10-screen Ozark cinema coming this fall

Liberty-based B&B Theatres Operating Co. Inc. is constructing a 10-screen moviehouse with more than 8,000-square feet of connected retail space at 620 N. 25th St. in Ozark. The theater is expected to open by Oct. 31.

Dennis McIntire, director of strategic planning for B&B, said the Ozark cinema would have stadium seating, digital projectors and five viewing rooms set up to run 3-D films. He said the roughly 30,000-square foot theater would have roughly 8,400 square feet connected to the theater building available for lease. He said the retail space would be divided based on need.

McIntire said the company had been considering the Ozark market since 2006. He said as the economy began to sour, plans were put on hold when adequate financing for the project was not secured. In the last year, McIntire said the city of Ozark and an unnamed land owner approached the company again, and this time, it was able to move forward.

McIntire said the land was purchased for an undisclosed amount, but confirmed that construction cost estimates for the more than 38,000-square foot theater and retail space were $2.5 million.

“A lot of times people don’t realize all the work that goes into these projects,” McIntire said. “But we are very excited to be coming to Ozark.”

The theater will be No. 17 for B&B in Missouri and its 30th overall. The company, which has nearby theaters in Lebanon, Bolivar and Neosho, operates cinemas in five states: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida. According to its www.bbtheatres.com, the business dates back to 1924 when Elmer Bills bought the Lyric Theater in Salisbury, Mo. In 1936, concession clerk Sterling Bagby started his own movie-company. The two businesses merged to form B&B Theatres in 1980. 

The Ozark-theater project is financed by Guaranty Bank, and the building and retail space is designed by Liberty-based J. Price Architecture Inc. Larry Snyder & Co. is general contractor. Wilson Surveying Co. Inc. is the civil engineering company on the project while Little Rock, Ark.-based Engineering Consultants Inc. is the structural engineer. Kansas City, Kan.-based Engineer’s Consortium Inc. is providing mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering. 

McIntire said the company has land available to add on two additional theater rooms.

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