Denver is going back to the movies!
Indie theatre chain Landmark Theatres announced this week that two of its Denver locations that've been closed during the pandemic will reopen this month. Cap Hill's historic Esquire Theatre will open May 21, shortly after high-tech, 6-screen, dine-in theatre Greenwood Village on May 14. The two are part of a collection of four Landmark locations in metro Denver, including the Mayan Theatre, which reopened in January, and Chez Artiste. Chez Artiste, Landmark's plush southeast Denver location, has yet to announce a reopening date.
On Wednesday, The Know reported that popular movie theatre chain Regal UA also announced the reopening of four of its Denver-area locations, which have been closed since October last year. Starting May 7, theatre-goers can once again attend screenings at Lakewood's Regal Colorado Mills IMAX & RPX; Regal Denver Pavilions 4DX & RPX; Littleton's Regal UA Meadows; and Regal Village at The Peaks & RPX. There's no word yet on if or when Regal UA Colorado Center will reopen. In the meantime, guests can catch films like the Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish comedy Here Today; Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon; Wrath of Man, directed by Guy Ritchie; and Mortal Kombat at Colorado Regal's other four locations.
The news comes after a tough year and a half for cinemas, which have dealt with shut-downs, low turnout and capacity restrictions since the start of the pandemic.
It comes after a particularly rough couple of years for Esquire. Built in 1927, the two-screen theatre on East 6th Avenue has long been a favorite for indie, classic and foreign language film lovers, as well as for attendees of Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings. The theatre was forced to close its doors in 2018 to repair utility damage. After months of renovations, the theatre reopened in 2019 with new seats and cup holders only to shut down because of the pandemic less than a year later. The Know reported that Landmark stopped paying rent and that at one point, Downing Street, the LLC that owns the property, considered selling it.
The Landmark Mayan Theatre, meanwhile, has been operating since January after a brief hiatus due to COVID. The historic, two-screen South Broadway cinema has been showing independent and foreign language films for decades. Currently, you can catch Mayan screenings of British dramedy Limbo and documentary Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, as well as 2021 Oscar-winners Nomadland and Minari. No word on films coming to Esquire and Greenwood Village yet.
Tickets to all screenings are available on Landmark's and Regal's websites.
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Landmark does not own Esquire Theatre. The property is owned by the LLC Downing Street, which considered selling the theatre.
