Sunday night will be the last time to see movies at the Parsons Theatre, 210 N. 17th St., unless some alternate arrangement can be made.
Acme Cinema Inc. owns the theater and released a statement on the closing Wednesday afternoon and posted it on social media Thursday.
“We are extremely sad to report that the Parsons Theatre is closing. Our financial situation does not allow us to responsibly stay open. We want to thank all of our loyal customers and our community for your love and support. And a very special thank you to all of our employees throughout the years,” according to the statement from co-owners Lee and Diane Salyers.
The Salyers’ statement continued that the bottom line is that not enough people are coming to the movies in Parsons.
“The movie industry has changed drastically since we opened. We are proud to say we adapted as we could and survived as long as possible. We even rebuilt after a fire, a tornado and out-lasted a pandemic, but with plummeting box office numbers, population decline and the lure of watching from the comfort of home, it won’t be a natural disaster that ends our show.”
The Salyers’ statement says that movie theaters in the U.S. have been declining steadily for years, so Acme owners knew the closing of this theatre is more of the norm than an exception, “but that doesn’t make our hearts any less heavy.”
“This decision has been one we have struggled with. It did not come without a fight. We have sought buyers and hoped to find the right person to take over. It is clear an out-of-thebox solution is required. We are hopeful a creative plan may present itself in the future.
“We cherish what the theater has meant to us and our family, and we hope the people of Parsons will take a few laughs and tears from movies they’ve seen at this theatre into the future. We know, like many of you, our stories began and were written in Parsons. We want a healthy, thriving Parsons for many years to come. For now, it will have to be one without a theater,” the Salyers’ statement concludes. The Sun asked Jim Zaleski, the city of Parsons economic development director, if the city was doing anything to address the closing.
“The city will do what it can within its means to assist the theater in remaining open, and we are exploring all possible options, but unfortunately, at this time, this is a financial hurdle that the city cannot overcome,” Zaleski said in the statement.
Parsons Theatre has been owned by Acme Cinema since 1998, when it was located on the former Parsons Plaza. A new theater was built at the present location in 2000. After the tornado on April 19, 2000, the theater was rebuilt and reopened in December 2000.
The five-screen theater converted to fully digital projection in 2012. It had two digital projectors before that.
