Blackfoot Movie Mill will open its doors in mid-September
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BLACKFOOT– Lights, camera, action– the new Blackfoot Movie Mill is on its way to completion and the community is jumping out of their seats to get tickets.
“I am so excited for the movie theater to come, I’m excited that I won’t have to go out of town to see the movies,” Blackfoot local Becky Stucki says.
Owner of Idaho Falls’ Royal Theaters Kent Lott says they’ve been building since last November and that opening date is quickly approaching sometime in September.
“We felt like it was a great opportunity for us. This building is perfect for what we want to do,” Kent Lott says.
“A lot of people in the community they probably think we’re crazy because we didn’t build a new building, but we’ll be in this about 30 percent of the cost of a new facility and that’s why it will work in a small community in Blackfoot,” Kent Lott says.
When the Lott family purchased the property, it became apparent that the building with a foundation from the early 1900’s had to undergo a substantial facelift.
Before the Mill it was boat repair shop, before that, a car dealership, before that, an old creamery in the barn portion of the building, and somewhere in the history of the building it had been burned down.
“I think the city called it a boat salvage yard,” Idaho Falls Paramount Theater Manager Brandon Lott says. “The main part of the building where theaters 1,2,4 and 5 are there was just a big garage, or bay where they would service cars. It’s fun to see it now.”
Theaters are typically built from the ground up, but with this existing building on Bridge Street, construction has taken parts of the theater 12-feet underneath the ground. When all seven theaters are complete the largest one will hold 190 people.
“If we wanted to get the screen height that we wanted we had to go down. It’s not very common. There’s just a handful of theaters that have done that, that I know of,” Brandon Lott says.
The Movie Mill will also have top of the line equipment for the most up-to-date audio and visual movie-going experience.
“We’ll have a 7.1 certified QSC sound which is very unique to have a certified sound through the manufacture of the speakers and the amplifiers,” Lott says. “That’s something that’s very unique to Blackfoot and to Idaho Falls and even Idaho.”
The projector will also feature new laser technology. Brandon Lott says it’s like the equivalent of switching from a halogen light bulb to an LED.
“To my knowledge, we’ll be the first theater in the state of Idaho with laser. I know of one other theater in the state that’s being built right now… but we’ll open before them,” Brandon Lott says.
The Lotts say they’ve integrated the history of the building into its updates, like using wood from the old attached barn for all of its cabinets.
“I really like the name of the Movie Mill and this building’s perfect because it’s an old building and the way we’re dressing it up is kind of rustic. I just think it has a fun feeling to it,” Kent Lott says.
“Our goal and our hope is that this building will feel like home to people,” Brandon Lott says.
The Lott’s are hoping to open up three of its seven theaters by mid-September. With the affordable ticket pricing, and new tech owners say people will be traveling down from surrounding areas to catch a flick.
“We’re just excited to get to know everybody and excited to continue building those relationships as we open and as we get to know people from coming in,” Brandon Lott says.
