Last week the Herald reported that Austin’s movie theater, CineMagic 7, was upgrading its projectors from analog film to digital and 3D digital. As the theater is investing in Austin, residents should return the favor and patronize it instead of driving out of town to watch the newest releases.

While the motion picture industry is pushing this and all theaters’ hands — most major motion picture companies will stop releasing movies in film and switch entirely to digital by the end of 2013, which means if a theater doesn’t have the funds to convert, it will be out of business — the move is nonetheless a huge investment in Austin. The company has said previously each projector costs around $75,000, and according to the Associated Press, most theaters have found this large investment does not translate into more movie goers, especially as more Americans are staying home and using on-demand movie streaming services.

A few days before CineMagic switched to digital, Oak Park Mall’s only two restaurants closed, with the Ole Barn BBQ citing a lack of business as the reason. While the theater may be faring better than the mall’s restaurants were, it can’t continue without Austin’s support.