‘I always wanted to own the movie theatre’ Flicks Cinema enters sixth decade as Stonewall amenity with new energy, new ownership By: Aaron Epp Posted: 7:49 PM CST Friday, Jan. 2, 2026

STONEWALL — Ever since Vince Levenec and his family purchased a movie theatre, he’s gotten used to hearing about patrons’ early romantic encounters.

“Everybody says, ‘That’s where I sat when I had my first kiss,’” Levenec said. “Everybody in town comes in and has that story about the Flicks Cinema.”

Opened in 1975, the single-screen, 200-seat theatre served moviegoers in Stonewall for nearly 50 years before closing its doors in December 2024. When longtime owner Don Smith put the building up for sale last summer, Levenec and wife, Amanda Van Solkema were immediately interested.

Van Solkema grew up in Stonewall, and seeing movies at Flicks Cinema has been a key part of her experience in the bedroom community roughly 25 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Around 15 years ago, Smith was thinking about selling the theatre, Van Solkema said, and she asked him about it.

“I always wanted to own the movie theatre,” she said. “It was always in the back of my mind.”

Together with Levenec’s eldest sons, Griffin Levenec and Barrett Levenec, the family bought the theatre for $420,000.

After taking possession at the end of August, they worked around the clock to renovate the theatre in time for a mid-September opening. They updated the entrance and concession area, and replaced the peach paint job that had covered the walls for more than 40 years with shades of grey and burgundy.

Patrons got their first taste of the new Flicks when it reopened to the public on Sept. 19. The latest Superman reboot was the first film shown. The Long Walk, a dystopian survival thriller filmed partially in Stonewall among other Manitoba locations, screened the following week.

Operating a movie theatre in 2026 is hardly a licence to print money, as attendance remains below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. A 2024 study released by the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors found 60 per cent of independent film exhibitors operated at a loss at the end of their most recent fiscal year.

The Flicks Cinema’s new owners are aware of the financial realities, and operate the theatre in addition to their day jobs. Vince Levenec owns a full-service elevator company; Van Solkema is an accountant; Griffin Levenec installs sheet metal; and Barrett Levenec works in the mining industry.

For Vince Levenec, getting the theatre back up and running was a matter of civic pride.

“When you start losing stuff like this … everybody just goes to the city and all the businesses start suffering, right?” he said. “That’s my view, is that you’ve got to keep these things.”

Stonewall has 5,000 residents, according to the 2021 census. While many work in Winnipeg, Mayor Sandra Smith said, the town’s council is working to ensure Stonewall is an attractive community to spend time in once they get home from work. Amenities like a movie theatre are important.

“It’s always been here, and it’s just one of those (places) where friends and family can go and meet,” Smith said of Flicks. “I can’t even tell you how happy we were, especially council, that somebody came in and (bought it).”

Robert Price-Lewis, president of the Stonewall & District Chamber of Commerce, noted the theatre’s location at 319 First St. E. puts it on the same street as both a golf simulator lounge and a bowling alley.

“The whole strip is basically entertainment,” Price-Lewis said. “For a growing town like Stonewall, it’s these sorts of things that are not just conveniences, but things that people would hope to have in their town, and things that draw people to our town from the surrounding areas.”

The theatre happened to make headlines across the country last month, just as Van Solkema and the Levenecs were trying to think of ways to advertise Flicks as an option to movie-going Winnipeggers.

American actor Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Fargo, Your Friends & Neighbors) visited for a Sunday evening screening of The Running Man, joined by actors Johnny Pemberton (Superstore, Fallout) and Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell, Cobra Kai). The visit caught the attention of various media outlets after Griffin Levenec posted a photo online of himself with the trio, who were in Manitoba working on upcoming projects.

Griffin almost didn’t post the photo. “And then the next day I wake up and there’s like four email interview requests,” he said.

Beyond the serendipitous celebrity endorsement, the family is working on a few initiatives to increase revenue, including making the theatre available to rent for public functions, as well as hosting birthday parties and special events.

They also have plans to replace the first two rows of seats with a stage so the theatre can double as a live performance venue.

While the owners aren’t drawing salaries from the theatre, it employs a handful of Stonewall residents part-time, including Levenec’s and Van Solkema’s youngest children. The couple hopes working at the theatre will teach their 16-year-old sons about everything involved with running a business.

It’s also an opportunity for the family to have fun together while interacting with community members, who are usually in good spirits when they walk through the doors.

“Everybody’s just so happy to come to the theatre,” Vince Levenec said.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca