"Now I know the theater definitely works," says Ira Miller, with a smile. As the owner, managing partner and film buyer of The Rotunda Cinemas (711 W. 40th St.), Miller has been basking in the box-office success of his two current attractions, "New Moon" and "The Blind Side."

Tom Kiefaber ceased operating the Rotunda Cinematheque in late March to concentrate on his efforts to save the Senator Theatre. Ever since Miller reopened the twin theater on May 15 as The Rotunda Cinemas, he's done well with many of his selections, including his debut attraction, "Angels & Demons," and the Michael Jackson performance documentary, "This Is It."

But, Miller says, "the thing about this theater is we usually only did good with one side. Both sides never clicked until we played 'New Moon' and 'The Blind Side.' "

A 43-year veteran of the film business, Miller says, "You've got to know your theater." And he practices what he preaches: "I come here every Friday and Saturday night, and watch the people come in. I have to see my audience." He's found that this audience hasn't changed since his first stint at the Rotunda, which he helped open in 1974 with the cult anti-war comedy "King of Hearts" and the blockbuster of blockbusters, "Gone With the Wind."

Then as now, he drew students from Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Notre Dame and Towson, and older crowds and family audiences "from Roland Park, Guilford, Mount Washington, Cross Keys and Hampden, though not as much as I expected from Hampden."

The with-it audience might gravitate to "New Moon," the parents and kids to "The Blind Side." But hits of this size generate crossover attendance. "Look at 'New Moon,' " Miller says. "The want-to-see on that movie was great. Let's see what happens the third week, or if there's a fourth or fifth week to that picture. With the word of mouth on 'The Blind Side,' that movie could have 'legs.' We always used to look at whether a picture had 'legs.' "

When seasoned theater operators like Miller use the word "legs," they're not referring to Sandra Bullock's gams but to a film's ability to stand up to the competition week after week. The concept of "legs" has come close to extinction in the era of super-broad openings and megaplexes. But it was all-important during Miller's tenure as advertising chief and head film buyer for the old JF Theaters chain, the jobs he had when he cut the ribbon for the Rotunda theaters 35 years ago.

Exhibitors then had to gauge the entertainment value of a picture and how it fit the personality of a theater. "I always thought I had the advantage over people from General Cinema and AMC and UA, the big chains in New York, because I was in Baltimore." says Miller. So he knew to play "The Exorcist" exclusively at a showplace like the Tower and cutting-edge 1960s-'70s films such as "Midnight Cowboy" or "Dog Day Afternoon" at the artsier Charles.

Before megaplexes conquered the theatrical landscape and movie studios morphed "audience tracking" into a computerized science, exhibitors could experience a creative thrill from bringing the right film to the ideal viewership. Before saturation booking and advertising made opening-weekend grosses dominate a film's theatrical life, exhibitors could earn a sense of satisfaction from holding a film like "King of Hearts" for weeks at a cozy spot like the Rotunda - and still turning a profit.

"It was a mecca here," Miller says. "And the mall at the Rotunda - it was filled with stores." Miller says it can be that way again, for the shopping center and the cinemas. "I'm very pro-Rotunda mall. And we're going to make a lot of improvements to the Rotunda Cinemas. We hope before May of next year we'll be adding a third screen. We're possibly going to put a coffee bar in here; we're going to try to get a wine and beer license. We're thinking of putting 3D and digital in here. We'll probably put a room for events and parties behind that third screen. When Tom [Kiefaber] took over in 2001 or 2002, he made the rows wider and deeper. People really like it here for comfort. They come here, they feel at home. It's a very nice, great experience. People thank me for reopening the theater."

Miller, who grew up in Pimlico, started out with JF Theaters in 1967. He also worked as the D.C. sales manager for American International Pictures, and for the Maryland-based World Fare and Durkees chains, before becoming a vice president of marketing, operations and exhibitor relations for MGM.

That New York job sent him traveling across the country from 1985 to 2000. And Miller loved MGM. But he has a special fondness for the decades he logged getting hands-on experience in Baltimore. He still boasts of competing with New York and Chicago theaters to rack up the biggest grosses for blaxploitation films such as "Shaft," "The Mack" and "Super Fly." Every time a new Shaft or Slaughter flick opened, he would bring 20 minutes' worth of trailers of the next blaxploitation batch to the theater, then judge the audience response to them. He still chuckles at the advantage his home knowledge gave him when he booked "The Frisco Kid," a comedy with Gene Wilder as a frontier rabbi and Harrison Ford as his cowboy pal, into the Pikes. "It wouldn't have done as well in Dundalk."

Several years ago, Miller moved back to the Baltimore area so his wife could be closer to her parents' swimwear business, Cy's of Catonsville. In 2008, Miller teamed up with Steve Geppi on the Diamond Cinemas Westview, a reopening of the nine screens at the Westview mall in Catonsville that had closed in 2005. The venture lasted only a few months. "The landlord didn't want to fix the heating," Miller says, "and did want us to increase the lease, and we didn't know what kind of business we'd be doing - we were only open three months when we had to make a decision. We were there six months, we did pretty well, the neighborhood embraced it and we felt really bad when it closed."

Miller has fared better as part owner and film buyer of the Beltway Movies 6 in Fullerton: "People love that theater. Basically, it's the only discount theater in town. We do great with kids' movies there. Families love it because they can afford it. They can wait a little bit for a film to be second-run, and bring the whole family and afford it. We only charge $3 until 6 o'clock and $4 afterward." He filled his screens with family fare for Thanksgiving weekend, including "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Astroboy" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

At the Rotunda, seats are $6 before 6 p.m., and stay that price for seniors and college students all day. Miller will be playing "Sherlock Holmes" there for Christmas. His other attractions may depend on just how far he can extend the run of "The Blind Side" on its phenomenal word of mouth. With his years of service in distribution and exhibition and the good relationships he's fostered along the way, including his continuing stint as vice president of the national movie-charity organization the Motion Picture Club, Miller is confident he can bring the cinemas into a new era of growth. "If you have the right location and market it properly, you can do well with a twin-, a triple- or a four-plex."

He's enthusiastic about plans for a new Rotunda mall across the parking lot that would include a multiplex for Miller - "that would make me the happiest man in town!" But he'd insist on keeping his twin in the old mall. "I'm here five or six times a week. I want to get a feeling for what can I do different - better! - and make a difference in the community. The merchants give you ideas you never thought of. Someone said it would be great to have another sign outside [the box office], and I never thought of that. If I learn something every day, I feel ahead of the game. When I come here on weekends, there's a very friendly feeling. People like the neatness and the comfort of the theater, and the parking, and the merchants are pleased."