In the past year, a growing number of wheat paste honey bears from incognito artist fnnch have swept San Francisco, adding a pop of color to the plywood of boarded-up storefronts and making a cheerful appearance in residents' windows across the city.
On Thursday, the artist released a new iteration of their signature design — this time bearing a pair of 3-D glasses and a bucket of buttery popcorn. In partnership with Spoke Art , the poster will help support the historic Roxie Theater in the Mission District, with 10% of proceeds from the limited edition prints going toward the nonprofit cinema at a time when independent theaters are among the hardest hit by a loss of revenue during the pandemic.
Programming director Isabel Fondevila said it's been nearly a year since the Roxie closed its doors to the public and the theater was forced to cancel a highly anticipated screening of "Mad Max: Fury Road" in 35mm. Ironically enough, the event was also in collaboration with Spoke Art, which planned to sell a limited edition poster at the event.
The Roxie has been hosting repertory screenings in conjunction with the art gallery on 816 Sutter St. for a number of years, and they were among the theater's most popular events, often resulting in long lines winding down the block as diehard collectors clamored to purchase one of the custom posters. It’s a far-off memory for devoted patrons of the theater, which has sat empty for several months.
"Financially, it's been really hard for us, and so we're grateful that Ken [Harman Hashimoto, the owner and curator of Spoke Art] thought of supporting us with this new print," said Fondevila, adding that even though the Roxie has become one of the highest-grossing virtual cinemas in the nation, they're making about 5% of their pre-COVID-19 revenue in ticket sales for virtual screenings. “We didn’t know things were going to last this long, but they have.”
On Tuesday, San Francisco advanced into the less restrictive red tier , allowing indoor movie theaters to reopen at 25% capacity. AMC announced that five of its San Francisco theaters will resume operation Friday, including the Metreon and the Kabuki ; however, they are still prohibited from selling concessions. The caveat is financially unviable for San Francisco's small local theaters like the Roxie , leaving it with no choice but to remain closed for the time being.
But in spite of an otherwise challenging year, there have been a number of highlights. The Roxie recently wrapped up its partnership with the Sundance Film Festival , hosting a series of sold-out satellite screenings at Fort Mason Flix. Additionally, RoxCine — the theater's year-round Spanish language film series helmed by Fondevila — received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in February. The aging theater has also undergone some serious renovations in recent months, specifically in the Big Roxie's lobby and bathrooms, which are now ADA accessible.
"All of those moments have really helped us with morale. But it's been a mix of great things and the reality that we are actually closed and don't get to share movies in person, which is really what moviegoing is all about," said Fondevila.
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Though the Roxie won't be reopening any time soon, the theater plans to roll out its private rental program again in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Fondevila encourages the public to support historic institutions like the Roxie in any way they can — whether by purchasing fnnch's latest print, a virtual movie ticket or attending a drive-in screening at Fort Mason, which continues to donate a small percentage of its ticket sales to the theater.
"Pandemic or no pandemic, you can't take things for granted," she said. "These local businesses and organizations aren't going to survive by themselves, and we all need each other especially during times like this. We're coming back, but we'd love the support to be able to reopen as strong as we can. We've been dreaming about it for a long time."
Check out the print and the Roxie's latest programming here .
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