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Georgetown movie theater hopes to reopen in July. Here's what will be new
It should not be long before the Theatres of Georgetown reopens its doors to Scott County moviegoers.
On Monday, the local cinema announced it would temporarily close while the theater switches to new ownership. The theater, at 401 Outlet Center Drive, in the Factory Stores of America outlet mall in Georgetown, was purchased by Republic Theatres, which owns eight other theaters in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
The company, based in Loveland, Ohio, also owns Franklin Square Cinema in Frankfort. Anthony Bryson operates the company with his father, Mitch Bryson.
Bryson said Republic Theatres specializes in small-market, affordable movie theaters, and its mission is to keep those cinemas alive.
'We've been able to maintain and keep a lot of rural locations open,' Bryson said. 'Being able to give a small town an affordable option for movies just makes it a slam dunk for Georgetown and Republic Theatres.'
Bryson hopes to reopen Theatres of Georgetown will reopen in early July. The opening date will depend on external factors, a health inspection and some remodeling projects.
The company plans to improve the cinema's seating, give it a new coat of paint and add a self-service drinking fountain and ICEE products. One of the cinema's seven auditoriums is also down because of a projector issue, and Bryson hopes to have that theater open in a few months.
'Our goal is to get the doors open as quickly as we can, not to disrupt the cinema, and then slowly go through and make updates over the next six months roughly,' Bryson said.
Bryson said the updates and improvements will cause the prices of some products to increase, while prices for some other items will decrease. Under previous ownership, movie tickets for people between 11 to 61 years old were $8 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday showings after 5:30 p.m., $7 for seniors 62 and older and $6 for kids between 1 to 11 years old.
The company also plans to have multiple promotions, including a special on Tuesdays where tickets for all movies, all day long, are $5 for all ages.
'We want something that is going to be affordable, clean and a fun friendly environment for families to be able to go see a first-run movie,' Bryson said. 'We'll be doing updates, but our plan isn't to go in and try to find a way to put in major, large IMAX screens or large recliner chairs everywhere. If we did that, we wouldn't be able to keep it affordable for everybody.'
Bryson also hopes to retain the staff who previously worked at the cinema.
'Since we're trying to reopen as quickly as possible, our hope is that the majority of staff are going to want to stick around,' Bryson said.
One staff member who won't be staying with the cinema is Dana Jones, who has worked for the theater for more than 20 years. Jones has decided to retire, but she plans to help Republic Theatres during its transitional period with the cinema.
Jones began working the concession stand at Theatres of Georgetown in 2001. She quickly moved into a management position in 2002 and held that job for five years before taking an assistant manager job with Regal.
In 2009, Jones was approached by Roaden Enterprises after they purchased Theatres of Georgetown to see if she'd come back to work for the cinema as general manager. She took the job and has been there ever since.
Jones' final day of work was Thursday, the final day it was open before beginning the transitional period. She said some of her favorite memories at the theater were canned food and coat drives during the holiday season, fun promotions and wearing costumes associated with movies.
'We just tried to have fun with the customers and enjoy the work environment,' Jones said.
A promotion Jones can vividly remember is when the cinema premiered 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' in 2011. The cinema had two midnight showings and a huge line of Harry Potter fans lined up outside the door.
Members of Jones' staff dressed up as characters from the popular movie series and staged a pretend battle before the showings.
'We did that in both theaters, and the theater just went wild,' Jones said.
Jones said some of her favorite parts about her job were the fluidity of the movie theater business and working with younger colleagues.
'Working with the kids has kept me feeling younger, and I think it kept me younger for years,' Jones said.
Jones is pleased that she gets to help Republic Theatres as it takes control of the cinema. She likes the leaders of the company based on first impressions and thinks they will do a good job.
'They seem very nice, very hometown type of people, which is what this theater has always been,' Jones said. 'I'm really pleased (with) the company that purchased it.'
