Mall movie theater operators want to reopen

PANAMA CITY — Even though its operators want to, the Mall Cinemas movie theater at the Panama City Mall hasn’t reopened after Hurricane Michael.

Representatives with VIP Cinemas, the movie theater’s parent company which rents the space from the Panama City Mall, said they’re ready to screen movies again after Hurricane Michael since the theater didn’t sustain major damage. However, the mall is prohibiting a reopening while they assess damage to the overall mall.

Two days after Michael tore through Bay County, movie theater operators were at Mall Cinemas to remedy the aftermath. HVAC units were knocked out by Hurricane Michael, which caused water to come into the theater.

The water issue was taken care of, and there was no other major damage that would prevent the theater from operating, said Jake McSparin, who operates the theater on behalf of VIP Cinemas. The mall reopened in August after upgrades.

“We’re just under a month out and we’ve been able to do everything we can to get open,” said McSparin. “What prevents us now is the mall.”

At this time the mall is not allowing any tenants and stores to open that do not have their own exterior entrance, Panama City Mall Marketing Director Erin Wommack wrote in an email to The News Herald. Dillard’s, The Vitamin Shoppe, Starbucks and Planet Fitness reopened after the storm.

“Due to the extensive damage the mall suffered from Hurricane Michael, we would not want to expose anyone to any harm, or something that may cause health concerns,” Wommack wrote. “This is nothing personal. Our top priority is to keep our mall employees and shoppers safe.”

If Mall Cinemas does reopen, they would show first-run movies at $5 to $8 with a free popcorn. The movie theater previously played movies that had been out for a few weeks at $3.99 to $4.50.

McSparin said people in Bay County need a “small-scale” thing to take their mind off the devastation from the hurricane.

“It’s part of the healing process,” said McSparin. “We’re ready. We think it’s something that can benefit the community.”

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