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'I’m still in shock': Middletown’s only movie theater closing

Cinema 10 Middletown’s last day is Thursday, according to ownership.
cinema 10 middletown
Posted at 3:56 PM, Feb 28, 2024
and last updated 2024-02-28 15:56:50-05

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Middletown’s only theater is closing at the end of the week, according to a Facebook post.

Cinema 10 Middletown, 3479 Dixie Highway, is closing permanently on Thursday.

The post said the closing was announced with “great sadness.”

Hunter Miller, the theater’s general manager of the last two years, said she was notified on Monday the theater was closing on Thursday.

“I’m still in shock,” she said today.

Miller said all nine employees at the theater will lose their jobs.

She blamed the closing on “a lack of business” and said the theater was losing money. She also pointed toward the writer’s strike that reduced the number of new movie releases as one reason. She said the strike had more impact on the theater than COVID.

For those looking for “a smaller theater experience,” the company’s Square 7 Cinemas, 726 E. Main St., Lebanon, is “thriving” and will remain open, according to the post.

In November 2018, Republic Theatres purchased the former Danbarry Cinemas. After the purchase, the company updated the HVAC and improved the site’s landscaping.

The company also owns Ohio theaters in Wilmington, Bellefontaine, Marion and Portsmouth, plus in Shelbyville, Ind., and Frankfort, Ky., according to its website.

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