CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio — After more than 30 years as a staple in Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Cinemas will close its doors permanently at the end of next month.
In a statement, Cleveland Cinemas founder and president Jon Forman announced that the portion of the property that includes the theater was recently sold by the owner of The Golf Dome, which operates next door. The new buyer plans to redevelop the building into a different business which will not include a movie theater.
Forman says The Golf Dome will continue to operate.
Chagrin Cinemas opened in 1989 after being built and developed by the Dolan family, who also owns the Cleveland Guardians. Originally, the movie theater opened with six screens, but would eventually expand to 14, before shifting down to nine screens as the movie industry converted from 35mm film to digital technology.
"Many thanks to the Dolan family for providing Cleveland Cinemas with the opportunity to operate this beloved neighborhood institution and to the tens of thousands of movie lovers who attended films each year," Forman wrote.
Cleveland Cinemas have operated Chagrin Cinemas for the past 18 years. During that time, luxury recliners were added, the concession stand was renovated, and a liquor license was obtained allowing guests to enjoy beer, wine and cocktails.
"The management and staff, some of whom have been with the theater for 15 or more years, will miss the warmth, kindness and passion of the moviegoers from the Chagrin Valley communities, that they have enjoyed serving for nearly 2 decades," said Cleveland Cinemas director of operations Sean Denny in the statement. "Cleveland Cinemas appreciates all of the support shown, as the theater overcame the challenges that the pandemic posed and just recently was seeing signs of recovery."
Cleveland Cinemas will continue to operate the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights, as well as the Capitol Theatre in Cleveland and the Apollo Theatre in Oberlin.
In a statement, the owner of The Golf Dome, Matthew Creech, said:
"We recently reached a mutually agreeable lease termination with Cleveland Cinemas who operated the Chagrin Cinemas. We would like to thank Jon Forman and Cleveland Cinemas for running Chagrin Cinemas the past 18 years. Jon and his team have been wonderful to work with and we wish them nothing but success in the years ahead. In 2022, we made significant capital and programming investments and we will continue to reinvest in the property and create an environment that fosters family activities and youth enrichment. We are committed to bringing in a new neighbor who shares our same core beliefs and family values. We look forward to providing an excellent destination for the Chagrin Valley Community for many years to come."
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