

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