LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A staple for entertainment in Radcliff, Ky. is shutting down on Sunday.
Showtime Cinemas has been bringing the latest and greatest movies to Radcliff for decades, but after this weekend, its seats will remain empty. Some loyal customers are disappointed that the movie theater is closing for good.
"I'm really very, very sad," Inge Nunn, a Radcliff resident, said. "That's why my friend and I came today because we're going to watch a movie the last day it's open."
Nunn has lived in Radcliff since 1985.Â
"I was so excited when we had our own movie theater," Nunn said. "Then with everything, how the world is these days, it's horrible."
Showtime Cinemas in Radcliff, Ky.
She isn't the only longtime regular that's making a final visit.
"For this whole week, it was mostly seniors," Laupau Moaga, Showtime Cinema manager, said. "They were coming in and they were saying, 'Why? Why are we closing down' kind of thing. So I can see the disappointment in their face."
Moaga has been with the family-owned company since 2013.Â
"It was a bittersweet feeling for me, we're going to miss the customers, the regulars, especially my staff, I love the people that work here," Moaga said.
Isaac "Ike" Boutwell, who started the theater business, died in June. His son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Paula Boutwell, took over the business, and found the Radcliff location wasn't making enough money.
They opted to close Showtime Cinemas to focus efforts on their Elizabethtown location, Movie Palace.Â
Movie Palace in Elizabethtown, Ky.
"Ever since the pandemic hit, we haven't got any business anymore," Moaga, who plans to work at the Elizabethtown theater, said.
While Nunn understands the toll the COVID-19 pandemic, she believes Radcliff is often the odd one out.
"Elizabethtown is a wonderful town, but hey, so is Radcliff," Nunn said. "We're important."
Nunn and other customers hope another theater will be possible in the future.
Moaga hopes people continue to support the business at the Elizabethtown location.
"That way we don't have to go through something like this anymore," Moaga said.
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