By Dennis Volkert
Strand Theater in Sturgis ceased operation on Dec. 31, 2025, and is on the market.
It brings the end of an era, and an uncertain transition for Eriz Saitz, third-generation owner.
For now, one immediate project is auctioning the theater’s memorabilia, including a significant collection of movie posters, promotional items and vintage film reels.
The Saitz family acquired the property in 1962. The family entered the movie business in 1949 in Berrien Springs, later expanding to other locations, including Bronson and Paw Paw.
Following in footsteps of his grandfather and father, Eric became professionally involved with the theater in the early 1980s.
He recently spoke with Sturgis Sentinel and discussed memories, historic trends in the movie industry, and challenges and joys of the journey.
The peak era for Strand, and the theater business in general, probably cameduring the 1980s and 1990s, Saitz said. Even with the rise in home-video rental, movie houses had an upper hand.
“It just was part of culture to go to the movies and hang out, especially in the ‘80s,” he said. “At that time, it was almost a year before movies became available on video. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, that window was big. If you couldn’t get to a movie for its two-week run, you’d have to go somewhere else, or wait for the video release.”
It also was a time when multi-screen format began to proliferate. In 1986, Strand added a second viewing room. In 1992, it expanded to three, and added a fourth in 1996.
Over the following decade, attendance at smaller venues like Strand began to wane, but it didn’t happen overnight.
“I’ve been in the business since 1983. I noticed it started to dwindle around 2003 or 2004. You began to see something, but not so much you’d be too worried about it. Around 2008, during that time, there was a major turn.”
Then, the pandemic struck.
“The movie business has always had feast and famine, but after COVID, there was no more ‘feast,’” Saitz said.
Movie theaters were one of the first businesses forced to close, by state mandate. Strand’s closure came on March 16, 2020.
“That date is burned into my memory,” Saits said. “We weren’t going to put people at risk, and (theaters) couldn’t get many movies anyway.”
Adding to the situation came in July 2020, when AMC and Universal struck a deal to reduce the number of days between theater release and streaming release.
But a challenge can bring innovation. Not long after the forced closure, Strand began offering “Popcorn Night” sessions, in which patrons could purchase popcorn and candy curbside.
“We were trying to survive the best we could,” Saitz said.
The first day it was available, there was a line back to the post office, Saitz said, more than three blocks to the east.
“The main reason people came out was to show support,” Saitz said. “It was really touching.”
There had been intent for Strand to reopen in mid-July 2020, but it was delayed. In October, the state eased some restrictions, but even then, many major film releases were postponed. A new target was set for December, anticipating the Christmas-season premiere of “Wonder Woman 1984,” according to local media reports at the time.
Strand remained closed for 13 months, Saitz said.
Evolution of an industry
The final films featured at Strand before the 2025 closure were “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “David,” “The SpongeBob Movie” and “Zootopia 2.”
Two of those are sequels, and one adapted from a popular TV series.
It demonstrates how the movie industry has changed.
Until the release of “Jaws” in 1975, there were no bonafide blockbusters, Saitz said.
“I remember ‘Star Wars,’ that’s when the blockbuster took off. Then ‘E.T.,’ ‘Back to the Future.’”
By the late-1990s and early-2000s, “franchise” films and series began to become more common. “The Avengers” and “Harry Potter,” for example, were huge, Saitz said.
That level of popularity can have a ceiling, though, he said.
“There was fatigue people got from seeing the same thing. I’d often hear people say, ‘Hollywood doesn’t do anything original anymore.’ Maybe that’s part of what contributed (to decline).”
Even 20 years prior, that rarely was the case.
“‘E.T.’” is an example,” Saitz said. “You make a great movie, and you don’t do it again.”
Viewers might assume Oscar-winners would draw consistently high attendance, but that isn’t always the case, Saitz has noticed.
“It’s difficult for pictures of ‘substance’ to find an audience,” he said.
Unlike some small theaters toward the end of the 20th century, Strand did not offer VHS or CD rentals. That strategy was considered, Saitz said, but the expense required to acquire films on video did not justify it.
Saitz also reflected briefly on a nostalgic element of the movie-going experience: concession stand favorites. Although popcorn and soda are obvious staples, was there a noticeable change in popularity among treats?
“Taste went from chocolate to sour, over the decades,” he said. “When I was a kid, chocolate was almost the only thing … Hershey, Snickers.”
The most enduring: Goobers and M&M’s, he said.
Saitz said his taste in movies is similar to his taste in music.
“I like a little off-kilter, non-mainstream movies, like Quentin Tarantino films,” he said.
Knowing that, it may come as a surprise how his preferences have shifted.
“Now, I’m drawn almost to G-rated (films),” he said. “It doesn’t have the language, the violence.”
Although it’s Strand Theater’s final scene after more than six decades, Saitz remains optimistic.
“I’m not bitter,” Seitz said. “Sad, yes. But not bitter.”
To view partial inventory of original movie posters and collectibles available at Strand, visit www.strand4.com. Poster requests and questions may be directed to strand4poster@yahoo.com.