Why the ‘The Frozen Ground’ opened in Alaska

I had the opportunity to attend the U.S. opening of Scott Walker’s “The Frozen Ground” on Aug. 23.

Most folks in the state have heard about the film, but if you haven’t, it centers on notorious Alaska serial killer Robert Hansen’s carnage. The emphasis falls on the exploitation of young women in a drug-laden, prostitution-riddled 1970s and early 1980s Anchorage. The nightlife and cabaret culture were integral to the movie’s supposition that but for a few courageous Alaska State Troopers, a captive who escaped demise at Butcher Baker’s hands and a Fairbanks assistant prosecutor, Hansen may not have been convicted.

The gossip over the last 12 months leading up to the curtain call for the film ranged from conjecture on whose scenes would be kept or cut from the Alaska cadre of actors involved to whether or not the thriller would open in Alaska at all, and if not — who “conspired” to block the unveiling.

That pleasant August evening, while awaiting the show and watching a small but growing line form in the lobby, my companions and I enjoyed people watching from a comfortable perch in the theater’s bistro.

Enjoying higher quality menu choices, including beer and wine – which is exclusive to this movie theater (Bear Tooth Theater in Anchorage also has a beer and wine license, but typically plays previously released films or independents), gave the impression I was attending a theatrical performance instead of a flick.

Valley Cinema in Wasilla is one of only 11 U.S. movie theaters where “The Frozen Ground” opened on the launch date. And to my friends and my delight, the chairman and CEO of Coming Attractions Theaters, John Schweiger, was actually at the theater.

Schweiger wasn’t grandstanding. He was dressed modestly and remained unobtrusive. I still paid attention to how he was cleaning a floor, then straightening a carpet, then holding the door to welcome guests to the complex. At one point he was helping in the food service area, then taking our tickets at the theater entrance. Not only a class act, the owner of Valley Cinema and 18 other theater locations in Washington, Oregon and California, was making a tangible difference along with his staff to ensure patrons were quickly seated and comfortable for the opening night of the much-anticipated movie.

Before the lights dimmed, Schweiger introduced himself to the audience. He was a gracious host. He spoke on why we were able to watch the movie at his theater. He delineated that out of the approximate 5,000 theaters in the nation reaching in the neighborhood of 38,000 actual screens, almost all theater companies (like Regal, Cinemark and AMC) boycotted “The Frozen Ground” because the producers offered the film through pay-per-view in conjunction with movie theaters.

Releasing a much-anticipated, prominent-actor film on a national scale through pay-per-view, which Schweiger said is quite rare, was a sucker punch to movie theater owners. A common reaction is that regular movie attendees skip the movie theater altogether and watch the new film from home. Do this enough — launching via pay-per-view — and movie theaters disappear, as do jobs, economy and infrastructure that support communities like Wasilla and Palmer.

Schweiger is definitely a visionary and a dedicated entrepreneur. Born in Indiana, then residing for part of his professional career in Southern California focusing on real estate, he moved to Oregon in 1985 to spend more time with his family. Ten days after relocating to Ashland, tragedy befell him when his home burned down. In the face of such exigent circumstances, he made the serendipitous decision to leave commercial real estate sales and become a buyer. He soon purchased a property he had been listing for a client — a movie theater.

From that first theater, the three-screen Varsity Theater in Ashland, he has blossomed into four states with clean, professional, family-friendly movie theaters.

Schweiger decided to build his cinema complex in Wasilla about four years ago. It’s his only cinema in Alaska, and Mat-Su and Anchorage moviegoers are the benefactors.

When I asked why he opted to abandon theater protocol and allegiance by playing “The Frozen Ground,” he explained that Ron Holmstrom of the Screen Actors Guild, Deborah Schildt with the Alaska Film Group and Valley Cinema staff were in favor of the effort, and facilitated the opening night from curtain to credits to media coverage. He explained to all of us on opening night that Alaskans deserved a chance to see the film on the big screen, no matter the backlash he’d receive from his theater management colleagues throughout the country. He said he owed it to his Alaska customers.

That’s a refreshing sentiment in our current economy where the customer can so often be overlooked.

You can still go see “The Frozen Ground” on the big screen. That’s really the best place to view it and feel the rush of the film.

The only movie theater in the state that’s showing the film is Valley Cinema in Wasilla.

Chalk up another first for the Valley, and thanks to John Schweiger.

Tom Anderson is the managing partner at Optima Public Relations and hosts a daily talk radio show on FOX News’ KOAN 1020 AM.