MARIEMONT, Ohio — The sudden closure of the Mariemont Theatre has sparked questions about the future of the historic theatre.
A "Closed" sign was taped to the Mariemont Theatre's front doors Tuesday as crews carried popcorn makers, projectors and movie posters into a moving truck.
Mayor Bill Brown said it's not the final curtain call, but rather a short intermission.
"The Mariemont Theatre is not closing permanently," Brown said.
WATCH: We spoke to Brown about what the future of the theatre will look like
Brown said the move-out was sudden, but not unexpected.
The move-out comes after Cincinnati nonprofit Cindependent announced it would take over operations at the historic theatre. The 88-year-old building was previously operating independently under Theatre Management Corporation, which also owns the Esquire and Kenwood theaters.
Brown said the owner of the building evicted Theatre Management Corporation at the end of January, giving them until March 1 to leave.
Brown told us no one knew when the group would move out until they did on Tuesday.
We spoke to Gary Goldman Wednesday, the president of Theatre Management Corporation. He told us the group is sad to be leaving the theatre.
"The thought of something like this going dark is unacceptable for most residents in this village," Brown said.
We also reached out to Spinnenweber Builders, Inc., which owns the building. They sent the following statement:
“The recent closure of the Mariemont Theatre does not reflect an intent to permanently close the theatre. We are actively working to reestablish theater operations with a well-known nonprofit operator because we recognized the Mariemont Theatre’s longstanding importance to the Village of Mariemont and the surrounding community. We appreciate the community’s patience during this transition and we look forward to sharing more details soon.”
The theatre now enters a transition period, as Cindependent will shortly step in.
Allyson West, Cindependent executive director, caught up with us Wednesday.
"We have known for some time that there was going to be a transition at the theatre that we have been communicating out," West said.
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West said while they remain committed to operating the theatre, the group does not yet have access to the building.
"I know that anything going dark can look and can feel scary," West said. "That feeling is just a testament to how much this space means to people."
West said they are excited to collaborate with the community on the future of the historic space.
West told us the nonprofit is currently fundraising to operate the theatre. She tells us she's not sure when the theatre will open back up.
One big question remains for many: what is going to happen to the popcorn?
"I've heard that popcorn is the most important thing on everybody's minds," West said. "We're hopeful that we can dial in the recipe to make everybody happy."
