Palace theater reorganizes with new name, model

Wichita, Kan.-based Warren Theatres LLC is changing the name and business model of the Palace Springfield theater.

The parent company of the 20-year-old discount theater in Chesterfield Village, 2220 W. Chesterfield Blvd., tomorrow will switch its name to Premiere Palace, featuring first-run films at slightly higher prices.

“Our business model is changing. It’s getting harder and harder to compete with how old our films are by the time we’re playing them,” Warren Theatres Vice President of Operations Dan Gray said, pointing to increased competition from area theaters, as well as on-demand video and quicker releases of movies to DVD. “We felt like this would be the right time to come in and open up as a first-run theater playing the newest movies at a very discounted rate.”

The change will take effect with the 12:30 p.m. showing tomorrow of “Ben-Hur,” as well as such films as horror flick “Don't Breathe” and comedy “Sausage Party.”

Prices will be $4 for matinees, $4 at all times for students, seniors and children, and $6 for adults in the evenings. That’s up from $3.50 for all shows, the current slate of which includes “Captain America: Civil War” and “The Jungle Book.” Concession prices will stay the same, he said.

Justifying the lower prices, Gray said with eight screens and over 1,300 seats, the 43,000-square-foot Palace theater employing 34 has less overhead than other theaters with more screens, seats and employees.

“We wanted to keep the prices as low as possible, because we know a lot of our customers are price conscious,” he said.

The building - leased from Dearborn Development Inc. - will undergo minimal changes. Gray said the Palace signage would remain in place and the exterior would keep the same look. Remodeling, including painting, would be done inside. He declined to disclose the planned renovation investment.

Declining to disclose 2015 revenue, Gray said the Palace’s sales have been down slightly in recent years.