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dios and distributors, and doesn't scratch as traditional film will. The switch means theater owners must buy new projection equipment, computers and a sound system.
• Film studio 20th Century Fox has said it will phase out 35 mm film altogether by the end of 2013, and other production companies are expected to follow suit. Traditional film is expected to vanish over the next few years, despite the upcoming U.S. release of "The Master," which was shot with the rare but much higher definition 70 mm film.
• Big chains can afford the digital transition, which can be cheaper when buying in bulk for multiscreen theaters. But those who own smaller theaters with one or two screens typically must take out a bank loan to pay for the equipment.
• A film industry program can refund up to 80 percent of the cost to theater owners, but the payments are made gradually through fees based on the number of movies shown. To qualify for the help, theaters must have certain profit levels and show a minimum number of films, leaving many small operators without help.
• Some small, independent theaters created a cooperative, the Cinema Buying Group, to pool their resources and participate in the industry program, but the cooperative also required a review of each theater's financial strength and other factors. Many of the smallest theaters didn't qualify or were hesitant to join.
• Patrick Corcoran, a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners, said costs of converting to digital average around $70,000 per screen. About 60 percent of the nation's 5,750 theaters have switched to all-digital equipment, he said.
• The switch to digital began with the 1999 release of "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," and accelerated with such computer animated films as Disney's "Chicken Little" and the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster, "Avatar," Corcoran said.
• "In some markets, it's going to be a tough climb," he said. "But if you want to be in business as a first-run movie theater, you have to go digital."
• Reeves, 46, who also is an insurance manager, said he only paid about $100,000 for the entire Isis Theater and never intended to make money from the operation. A good month brings about a $600 profit, he said, and most of that is spent on electrical fixes, carpet cleaning and other maintenance.
• In Onarga, Ill., a city of 1,300 about 80 miles south of Chicago, Randy Lizzio is struggling to save his 75-year-old, single-screen Onarga Theater.
• Lizzio launched a fundraising drive, including a dinner and auction with a local Mexican restaurant in a park, but after five months he has raised just $8,500 of the $65,000 he needs.
• "The window is just about closed for us," Lizzio said. "... It's really tough for sin

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