ASHTABULA, Ohio — Ahead of a big weekend at the box office, the last remaining box office in Ashtabula County shut down.
A sign posted on the AMC Classic Ashtabula 6 warns would-be moviegoers the location is permanently closed. It invites customers to catch a movie at the next nearest AMC location. But the recommended Ridge Park Square 8 is 70 miles away in Brooklyn, Ohio.
In order to see a movie in theaters, Ashtabula County residents will now need to leave the county or cross state lines.
“This one was kind of like the last hope for cinema in Ashtabula. It’s just really unfortunate for the citizens who are having to go 45 minutes to an hour to go to a movie. It’s a little insane,” said Buddy Candela.
Candela, an adjunct faculty member at CSU’s School of Film and Media Arts, worked at the Ashtabula mall theater off and on for nearly a decade.
“I started working there when I was a senior in high school. It was actually opening day of Avatar,” he recalled. “[They were] some of the greatest memories of my life. I’m a huge film guy. So being able to work that closely with film at a young age was a great experience for me.”
Given the decline of Ashtabula Towne Square in recent years, Candela wasn’t entirely surprised by the closure of the theater. But he and his family were nonetheless disappointed.
“My parents are incredibly upset by the Ashtabula Mall theater closing because the closest theaters are basically 45 minutes in every direction,” he said. “They would go there every single Tuesday for their date nights. They’re going to have to find a little bit of a different routine.”
The closure came ahead of several blockbuster debuts over the weekend. Dubbed “Barbenheimer” by some online, audiences flocked to theaters to watch a pink, sparkly icon come to life in “Barbie” and grapple with the political and moral implications of nuclear warfare in “Oppenheimer.”
“Getting out [in the] theater is better than sitting at home watching it,” said Cletus Turner, who was in Mentor for a showing of “Oppenheimer.”
Atlas Cinemas Diamond Center 16 welcomed a crowd Monday evening for both movies. Managers for the local theater chain said the blockbusters have helped fuel a steady recovery after the pandemic.
“Especially this year, people are coming back out. They want to see movies,” said general manager Chris Pribilski.
The theater is now among the closest for Ashtabula residents. Pribilski believes there’s still an appetite for watching movies in person, and he welcomes his neighbors from the next county over.
“If people are looking for a place to come, we are very ready and willing to accommodate.”
Candela is also optimistic about the future of cinema and said people in Ashtabula County would welcome a new theater.
“There definitely is a market and an audience for it. I guess it’s just not in the mall,” he said.
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