ABOVE: Fairmont 5 Theatres has plans to undergo a construction remodel project this winter. Sentinel file photo.

FAIRMONT– Fairmont 5 Theatres will bring in a new look in the new year. The theater’s owner, Rob Mayer, said they’re about to engage in a construction project with an anticipated completion date in May, ahead of the busy summer season.

Mayer has had plans to update the theater since taking it over in the early summer of 2022. Prior to that, the theater had been closed to the public for more than two years.

“Since March we’ve been trying to find people who want to work on it. It’s been a challenge because there’s a shortage of construction labor,” said Mayer.

However, he said he has now found a general contractor based out of the Twin Cities area who has built several theaters, but that they’re also trying to hire as many local companies to work on the project as possible.

The overall goal of the project is to freshen up the space as Mayer said he believes the theater looks outdated. It will be roughly three quarters of a million dollar investment.

“We’re going to convert the auditoriums to stadium-style seating. There will be new everything from floor to ceiling. It’s essentially a gut and remodel as far as that goes,” Mayer said.

Each theater will take about two weeks to work on. He said the plan is to work on two theaters at once, so for a brief time it will be a three screen theater.

In main areas like the hallways, Mayer said the layout will be different so movie-goes can expect to see doors in different places, as well as new carpet and walls.

“It’s a general refresh,” he said.

The lobby will be the final room of the project to undergo construction and Mayer said the work will be extensive as it involves taking out the entire concession stand, putting up new doors and a few rooms in the lobby for birthday parties or meetings.

“I’d like to do the bathrooms as well as part of that,” Mayer said.

He said the theater will likely need to shut down for a week or two while work is being done to the lobby.

Mayer is expecting bids back for the project any day now and once those are in, a construction timeline will be put together. He expects work could start as early as the first of February. Once started Mayer expects it will be an eight to 12 week project and the goal is for the project to be completed in May.

While Mayer has been anxious to start this project for some time, he’s also happy with how business has been going.

“Overall the attendance is up this year from last year,” Mayer said, noting that there were more children or family-oriented movies that came out and were shown at the theater.

“The number one movie for the year was the Super Mario movie that came out in March,” Mayer said.

A close second behind that movie was the Barbie movie, which came out in the summer.

“For most theaters that order was flipped. Barbie was number one followed by Super Mario but in the Midwest, there’s strong family demographic so it made sense that Super Mario was number one,” Mayer said.

Once again this holiday season, Fairmont 5 Theatres has been offering free Christmas movies which are sponsored by area businesses. Mayer said they’ve seen really good attendance for these showings and have had almost 1,000 people come in so far. The Polar Express will be the final free showing at 10 and 11 a.m. today and Sunday. Mayer said last year that was one of the most popular Christmas movies that showed.

Speaking of the impact the remodel project will have on the community, Mayer said, “We’d like to be the number one choice in terms of out-of-home entertainment in Fairmont and the surrounding communities. It will be a lot more comfortable to go to once we deliver the remodel. We want it to feel refreshed and vibrant.”