Business slowing turning around for Fridley Theater

Manager Karen Albert said business has increased 50 percent when compared to last October and significantly more since November. The owner of the mall, Marshalltown Development Group, a holding company of the New York-based Kohan Retail Investment Group owned by Mike Kohan, neglected to pay the electric bill. In November 2023, electricity was shut off in the main areas, such as the hallways, the bathrooms and the parking lot. Businesses with external entrances, such as the movie theater, were able to work out ways to get electricity on and continue operating.

“We’re getting the word out (that) we’re still here,” she said. “People still think the mall is closed, and it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Reminding people that Fridley is still open remains a big challenge for Albert and her staff to overcome. She said she will go to Walmart and, inevitably, someone will ask when the reopening will occur.

“I tell them we never closed, not even for 10 minutes,” Albert said. “That part is frustrating, but I get it because it’s dark back here.”

A picture of Dale Paul sits in the hallway of Fridley Plaza 9 Theater. There will be a free showing of “It’s a Small World” on Oct. 27 for the first 250 people in honor of the 75th anniversary of the movie

Prior to the electricity being shut off, Albert said an average of 1,000 people would go to the theater each week.

“Right now, we’re fighting to get 200 people on a Friday, 400 on a Saturday,” she said. “It’s dropped significantly, but still up from last year at this time. They’re slow increases.”

Bucking the rising inflation trend, the prices have not increased, which has helped attract some moviegoers back to Fridley, Albert said.

“Once we get business back, we can maybe get better seats,” she said. “There’s too much up in the air right now, but the community deserves decent seats.”

If the mall had a different owner, Albert said the theater owner would feel more confident in moving forward with such improvements. She has not heard about any correspondence with Kohan.

Besides the mall ownership situation and getting word out that the theater is still in business, Albert said another challenge they face is the streaming services.

“If it’s a B-type movie, something they kind of want to see, but not really, they just wait until it streams,” she said. “Fortunately, they come in here and buy popcorn to take it home with them. That also keeps us in business, which is fantastic. A huge thank you to people who do that. It literally happens every night. We now have a big bag of more than 300 ounces, which zips so it doesn’t spill in your car.”

The bigger blockbuster movies which draw the most public attention are what sell the most tickets. “Top Gun: Maverick,” directed by Marshalltown native Joseph Kosinski, was a big seller for Fridley.

“That was probably a turning point for our business,” Albert said. “When they put Cecil’s Cafe in there, you won’t believe how many people came back to watch it again, because they missed that part. It’s just a little flash. We would time it for them and tell them to watch for it.”

Special events

As a result of the slow business increases, the theater is hosting special events on Oct. 27 and Nov. 2.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the release of Warner Brothers’ “It’s a Small World,” the film starring Marshalltown native Dale Paullin, known by his stage name Paul Dale, who died in 2016. Albert said one of the auditoriums in Fridley has been rented, and the first 256 people will see the movie for free on Oct. 27.

“It’s first-come, first-serve. There’s a little introduction by Dale himself on his 93rd birthday, if I remember correctly,” she said. “We’re going to have a table set up with some memorabilia of his. It’s a huge deal. I did not know him personally, but I know a lot of other people did.”

There will also be a free showing of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a Christmas comedy-drama. For the Nov. 2 premiere, Albert said New Hope church has purchased one of the auditoriums to provide the first 250 people with a free movie.

She expanded on “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” saying the kids in the film are actors people have not seen before. Unknown actors appearing on Fridley screens is a trend Albert has noticed recently.

“There’s a bunch of new actors, and that’s exciting,” she said.

There are also plans to do $2 family movies starting Nov. 29. Albert said the discount will only be for specific movies and on specific days. The details are still being finalized.

“We haven’t done them for a while, but with the economy the way it is . . . we have nine screens. There’s no reason we can’t pull one and do something special for the community,” she said. “I’m excited to bring that to the community, and to let people come to the movies with it being more affordable.”

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.