$14 million Xscape movie theater opens in Jeffersonville

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- It’s showtime in Jeffersonville with the grand opening of the brand new Xscape Theater.

Construction on the $14 million project off Gottbrath Parkway was completed in March, but the owners had to delay the opening because of the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, the wait was over Thursday afternoon, when project and city leaders gathered to cut the ribbon and welcome a group inside for a sneak peek.

The theater has 12 screens, each with 4K digital projection. All the seats recline, and each one will be sanitized and wiped down in between showings.

Chance Ragains, the CEO ad managing director of Patoka Capital and Xscape Theaters, said he is excited to open the theater and give families a safe and fun option for getting out of the house. He said customers will be required to wear masks. Employees will also be masked up, and they will be required to check their temperatures daily.

“In addition to that, in order to be extra safe, we have spread out the number of and lessened the number of show times that we have throughout the day," Ragains said. "Just so that we don’t get a big crowd coming in at one time."

When customers purchase tickets, they will automatically be assigned seats to promote social distancing between groups of people. The theater has a maximum capacity of 1,500 people, but under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, they will not be operating anywhere near that capacity.

“This is huge for Jeffersonville," Mayor Mike Moore said. "It’s been 30 years since Jeffersonville has had a movie theater."

Moore said the movie theater is the catalyst for the expected growth in the area. He expects restaurants and shops will be developed there in the future.

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