The Man Saving the Movies

Joe Masher was about 15 when he went into a darkened theater and saw a movie that would change his life.  

He sat down with real butter on his popcorn and the scratch-and-sniff card that went with the film he was seeing: John Waters’ “Polyester,” a satirical dark comedy about 1980s suburban life.  

He was captivated by the strange movie – he saw it three times that weekend at the Third Street Theatre in Rensselaer, which was showing independent films he couldn’t find anywhere else.  

“Polyester” might be considered a life-changing film at 15 based solely on its mature themes, but it was the entire experience at the little theater that set Masher on the course for the rest of his career.  

Masher, who turns 60 in October, now owns, operates or manages 10 theaters, including the Spectrum 8 Theatres in Albany and Movieland in Schenectady. His company also owns Huck Finn’s Playland. It employs about 700 people. 

Masher’s collection of predominantly smaller-format movie theaters has been growing at time when larger chain multiplexes are closing locations — AMC has closed over 200 theaters since 2020. Smaller, unique venues that are focused on high-quality experiences, events and screenings beyond blockbuster films seem to be the direction the industry is moving.  

Theaters rely on a steady cadence of new films to fill seats, though. And as studios cut back on the number of movies they release each year, operators need to get more revenue out of the films that are released — or cut costs. Smaller theaters, with their lower overhead,  may be better suited for the moment. 

Masher stewards this model and wants to foster the nostalgia these businesses provide, while keeping them financially viable. To him, it’s a straightforward mission. 

“I’m an old softie at heart, and I like to preserve things that meant something to me when I was a kid ... that I think are significantly important to the culture and fabric of the area.”  

A passion for movie theaters 

Masher spent his early career at Loews Cineplex Entertainment, which later became AMC, before serving as chief operating officer of national chain Bow Tie Cinemas, where he helped grow the business from two theaters to 61. 

After Covid, Bow Tie sold off some locations and made Masher a partner in a spin-off management company. Eventually, Masher was able to buy out the other partners and changed the name to Scene One Entertainment.  

Masher started operating the Spectrum a little more than more than two years after it temporarily went dark under a previous operator. He recently acquired the real estate for it. 

The Spectrum, he says in his matter-of-fact way, is his baby.  

His passion is evident in memorabilia he’s saved — historic photos are roadmaps for an impromptu guided architectural tour, and signs from both the Third Street Theatre and the Spectrum are preserved in the recesses of the Delaware Avenue building.  

He knows the theater’s history by heart (it had the same owner as Third Street at one point, and Masher was there that first night it changed hands), but that’s to be expected from the former president of the board of directors of the National Theatre Historical Society of America.  

Since taking over the Spectrum, he’s brought back elements that made it special to him and the community: the lobby art gallery, the movie calendar, the homemade baked goods at the concession stand and, of the course, real butter on popcorn.  

Bringing the theater back to life wasn’t easy. When he took it over from Landmark Theatres in 2024, it required $70,000 in upgrades for projection and sound alone.  

And when no local bakeries would contract the production of the theater’s famous mint brownies, Masher’s partner took it on with a home baking license. 

“I loved coming here. I saw so many movies in this place and fostered my love for independent film,” he said. “They took everything that made the Spectrum special away ... it was basically booked by an algorithm.”  

Under Masher’s operation, the theater now serves 75,000 to 100,000 people per year, and it is profitable. His approach is to bring back the nostalgic experience that people miss, not just in the concessions, but in the programming by showing a mix of new titles, classics and independent films. 

The Spectrum’s opening night under Masher’s stewardship was the definition of a blockbuster — the community crowded into the lobby under the shining marquee to see showings of “Amelie,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Polyester” (complete with the Odorama card), among other titles.   

Even today, big movie debuts like “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Toy Story 5” still sell out showings at The Spectrum. But so do retro screenings. When director Rob Reiner died late last year, the theater sold out 13 showings of his movies, like “The Princess Bride,” which came out in 1987. 

Masher said the personal attention to programming and booking as many events as possible are what make his theaters stand out. 

It’s also how the bottom line is bolstered. Studios take larger cuts of ticket revenue for newer titles. And throwback screenings are resonating with audiences nationwide — last year, the 50th anniversary re-release of “Jaws” was the second-highest grossing film over Labor Day weekend with $8.2 million in sales.  

“While I do play Hollywood movies here, I also am very, very heavily focused on independent cinema,” Masher said. “That seems to work for us. That has been the secret to our success. That and our retro series is very, very, very strong.” 

Scene One’s success has helped finance its growth. Masher recently added the Greenville Drive-in, the Market Arcade in Buffalo and the New Canaan Playhouse in Connecticut to his operating portfolio.  

His strategy is to go after theaters that are already profitable, often from operators that are looking to retire.  

