‘The lights will shine again’: Long-closed Johnson County movie theater may still reopen

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For more than four years, the curtains have been closed at the historic Rio movie theater in downtown Overland Park.

Inside the pale pink art deco building, nearly 80 years old, independent films once played in its 300-seat, single-screen theater.

Now, as many movie theaters have emerged from the pandemic, owner Brian Mossman hopes the Rio will do the same.

When will that be? It’s hard to say, Mossman said. Box office numbers are still down at his other movie theater, the Glenwood Arts at 3707 W. 95th St. , though he said they’re trending upward — “very, very slowly.”

“I only compare with the other theater’s numbers, and they’re not quite there yet to determine whether to open the Rio or not,” Mossman said.

Mossman continues to show a mix of films at the Glenwood. (Right now, he’s showing “The Fabulous Four” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” among others.) He said his clientele, mostly older, continue to be avid movie-goers.

They ask him almost daily when the Rio will reopen. Mossman doesn’t give any false promises but tells them they need to continue to support the Glenwood if they want to see the Rio open back up.

Meanwhile, many Americans are skipping out on going to the theaters altogether, preferring to stream movies from the comfort of their couches. A 2022 Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans had not attended a movie in a year. That was during the pandemic, but the industry hasn’t bounced back.

“People’s movie-going habits have changed,” Mossman admitted, adding that the pandemic only hurt the theater business more .

In 2019, the once-popular Cinemark Palace closed on the Plaza. And the Country Club Plaza’s new owners say a new theater is unlikely: “That whole business has gone away,” Ray Washburne, a principal in HP Village Partners, told The Star this month. He does anticipate bringing in other unspecified types of entertainment venues.

Merriam’s Cinemark (5500 Antioch Drive) will be transformed into a family entertainment center with half the amount of movie screens. The other half will include arcade games, bowling lanes, laser tag and a restaurant.

“ In the aftermath of the pandemic, theaters nationwide have struggled to return to pre-pandemic attendance levels,” Cinemark wrote in its application to the city. “Cinemark’s initiative represents a pioneering trend in the industry, signaling a proactive approach to giving its business the best opportunity to thrive in a changing landscape.”

Since the Rio closed in March 2020, Mossman said he’s been approached several times by parties wanting to buy the building and turn it into something else: a music venue, etc.

No chance, he tells them. Not yet, anyway.

“We’re not ready to sell the building,” he said. “The lights will shine again.”

Built in 1946, the Rio at 7204 W. 80th St., was at first simply known as the Overland Theater.

In the ’60s, the space became the arthouse theater Kimo South. Then, children’s theater company Theater for Young America took over the space in 1977. (The troupe now performs its season of plays at City Stage in Union Station.)

Mossman’s Fine Arts Theatre Group bought the theater in 1993 and began a seven-year restoration that culminated in 2000, when the Rio reopened at last.

If and when it does return, Mossman said it would play more specialty films, and ones not offered at the Glenwood.

“Both theaters can’t play the same films,” he said.

While the Rio is in limbo, downtown Overland Park grows around it.

In 2019, the Strang Hall food court opened as the first piece of the city’s Edison District: a downtown development with 100,000 square feet of office space and a public event plaza.

Made in KC Marketplace and Flying Cow Gelato are among a few businesses that have recently opened up in the area.

This summer, the city also approved a $34 million farmers market improvement plan to remake added and expand the downtown pavilion and create more gathering spaces.

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