Kearney Cinema 8, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Kearney Cinema 8 movie theater in Kearney has announced that it will close.
The Cinema 8 will be closing its doors indefinitely upon the final showings Thursday, May 16.
“This is an incredibly difficult decision. The movie theater industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic, competition from streaming services, the writers and actors strike, lack of blockbuster releases and spiraling costs. Through the years, we have enjoyed wonderful support from Kearney and central Nebraska. We are extremely appreciative of the long-time, steadfast patronage of our customers and staff,” stated William Pollack, managing member of the Kearney Cinema LLC.
“We are exploring new opportunities for the building, particularly in the entertainment field.”
Located at 300 South Third Ave., the 25,000-square-foot Kearney 8 was constructed in 2007 and opened Thanksgiving Day of that year. Until the pandemic, the cinema sold over 250,000 box office tickets annually.
Pollack also said, “we have been in discussions with potential investors interested in the property. We are optimistic that the location will again be known as the ‘ultimate entertainment experience’”.
The Cinema 8 was closed due to storm damage that occurred during the evening of July 9, 2021 and reopened in 2023.
Straight line winds up to 66 mph tore through Buffalo County and Kearney and caused damage to the roof of the theater which allowed water to enter the structure.
Cinema 8 also had to face the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and before that, had to recover from the flood waters that entered south Kearney on July 9, 2019.
