The Majestic was built in 1994 as a movie theater. The first three films shown opening night were Dumb + Dumber, The Jungle Book, & Disclosure. The walls are double layers of concrete filled with sand to help contain sound. The Majestic was operated by a few different people before Mark and Ali Drucker started renting it in 2005.

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The Majestic was a thriving movie theater for many years. Showing new Hollywood releases on 3 different screens, this cinema was a cultural institution for locals, second homeowners, and tourists alike. Rentals were available outside of normal showing hours and special events happened sporadically. The Majestic hosted the Crested Butte Film Festival, Monday Night Football, Oscar livestreams, and Move the Butte showings to name a few.

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Due to COVID-19, the Majestic Theatre closed on March 13th, 2020, hoping to only be closed for a couple of weeks. Because of Colorado state law and restrictions, the Majestic was unable to operate for 6 months and therefore could not make rent payments. The Majestic Theatre closed for good on September 17th, 2020.

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Immediately following the closing staff party, former Majestic manager Carrie Wallace decided she couldn’t sit with losing the only movie theater in the valley. She googled how other small town movie theaters were surviving, and quickly discovered many had made the switch to nonprofit. On October 28, 2020 , Carrie, along with Conrad Kaul and Whitney Favor, incorporated Friends of the Majestic in Carrie and Conrad’s living room. The next morning, they created a Facebook page and GoFundMe to launch the project. In a just few days, the GoFundMe had raised over $20,000 and the team knew there was a strong desire from our community to bring the Majestic back.

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Over the course of the next two years, Carrie, Conrad, and Whitney spent all of their free time working unpaid to get the nonprofit set up and fundraise $300,000. Friends of the Majestic held a virtual silent auction that raised over $12,000 with 100% donated goods from the community. The group partnered with the Center for the Arts to put on a sold-out cult classic movie series. Sweaty Kids Film Festival grew exponentially in those two years, becoming the Majestic’s flagship event and showing the community just how fun the team can be. Finally, in August 2022, the team signed a lease with the Majestic landlord and finally got access back to the building. In less than 2 months, the set up everything from scratch to get the Majestic open for September 23, 2022.

The re-imagined Majestic Theatre serves to entertain, educate, and inspire the Gunnison Valley through new movies, local films, community events and collaborations.

We harness the power of movies to provide an escape or a learning experience for all members of the Gunnison Valley. By creating more opportunity for local events, the Majestic operates as an essential community resource.

The Majestic Theatre operates as a commercial movie theater, serving as the only cinema in an 81 mile radius. As former employees of the Majestic pre-Covid, we take great pride in preserving the charm of the Majestic, with some slight tweaks to better serve our unique community.

We show new Hollywood movies in 2 of our 3 theaters. We sign movie contracts based on community interest, harnessing the power of social media to figure out what films our valley is dying to see.

​Our third theater is dedicated to being rented for an affordable rate, available 7 days a week. Potential uses of this event theater are birthday parties, karaoke nights, hosting Sweaty Kids Film Festival, Matchstick movie nights, Saturday morning cartoons, fundraisers for other local organizations, live streams, and so much more!

​​Concession-wise, we partner with different local businesses to enhance our food options.We serve First Asecent coffee, Jamie’s Jerky, Ranger Chocolate from The Chocolate Enthusiast, and Big B’s Juices.

We also engage the local arts community by commissioning local artists to design our merchandise each year. All around, the Majestic continues to serve as a pillar of entertainment and culture in our community.

How do you measure the impact of a single movie theatre? Do you remember the first movie you ever saw on the big screen? Maybe it was at the Majestic? Do you remember your first date to the movies? How many movies have you left feeling renewed, inspired, or changed? Movie theaters are a space for people to think and be present, to escape reality, to gain independence, to bring families together, to eat popcorn, to laugh, to cry, to gasp, to swoon, to learn. Don’t forget, the Majestic is the only movie theatre in a 2 hour radius of Crested Butte!

We believe wholeheartedly in the power of storytelling to create change. Crested Butte can be an isolating place, and oftentimes we get lost in our own town and forget about what’s going on in the outside world. We believe it is essential to bring different perspectives to our valley, and potentially help community members develop empathy for people we don’t often encounter in our corner of the world.

We cultivate the joy of experiencing film and harness the power of films to create a shared experience that help people communicate and connect with each other.