Wing Theatre: Keeping the big screen in a small town

Cinema | July 15th, 2025

By Sabrina Hornung

Photo by Sabrina Hornung

Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high school marks the end of Main with six smiling senior portraits affixed to the building. It’s a quiet community with a few small businesses in town, including the staples such as a bar and a cafe.

One that particularly caught my eye was the movie theatre, which is housed in a modest false front building. There’s no flashy marquee. But there is a small sign that reads “Wing Theatre” with a faded Coco-Cola logo next to it.

“I tried to find when it was built,” said Wing mayor and projectionist Julie Hein, who shares the manager title with her daughter. “It used to be called the Wing Opera House. I have some pictures from the 30s.The theater itself started in the 40s. They brought a building in from Souris, an actual theater was brought in two pieces in the middle of the winter. In ‘81 they couldn't get it insured anymore, so they closed that theater, and they moved everything over into the building it's in now.”

Julie Hein has been involved with the theatre since 2012, which was around the time the movie industry was transitioning to all-digital technology. This was a moment when many small theatres nationwide were holding their breaths to see what their futures would hold.

“In 2012 the guy that was running the theatre didn't want to have to deal with going digital, so a few people and I decided we needed to keep the theater going,” explained Hein. “So we just kind of reorganized and got a loan to get the digital projector and surround sound. And I've been doing it ever since.”

“At the beginning, it was good, because you were able to get better quality,” she went on to say. “Then COVID hit and streaming…that's really what's hurt us.You know, everybody can watch it on TV, so why come into town? Transportation to Bismarck is easier now than it used to be in the 80s and 90s, when I was a kid. So people just go to Bismarck now. We struggle to keep going. But we manage it somehow.”

One way the theatre manages to keep its doors open is through sponsorship. Letters are sent out at the beginning of the year and for a mere $250 individuals or organizations can sponsor first run films.

In addition, the theatre also does private showings. The end goal is to cover shipping and additional expenses. Tickets and concessions are handled by volunteers. Here you can still buy a bag of popcorn for a dollar — or at least get a soda, popcorn and candy for $4.50.

The movie hall is a community living room, a social space where moviegoers can experience and share emotion. Some showings are packed, while others can be a bit sparse, depending on the weather or what’s going on in the area. When Hein operates the projector, she’ll stay and watch the movie, even if all the attendees could fit in one church pew; after all, the show must go on.

The building is owned by the city, while the movie theatre is owned and operated by the Wing Booster Club. The seating is all donated, with chairs donated from Farm Credit Services supplemented by a number of church pews that were donated when one of the local churches closed its doors.

That’s not the only local touch; the ceiling of the lobby is embellished with repurposed North Dakota license plates, thanks to Hein. She’s been painting and slowly updating the theatre interior, but mentions that the roof and foundation could use some work too. Hein laughed and added that, even though it’s owned by the city, the mayor (that’d be her) doesn’t have enough pull to get the $26,000 needed to shingle the theatre. But she’s hopeful that the theatre can raise the necessary funds.

If you or your organization is interested in donating, sponsoring a movie, or reserving the theatre, contact Julie Hein at 701-220-3117.

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

https://wingtheatre.weebly.com/