The Selma City Council approved the renewal of the contract between the city and the Selma Walton Theater and the contract was further amended Tuesday.

To help the Selma Walton Theater through difficulties and to stay afloat in tough economic times, the council voted to approve that the building fee being paid to the city by the theater’s owners be reduced.

“It is good for our city to have a movie theater, everyone wants to have one in our city,” Mayor George Evans said in the council meeting. “In Selma they love their movie theaters and they love their churches — those are two things they love.”

Evans encouraged the council to amend the contract to stipulate that owners Sharon and David Jackson only have to pay $500 a month to the city rather than the $1,000 they had been paying.

“We are at the junction now where it is time to renew their contract,” Evans said. “It has not done what we hoped it would do, but it has made money.”

Evans said the theater has made the city more than $10,000 since its doors opened in January 2011.

The council also amended the contract to where both parties involved can opt out at any time of the contract, so long as a six-day notice is given prior. Also the contract is now on a yearly basis instead of monthly.

“We all want a movie theater, however the attendance has not been as expected,” Evans said.

Attendance, whether high or low in a theater, determines what types of movies are granted to the theater. Because of the Selma Walton’s lower than the national average turnout, movie production companies realize that low attendance equals a low box office rating in the movie debut, thus making their movie fare worse. The movie “Flight,” starring Denzel Washington was denied at the Selma Walton because of this very reason according to Evans.

Evans listed movies the Selma Walton has had including: “Red Tails,” “Good Deeds,” “Hunger Games,” “Think Like A Man,” “The Avengers,” “Men in Black 3,” “Madagascar,” “Brave,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” and “Sparkle.”

“These are good movies, good sound system, good popcorn and candy and I just hope 2013 will be a better year for attendance of the movie theater,” Evans said.