Regal Sequoia Mall 12 closes its doors, construction on the mall continues
A single white sheet of paper taped to the locked entrance of the theatre inside the Sequoia Mall reads:
“Thank you. It has been our pleasure to serve you at this theatre. Regal Visalia Sequoia Mall is now closed. We invite you to visit Regal Visalia at 120 S. Bridge Street or any of our other area locations.”
Jim Sanders, executive vice president at Paynter Realty and Investments confirmed the theatre's closing Wednesday night.
“We had hoped Regal would remain open through the remodel," he said. ”It has been an ongoing concern as to whether they would stay open here and/or be able to restructure through bankruptcy and stay in operations as a company.”
Regal operates one other location in downtown Visalia, as noted by the Regal Sequoia Mall 12’s farewell message. the aging downtown theater hasn't been invested in since it was built and the fan-going experience remains the same.
Regal's policy is not to talk to the media and an employee at the downtown location pointed to their public relations team for comment. Regal, the second-largest exhibitor in the U.S., filed for bankruptcy last year and announced it would close at least 39 locations.
The chain lost nearly $4 billion during the pandemic and their debt neared $5 billion, Variety reported earlier this year.
The closure of the mall's location brings with it an opportunity for others, such AMC, the nation's largest theater chain or Galaxy, a local fan favorite, to emerge in Visalia.
However, Sanders wouldn't confirm any discussions or plans for portions of the empty mall.
“Other than what has already been announced, we are not ready to announce our future plans at this time,” Sanders said, though he noted the group would be announcing another three businesses that plan on opening at the mall.
The Sequoia Mall has been undergoing a series of renovations since last year — more and more lumber has gone up around the outside of the mall, while the inside remains sealed away from the public.
Nordstrom Rack, Sprouts Farmers Market, Sola Salon and Barnes and Noble are just a few of the stores planning grand openings after construction wraps up. Hobby Lobby is following suit and renovating their current location as an anchor at the mall.
Those who enjoyed the theater in the mall still have options, though.
Other local theatres include Galaxy Theatres at 1575 Retherford St., Tulare and at 631 N. Indiana St., Porterville, as well as Cinemark Movies 8 at 1669 W. Lacey Blvd., Hanford. Coyote Entertainment Center at Tachi Palace in Lemoore offers Dolby Atmos and reclining seats, as does Regal's locations in Fresno, including the only IMAX theater in the Valley.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Regal Sequoia Mall 12 closed, construction on the mall continues
