Regal College Station movie theater in Springfield says it will permanently close Jan. 5
Regal College Station will be turning off its movie projectors and cleaning out the popcorn machine for the last time this week.
The movie theater in downtown Springfield announced on New Year's Eve it would be "closing permanently" with the last day of operation being Thursday Jan. 5, according to a social media post.
"We want to thank you for all of your support over the years as your downtown theatre," the post stated. "We have loved getting to know you and seeing the smiles on your faces as you experience the thrill of movies over the years."
The movie theater urged film lovers to visit before it closes Thursday.
"We invite you back for one last visit to say goodbye as we all move on to new things," the post stated.
Regal movie theaters across the country were temporarily shut down in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic but then reopened.
The College Station project, which includes an $8.6 million parking deck along with retail space and the movie theater, was a key part of downtown redevelopment efforts by the city of Springfield and private developers during the 2000s and 2010s. The movie theater, originally a Hollywood Theaters Inc. facility, was originally governed by a 20-year lease signed in 2005. That later prompted litigation between Hollywood Theaters and building owner College Station LLC, according to a 2009 report by the News-Leader. In the early 2010s, Regal took over management of the downtown movie theater.
The nearest Regal is the Regal Northstar in Joplin. Regal is a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group, which has nearly 7,000 screens in more than 500 theaters.
Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Regal College Station movie theater in Springfield will close Jan. 5
