A movie theater will reopen in the heart of downtown Springfield this fall. The building at 415 W. College St., which formerly housed two different movie theaters, will reopen – with heated seats – as the College Station Theater.
The grand opening will likely be sometime in November, and the plan is to open the film when “Gladiator II” hits theaters on Nov. 22, said Paul Tillman, property manager at Tillman Redevelopment LLC.
Tillman Redevelopment LLC manages commercial real estate in Springfield and owns and leases several buildings downtown. According to the Greene County Assessor’s website, the building is owned by College Station Theater LLC, which was formed in April with Scott Tillman as organizer. Scott Tillman is also the owner of Tillman Redevelopment LLC, which has owned the theater building since 2008.
Moviegoers were last able to enjoy cinema at the downtown location in January 2023, when the Regal Cinemas closed its doors after more than 10 years of operation. The cinema was originally a Hollywood Theaters Inc. facility and was a key part of the city’s College Station project, which aimed to redevelop the western part of downtown, the News-Leader previously reported. The cinema’s new name will change the iconic red lettering on the building.
What will the new theater offer?
Paul Tillman said there had been discussions about leasing the property since Regal closed, but the discussions made it clear that investing in and connecting with the local community were key factors in the company’s success.
“We decided we didn’t want to put ourselves in that position again where we gave a company that maybe didn’t love Springfield as much as we did the opportunity to run things,” he said. “Nobody is going to love Springfield as much and be there for us as much as we do, so we decided to just do it ourselves.”
While all 14 theater screens will be retained, Tillman said the plan is to operate 10 initially and keep the possibility of expansion open at a later date. The renovation projects began in early summer and include upgrading the theater screens themselves – including installing heated and reclining seats, new top-of-the-line Christie laser projectors and Dolby Atmos, a fully immersive surround sound system, in four of the theater screens. He could not disclose the exact investments, but noted that technology investments are the focus, although the theater will also see some light interior upgrades.
“The lion’s share of the investment goes into ensuring a cinema experience of the highest quality,” said Paul Tillman.
Entry into the local theatre scene
The College Station theater will join AMC, The Alamo Drafthouse and Moxie Cinema, Springfield’s independent arthouse theater, in the city’s movie theater industry. But since most major theaters are located outside of the city center, the goal is to appeal to a different demographic and offer a closer-to-home alternative.
“We felt that a downtown theater served a group of people that was not being served now because it was closed,” Tillman said. “Our hope is that we can give that product back to the people who enjoyed it and had it before.”
Joe Dull, the Moxie’s general manager, said he’s excited to have another locally owned and operated theater coming in. Because what the Moxie shows is so different from larger theaters, it’s not really competition, but rather a way to appeal to all the movie lovers in Springfield.
“You can imagine we’re pretty big movie fans here, so we’re excited for people to have more opportunities to see more,” Dull said. “Hopefully it just brings more attention to downtown and brings more awareness to the movies that are playing downtown.”
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Dull said licensing theaters, especially new films, involves profit sharing, where a portion of the money from ticket sales goes back to the distributor. At the Moxie, that share could be between 30% and 50%, he said, while for bigger films, he expects the share could exceed the 50% mark if demand is high enough. Tillman said the new theater will use a film buyer service to license the films shown at the theater.
Some of the management structure has already been hired, he said, but the final staffing levels will be determined by management and as preparations for reopening begin, he said.
Marta Mieze covers local politics for the News-Leader. Do you have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].
