Photo: Chaiel Scaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
MILLBURY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Heads up if you need a place to watch the Pats on Sunday: a movie theater in Millbury has offered up its silver screen as a unique way to catch New England football for more than 20 years.
Owner Jim Perry bought the Elm Draught House Cinema back in the year 2000, and since the very beginning, he has shown all regular season and playoff Patriots games. The theater has been around in various forms since the 1930's.
Admission to watch the games is free, and you can just walk in. On top of that, concession prices are straight out of the 1980s: it only costs a dollar for things like popcorn, soda and water.
Elm Draught House Cinema is a one-room theater, meaning that those who are there on Sundays are there for one thing.
“We have one program on and it's the Patriots and everybody's here to watch the game,” Perry said. “I have some regulars that are here every single game. Whether the Pats are doing good or not, they're here.”
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Perry explained that attendance does fluctuate depending on how good the Patriots are doing any given year, which means this year has had more traffic.
“This year they've come alive again and so has my attendance at the theater,” he said.
He said the recent Verizon Fox blackout has also been a major factor for increased attendance toward the latter half of this season. For the wild card game, Perry said that he expects a crowd of around 200 people.
“It's good for every business in New England,” he said. “Every business thrives, not just mine. I'm just a unique way of watching the game.”
More information about the Elm Draught House Cinema can be found here.