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The Athena Grand movie theater in Athens announced it is closing
By: WOUB News Team
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athena Grand movie theater complex on East State Street in Athens will be closing permanently in January.
The 11-screen theater, which opened nearly 20 years ago, will remain open through the holidays and will close its doors for the last time at the end of business on Jan. 5.
The Athena Grand is an independent movie theater unaffiliated with any chains, which according to its website allowed it to keep its prices low at $5 a ticket.
Its closure will leave Athens with one movie theater in the city, The Athena on Court Street in the uptown district, which features mostly independent and foreign films and documentaries on its three screens.
After the Athena Grand closes, the closest theater screening mainstream films and the latest blockbusters will be the Movies 10 along Highway 33, about halfway between Athens and Nelsonville.
Thousands of movie theaters in the United States have closed over the past decade, a trend that accelerated with the pandemic and increased competition from streaming services.