MAKING THE MOVE TO 4K: The Princeton Garden Theatre recently concluded a successful fundraising effort to acquire a new digital 4K projector. Industry standards made more than a decade ago have required theaters to make this upgrade. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Garden Theatre)

By Matthew Hersh

The Princeton Garden Theatre is a staple in downtown Princeton. Once the “garden” of the Bainbridge House next door, its presence in town has provided a consistent movie-going experience unavailable in most downtowns.

But with multiplexes and highway destinations commonplace for decades, how does the Garden do it? Hint: it’s not just through market forces and consistent ticket sales, although that has something to do with it. The Garden, an independent, nonprofit, 501(c)3 cultural institution “dedicated to presenting the finest indie, international, documentary, and classic films, series, and educational programs” also relies on community support and fundraising.

Recently, the Garden completed a successful fundraiser to acquire a new digital 4K projector with a price tag of $270,500. In 2013, theaters nationwide made the mandatory switch to digital projection. The Garden’s 2K projectors, which typically have a lifespan of about 10 years, were 12 years old and showing their age. To ensure that they could continue presenting the latest releases and newly-restored classics, launching a fundraiser for new equipment was imperative to the theater’s operations.

“It was critical that we replace our aging equipment and upgrade to 4K projection. We’ve been hoping to do this for quite a while after the industry made us convert from 35mm to full digital projectors,” said Chris Collier, Garden Theatre executive director. “We needed to buy those projectors in order to keep showing movies.”

Collier noted that the old projects served their purpose, albeit “a little undersized,” but the 2K resolution limited the quality and even the availability of some films. “2K is standard, but 4K resolution is more equivalent to what you’d see in a 35mm film and it’s what a lot of the new restoration and classic films are being presented in,” he said.

The Garden has long eyed these upgrades as standard maintenance, but the pandemic delayed improvements while the theater was shuttered for 15 months. Once the Garden reopened in 2021, Collier said it took time to rebuild a general audience and reestablish general operating flow before he could prioritize projector upgrades.

The good news is that general attendance is up. The Garden’s ticket sales have increased 15 percent over last year. “It’s been really nice to have a good pipeline of movies again and also a really great community in support,” said Collier.

“It’s really taken us those years since opening to rebuild,” he added.

In addition to community support, Garden Theatre Community Director Annie Pasqua pointed out that other entities that have helped support the Garden. The theater received a $6,000 Mercer Country Cultural Heritage Commission FY26 grant to help provide special programming support, separate from the projector effort.

“As Mercer County’s oldest operating, and only independent movie theater, the Garden is a treasured institution in our community and a longstanding recipient of the Local Arts Program Regrant,” said Mercer County Executive Dan Benson. “I want to thank the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Mercer County Division of Culture and Heritage for their work, and I’m proud we can continue to support local organizations which foster art and culture in our county.”

While the full fundraising goal was $270,500, Collier said previous donor engagement gave the Garden a $155,000 leg up on reaching its goals thanks to donations and gifts. Once the campaign launched on November 1, it took roughly six weeks to complete raising the additional $115,000, mostly from individual contributions at an average of $100. “We’ve received several amazing, large donations, but the majority of our fundraising, and by majority I mean 97 percent, comes from individual donors,” said Collier.

New projectors are just the beginning when it comes to how community theaters must keep up in an evolving industry. “Movies were shown on a 35mm gauge from the 1890s to 2013, but the new projectors we have are computers, per industry standard,” he said.

But the Garden continues to maintain its earliest projectors, boasting a 1920s-era projector in the theater lobby. “We can actually still show movies on that, and it’s mechanical, so it’s like maintaining an old car,” Collier said.

For 2026, the Garden will work to raise $150,000 to restore 35mm film projection. They note, “For over a century, movies were shown on film. We’re proud to have two 35mm/16mm projectors in our booth anxiously waiting to be brought back to life. With your help, we can install them properly and acquire the specialized lenses needed for projection.”

“It’s really great to be serving the Princeton community and having so many people come out and enjoy the theater!” said Collier.

For more information on the Garden Theatre and its fundraising efforts, go to princetongardentheatre.org.