Movie fans 'thrilled' as Aurora theater opens again

Aurora residents Leslie Wazbinski and Dolly Spinelli did not hold back when asked how it felt to be go to the movies in their town.

"We're thrilled. We are so excited," said Spinelli.

"We're ecstatic," said Wazbinski.

The friends were at the Atlas Cinemas Barrington 10 in Barrington Town Center shopping center to see "Cabrini" nearly four years after the former Cinemark theater closed in mid-2020, early in the COVID pandemic. Their screening was two days the theater opened to the public.

More: Aurora Cinemark closure a loss to residents, say leaders

The theater is at 140 Barrington Town Square Drive. Check atlascinemas.net for showtimes, tickets and other information.

The women said they both prefer seeing movies on a big screen, but said the Cinemark closure meant they had to drive to Hudson to see a movie in person.

"It's such an event," said Wazbinski.

Twinsburg resident Mike McCafferty said it was "a pain" when the theater closed. He and his family would go to the Macedonia Cinemark until that closed as well. Then they would go even farther, sometimes as far as the Valley View Cinemark. McCafferty, who was with his family to see "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," said he was "super happy" to have his favorite theater back.

"I was pleasantly surprised and pleased," he said. "I found out yesterday because my mom − she's always paying attention, she's retired, so she knows everything that's going on − when she said that (the theater was open), I said 'let's go up,' because we all wanted to see 'Ghostbusters.'"

Aurora resident Jim Weber said the Aurora theater had always been so convenient, especially as other theaters in the area were shutting down.

"It was a shock when this one did," he said. "This is like 10 minutes from our house."

Weber and his wife, Elaine, brought their three grandchildren who were in town for a weekend visit to see "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." He said he had heard the theater would reopen, but only just discovered that it had.

"We were looking for something to do with the kids in the afternoon and I said, 'I wonder when this one was open,' and here it just opened Thursday," said Weber. "It's good to have it back in the area, that's for sure."

Gabriel Saluan, vice president and co-owner of Atlas Cinemas, said the Aurora theater has gone through some extensive renovations and improvements in recent months.

"We totally repainted everything," he said. "There's brand new leather rocker glider seating. The sound system has been enhanced to total digital surround sound. We have wall-to-wall screens in every theater so the customer gets a full view of the picture wall to wall."

Saluan said the concession area has been upgraded to allow for added food items, such as mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce, chicken strips and nuggets, stuffed oversized pretzels and Polish sausage dogs in addition to regular hot dogs. Some alcoholic beverages are also expected to soon be offered, including beer, wine and seltzer drinks.

There will also be a variety of entertainment. Besides mainstream Hollywood movies, the theater will show Bollywood films, as well as Fathom Events, including operas, concerts and sports.

"So we're adding quite a bit more features. Not just regular movies, but expanded it quite a bit," said Saluan.

Auditoriums are also available for rent for private functions, and the theater can host children's birthday parties.

The theater had been a mainstay in the plaza for more than 15 years when Cinemark announced on its website it was permanently closing the theater in June 2020. It had been an anchor for the shopping center, along with a Heinen’s grocery store that is still there. Cinemark never offered an explanation, but it was reported at the time that movie theaters in general were struggling due to the popularity of streaming and the COVID shutdown.

"It was a shame," said Spinelli. "Every time you'd see the posters, it was 'Awwww' as you'd drive by. Old posters were left in the windows, you know."

Saluan said that after the end of the pandemic, Atlas Cinemas began "looking at the landscape of movie theaters" in the area and saw a need, especially since theaters in Solon and Chagrin Falls had also closed.

"That area was definitely underserviced and I took aim at Barrington," he said. "I met with the ownership a couple of times and over a period of about a year, we've come to a good relationship and we decided to go ahead with it."

It was announced in January that Atlas Cinemas was taking over the theater.

"We're all extremely excited because the theater was a very popular events venue in Aurora and to lose it four years ago was very, very hard," Aurora Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said Friday. "So people are thrilled that the theater is coming back. We're also very grateful that Atlas Cinemas and [Barrington owner] Guggenheim Realty worked together to make this happen."

Womer Benjamin said that the "relatively new" ACE Hardware store has also filled an empty space in the shopping center and it is hoped that the addition of Atlas Cinemas will fill several additional vacant spaces, as well as help with economic development in general.

"I think everyone is hopeful that it will generate further interest in not only any vacant spaces in Aurora but also in the overall visitation to the city and the enjoyment of what we have to offer," she said, adding, "It's a great boon for Aurora and for the region in particular, in light of the fact that so many other movie theaters have closed in recent months."

Spinelli and Wazbinski said they hope they theater will bring other businesses into the shopping center for people, including families, to enjoy.

"I'd do a cartwheel if I could," said Wazbinski.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Atlas Cinemas Barrington 10 opening in Aurora thrills movie fans