‘What’s going to happen?’: Temple Mall business owners react to movie theater closure

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - At the end of December the Premiere Cinema at the Temple Mall will roll its final credits ever. Premiere Cinema announced the closure of the 20-year-old movie theater on Sunday.

The movie theater was one of the first IMAX theaters in Central Texas. Premiere Cinema - Temple will be open until the last showing of “Avatar: The Way of Water” on Christmas Day.

Rob Brandenburg is the owner of Peggy’s Coffee House, which is just a few doors down from the theater at the mall.

“I don’t think it’s an indicator that the future of the mall is bleak, it just feels like the what if. What’s going to happen?” Brandenburg said.

But at PJ’s Sassy Classy Boutique, on the other side of the mall, owner Paula Jackson is still in shock over the theater closure.

“I really don’t know what to say I’m kind of just in awe,” Jackson said.

With business heating up, owner Brandenburg was looking at expanding his coffee shop or his other stores at the mall Under My Skin and Candy And More.

“You want to have confidence that the mall is going to have a nice long future, but now it’s hard to tell when there’s not a lot of development going on.,” Brandenburg said.

Now he’s halting all plans to expand his stores.

“Anything expansion within the mall for my stores is on pause until we can see something more promising from the mall owners,” Brandenburg said.

In a release from Premiere Cinema, Temple theater director Buffy Lara released the following statement: “The mall is under new ownership so we’re hopeful the community supports them and all their improvements they’re planning for the property.”

But the boutique owner is worried this closure is a preview of what’s coming soon.

“Maybe all of us stores need to come together and sit down and see what we can do to save the mall,” Jackson said. “I don’t know at this point.”

Both Temple Mall management and Premiere Cinema did not respond to multiple calls on what led to the theater closure.

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