While corporate movie theater chains have struggled to stay afloat due to COVID, local theaters like County Theater in Doylestown are thriving, thanks to last summer’s ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY.  

The trend of moviegoers attending a Barbie and Oppenheimer double feature this summer wasn’t enough to revive dying chains like Regal or AMC, but it allowed smaller venues to persist.  

Chris Collier, executive director of Renew Theaters, which operates County Theater in Doylestown, says that this phenomenon brought people back to the cinema. In 2023, The County Theater attained its highest-grossing box office with Barbie as the number one movie. 

The parent company Renew raked in over $100,000. Collier credits the theaters’ donors and members who continue to support the local chain for its success.  

Read more about Doylestown’s County Theater’s lucrative year in WHYY.  

‘Barbenheimer’ is the double-feature no one saw coming