He purchased the movie house in 1984; it began his Coming Attractions Theatres chain and became home to the Ashland Independent Film Festival
By Jim Flint for Ashland.news
John Compton Schweiger, a former Ashland businessman who built a chain of movie theaters across small and mid-sized towns in the West, bringing big-screen entertainment to communities far from the multiplex sprawl, died July 30 at his home in La Fayette, Georgia. He was 81. He died of natural causes, his family said.
Schweiger was the founder and longtime chief executive of Coming Attractions Theatres. He began the company in 1984 when he bought and renovated the historic Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland. From that single-screen landmark, he expanded into a 19-theater circuit spread across Oregon, Washington, California and Alaska, creating venues that, for many residents, became central gathering places.
Bought struggling theater
A former business broker and real estate agent, Schweiger entered the theater business almost by accident. He was one of four owners of the Los Angeles-based National Business Brokers company when he moved to Ashland in the mid-1980s. Spotting potential in the struggling Varsity, he purchased the building, refurbished it and reopened it as both a commercial cinema and the home of the Ashland Independent Film Festival.
That project led to a decades-long expansion. His theaters were often located in underserved markets, places where moviegoing had long been limited to aging single-screen houses or not available at all.
“A few weeks after we opened,” he once recalled of his first Ashland project, “the center was full. I knew we’d be a draw.”
The COVID-19 pandemic proved a devastating blow. At the height of lockdowns, all but two of his theaters — in Wasilla and Kenai, Alaska — were forced to close. The Varsity closed temporarily. In 2021, the company lost the lease on the Ashland Street Cinema, a six-screen complex, after falling behind on rent. Still, Schweiger predicted that movie theaters would rebound, just as they had survived television, videotapes and streaming.
Schweiger was born July 16, 1944, in Richmond, Indiana, to Elva Pearl Compton and Edward Joseph Schweiger Sr. He attended Kansas State University, intending to become a veterinarian. But after starting a family, he shifted to sales work, including a stint with French’s Foods. Then he entered into business brokerage and real estate.
Active in civic life
Beyond business, he was deeply involved in civic life. He was a member of the Raiders Association, Rotary International, and Temple Emek Shalom. He was an honorary member of the Elks and a benefactor to local school and college sports programs. Colleagues described him as both a shrewd entrepreneur and a generous neighbor.
He also pursued personal passions with enthusiasm — golf, fishing and collecting movie memorabilia and Browning firearms.
Schweiger is survived by his life partner, Jane Farrell; daughters Natalie, Monica and Tara; nine grandchildren; and a nephew.
A memorial service was held Aug. 9 at Litwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home in Ashland, followed by a reception at the Varsity Theatre.
In a statement, the Varsity’s managers called Schweiger “a true visionary and the heart of our organization.” His theaters, they said, “were more than places to see a film, they were places to come together.”
Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].
