Last month Harbor Theater offered the first of its community free and subsidized films for 2017-18.

Just over 100 local residents attended Harbor Theater’s first free quarterly community movie – the classic Christmas film “Home Alone”– on Thursday night and Saturday matinee Dec. 14 and 16.

The following Thursday, Dec. 21, 260 school children and teachers saw “Wonder” in two showings at 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. – to complement the children’s current reading of “Wonder” as part of their English curriculum at Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES) and Southport School.

The theater dropped its ticket price to $6 for children and adults. The schools and BRES PTO contributed toward the cost of film rental and theater operation. ‘We hope to do this several times in 2018 and are working with school principals, PTOs and potential sponsors,” Helen Meserve, theater program director said last weekend.

“As for free movies, we plan to offer one to the community every quarter,” Meserve said.  “This is as a thank you for the generous support residents and patrons have offered during our first three months of operations, including 230 memberships, more than $80,000 in donations and 1,750 tickets purchased to date.”

The next “free” movie will be “Only the Brave” about the famous wildfire firefighters in Colorado called Granite Mountain Hotshots, on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Area volunteer firemen and their families will be admitted free of charge. The public is encouraged to attend to honor our fire fighters (tickets at regular prices will help defray film rental and operating costs).

The film, which stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly, also runs on Friday, Jan. 19, 2 p.m.