Starting today (Aug. 27), the Festus 8 Cinema will be closed for renovations for an estimated 10 weeks, the company that operates it – B&B Theatres – announced. The Festus 8 is at 1522 Parkway West, Festus
Dennis McIntire, B&B Theatres’ executive director of development and construction, said the $1.5 million renovation project is aimed at attracting a higher volume of customers through a more-inviting setting that will include wide, heated recliners replacing all existing seating.
He said while the project is scheduled to take 10 weeks, company officials hope it will progress quicker than that.
“The goal is to reopen by the last weekend of October,” McIntire said.
The upgrade in seats means seating capacity will be significantly reduced, he said.
“All of the current seating will be replaced with leather recliners,” he said. “It has about 720 seats now and will go to 360 seats. There still will be eight screens. What we’re going for is an increase in traffic.”
The interior will be gutted to allow the remodeling project at the facility, which originally opened Aug. 19, 1994.
McIntire said he knows the exact date because he was the original manager of the Festus 8. He now works at B&B headquarters in Liberty.
“I’m excited about the project,” he said. “I was the manager at Festus for seven years.”
In addition to the seat replacement, the renovation will include the construction of a full-service bar and a revamped concessions menu that will offer made-to-order food such as chicken tenders, French fries, onion rings, corn dog bites and pizzas, among other items.
B&B Theatres operates 50 theaters in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi and Florida.