Regal no more, Capitol Theatre to be operated in Falls by Dipson

Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
·3 min read

Jan. 4—Dipson Theatres Inc. has announced it has signed a lease to become the new operator of the Regal Niagara Falls movie theater at 720 Builders Way, effective Feb. 1.

Regal Entertainment Group, the previous operator for 20 years, has ended its lease agreement as part of its corporate bankruptcy, according to Dipson. The Niagara Falls location is one of dozens of locations affected nationwide.

Dipson officials say they are eagerly looking forward to taking over operations of the cinema and applying their local, personal knowledge of the market to moviegoers in 2023. The theatre will be renamed "The Capitol Theatre" in honor of the original Capitol Theatre, which was opened in Niagara Falls in 1926.

Among the planned changes are ticket prices. Dipson says all pricing will be adjusted immediately upon taking over operations. Presently the theatre charges upwards of $13 to $19 per ticket. "$19 to see a movie in Niagara Falls is not sustainable" Clement said, "This is not New York City." The average ticket price will be reduced to an average of $8 per ticket.

Originally founded in 1939 in Batavia, Dipson is a family-run company that relocated to Amherst in 2000. Last summer, Dipson purchased the Transit Drive-In Theatre in Lockport.

Dipson officials say they will leverage their local operations and marketing teams to give residents of Niagara Falls a more personal moviegoing experience. In addition to the Niagara County locations, Dipson also operates the Flix Stadium 10 in Lancaster, the McKinley Mall Cinema 6 in Blasdell, and the Amherst Theatre in Buffalo. Dipson has two additional locations in Jamestown and one in Warren, Pennsylvania.

Recently, Dipson completely renovated Flix Stadium 10, and will begin plans to modernize and renovate the Niagara Falls location. Michael Clement, owner of Dipson, commented "Patrons are pickier today with so many options for entertainment. We need to give them a reason to leave home and share a few hours with us at the cinema."

All existing staff have been contacted and offered employment. Dipson hopes that all employees will wish to continue working at the location. All existing vendors will be contacted by new management with the ambition of maintaining local services in the future.

"We hope customers will appreciate seeing the same faces and enjoying the same products they have enjoyed for years. However, we also are excited to hear from the community with ideas of things we can do to enhance the experience", commented Clement.

Dipson plans to enhance concession offerings as well. Pending approval from the State of New York, Dipson will start offering beer and wine like most theaters now offer.

Bargain Tuesdays will offer reduced admission pricing for participating film studios, as well as half-off popcorn and fountain drinks. Dipson will entertain alternative programming at this location as well. Presently, Dipson hosts the Thursday Night Terrors, Monday Movie Mayhem, Flashback Cinema and the Turner Classics as well as The NY MET at several locations.

Clement further commented, "Going to the movies should be affordable and fun, we hope the community will support us as we embark on this new adventure."