He’s currently in talks for two acquisitions, one for a chain with nine theaters and another with four. He said the deals would allow him to build a larger in-house support team to help run daily operations.   

“Coming out of the pandemic and all the woes of the industry that we faced with streaming and everything, locations that have emerged successful are obviously desirable,” he said.

A push to preserve playland 

The business of nostalgia extends beyond movie theaters for Masher.In 2023, his company bought Huck Finn’s Playland, a kids amusement park that’s operated in the region for 75 years, formerly as Hoffman’s Playland.  

It was another place Masher went as a kid – he recalls going there with his grandfather, being terrified of the little Ferris wheel, and how much he loved the helicopter ride.   

“I remember when the big Ferris wheel got added to Hoffman’s back in the day,” he said, walking through the park. He pointed across the property. “That’s the first roller coaster I ever rode back there.” 

And it’s a place that Masher still loves to be, just like the movies. 

“It’s a joy to be here,” he said. “I love spending time here. I do a lot of theater meetings from here. If I’m selling tickets, I’ll just jump in the back room and jump on Zoom if I have to.” 

But running the Playland comes at a steep price.  The park has high insurance and its vintage rides are expensive to maintain. Replacement of the bearings on the 1952 Allan Herschell Company Carousel required them to be made in the original molds. It cost $12,500. 

The park is also combating summer seasons that keep getting hotter and more temperamental.

Attendance is heavily weather dependent.  

“I do not want to be the person to see that park go away. It meant a lot to me as a kid. I see little kids get on the rides, and I see myself on them, 50 years ago, 55 years ago, and I want to be sure to preserve that for the Capital Region’s children,” he said. “We are bound and determined to see it through.” 

The park — and Masher — are now at a crossroads. To make the playland financially viable, it has to grow to include more rides for older kids, which means more patrons. He’s considering joining forces with another ride operator to expand the park’s offerings. 

But to grow, it likely has to move.  

The playland’s current site on Erie Boulevard in Albany is listed for sale. It’s owned by the Sperber family, which formerly owned the park and furniture store Huck Finn’s Warehouse & More next door.  

Masher is exploring possible paths forward. He’d like to move the park to a more accessible location with more traffic. The current location used to get cross traffic from the furniture store, but now that the building has been converted to apartments, it’s not as fruitful.   

“We’re looking for a spot to preserve it in perpetuity,” Masher said. “I fully think that it’s a viable enterprise if it’s in the right spot, and this was the right spot when it moved here.” 

Masher is committed to keeping the memories Playland creates alive – even when the unexpected happens. Once, a group of 187 school children and their parents pulled up to the closed park, thinking they had an online booking. Masher happened to be there in a suit before a trip to New York City and his employees were working on ride repairs, but they managed to open the park for them.  

Masher called on his partner to open the concessions and a childhood friend dropped everything to help run the park that day. To him, there was no choice but to open.  

“You cannot let the kids down,” he said.  

He just wants to get the operation stable enough to survive.  

“I’d be happy with breakeven. Breakeven would be good.” 

The next act  

Masher has worked to preserve his nostalgic endeavors, but there are forces making it even more challenging.  

Studio mergers have a direct impact on theaters because they often mean fewer movies each year. Masher is watching what happens with Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

“I have to believe what they say, that they’re going to put out 30 titles a year between the two studios. I just hope that that’s true and continues,” he said. 

Getting butts in seats in the age of streaming services can also be tough because movie marketing efforts aren’t what they used to be either. There aren’t as many commercials or reviews, Masher said.  

He’s determined to find ways to make the dream work. He takes advantage of Netflix releasing movies to theaters two to four weeks before they go to streaming and people still show up. Showings of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” “Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man” and “Train Dreams” packed the Spectrum.  

And Masher has plans to reinvest in the Spectrum, with new seats, an expanded lobby and bar, and a restored stage for Q&A events. In Schenectady, he wants to upgrade Movieland with full recliners and a stronger bar for an adult-focused, premium experience.  

He has also put together a team around him that will help carry his vision into the future. His partner, who is 11 years younger, joined the business, and many of Masher’s managers are former co-workers from other theaters. 

Even so, Masher said he wishes he was 30 years younger.  

“I don’t plan on retiring ever. I love working and love what I do,” he said. “I just hope that it provides me with the means to keep it going.”  

Masher’s Portfolio 

Total footprint: 10 theaters(6 owned,4 managed or leased) 

Managed locations:

• Greenville Drive-In, Greene County (via lease)

• Manhattan, NY 

• Richmond, VA 

• Aspen, CO 

Owned locations: 

• Albany (Spectrum)

• Schenectady (Movieland)

• Wilton Mall

• Buffalo

• Guilford, NH 

• New Canaan, CT