From March 2020 until this spring, catching a new release from Big Rapids meant a drive. The theater at 213 S. Michigan Ave. was the former AMC location. It closed early in the pandemic and stayed closed for six years. When it reopened on April 3, 2026, the owner set prices low enough that a movie can be something you do on a random Tuesday. For six years it had been a trip you planned around.
That pricing choice is the most important thing about the reopening, and it shapes the rest of a downtown evening this fall.
Six years of the 40-minute drive
The baseline is easy to forget now that the marquee is back. 9&10 News covered opening day. One Big Rapids resident told the station the nearest theaters had been in Rockford or Mount Pleasant, easily a 40-minute drive either way. Back then, an 80-minute round trip came before you even bought popcorn. It's the kind of trip that happens on a birthday or for a big release, and not much more often than that.
The opening also pulled people from beyond the city. 9&10 reported moviegoers from Reed City, Luther and Cedar Springs. A Reed City attendee pointed out that her drive was now 12 minutes. Downtown Big Rapids is once again where the surrounding area comes for a movie.
A theater run on the grocery-store model
Owner Jordan Stancil bought the property in June 2025, and the renovation ran about 10 months. He already owns the Rialto Theater in Grayling, a family business that dates to 1915. He described the Big Rapids approach to 9&10 News on opening day:
"I just think it's like when you go to grocery shopping, it's good to go to Aldi, you know, it's basic, the prices are low, the quality is high. We're not going to bring you a Cobb salad when you press a button at your seat. But we're going to have good popcorn. And you know, you can come here as many times as you want because it's affordable."
The station reported that the plan is built around affordability to encourage repeat visits. Because the theater skips seat-side dining, dinner stays out on the street, at the restaurants nearby. That makes a difference for how the block works, which comes up again below.
What a ticket costs, by the night
The theater's own information page lists four price tiers:
- Evening, 5 p.m. or later: $8.75
- Matinee, before 5 p.m.: $7.50
- Bargain Day, every show on Tuesday: $6.00
- Child under 12, any show, any time: $5.00
Run those numbers for two adults and two children under 12. A Friday evening show costs $27.50 in tickets. The same four people pay $22 on a Tuesday. The children's price stays the same all week, so the Tuesday savings come entirely from the adult tickets, $2.75 per adult below the evening price. With these prices, going on a weeknight when the movie comes out is a real option, and you don't have to wait for it to reach streaming.
House rules that shape the evening
A few policies on the theater's site are worth knowing before you walk in.
Hours. The theater is open seven days a week. Doors open 30 minutes before the first showtime of the day, so an early matinee means a short wait outside.
Vouchers and popcorn buckets. If you pre-purchased ticket vouchers or a popcorn bucket, you can pick them up any time or wait until you're ready to use them. The site says online ticketing and advance sales will start once people have had a chance to pick up their pre-purchased vouchers. Until then, check the site for the current way to buy.
Phones. This is the rule to take most seriously. Using a phone in the auditoriums isn't permitted, and that includes taking one out to check it in the dark. Anyone who does can be asked to leave, with no refund. The policy asks that phones stay silent and in your pocket the whole time.
The phone policy fits with what the building is set up for. Stancil told 9&10 that the remodeled auditoriums got new carpeting and soundproofing to keep noise from carrying between screens.
A building that is still being finished
The theater opened before the renovation was done, on purpose. "It's kind of a pardon our dust kind of theater right now," Stancil told 9&10 News in April. At that point he said about half the building had been remodeled. It opened with two auditoriums.
Late in 2025, Big Rapids Daily News reported the plan. The theater would run two screens until about mid-August, then combine former auditoriums one and two into a larger, reoriented auditorium. The theater's own story page still says a third, larger auditorium is being added in fall 2026.
The newest timing came from a local podcast. On September 30, 2026, an episode of What's Up Big Rapids? said the theater hopes to have Screen 3 ready for the holidays. That is a goal. As of mid-October, nothing confirms an opening date, so check the showtimes before you count on the big room for a holiday release.
The seating is part of the draw. In January, the Ferris State Torch reported plans to make this only the second theater in the country with the newest luxury seats from Irwin Seating of Grand Rapids. Opening-day coverage noted the updated seats now have cup holders.
Dinner on Michigan Avenue and State Street
The theater serves popcorn, not plated meals, so dinner happens nearby. Two downtown options fit easily around a showtime.
Cottage Inn Pizza & Pub, at 126 S. Michigan Ave. on the theater's own street, is now open, according to the chain's location page. The Torch had pitched it as another late-night option in the downtown area, minutes from campus. That makes it a natural stop after a later show.
Cranker's Restaurant & Brewery is at 213 S. State St. The city's community events page lists the Flannel Comedy Tour there on October 22 at 7 p.m. Comedy at Cranker's one night and a Tuesday movie on Michigan Avenue another is the kind of downtown week that wasn't possible a year ago.
Where the theater fits on the fall and winter calendar
The downtown calendar is filling up through December. An indoor theater open seven days a week gives each of these dates an easy before-or-after option, especially once the weather turns.
- October 22, 7 p.m.: Flannel Comedy Tour at Cranker's, per the city's events page.
- October 31: The Skeleton Skurry 5K runs downtown from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Downtown Business Association's Fall Festival falls the same day, with Trunk-or-Treat, kids' activities and food trucks.
- November 21, 6 to 8 p.m.: The Festival of Lights Parade and tree lighting, per the Downtown Business Association.
- December 17, 5 to 8 p.m.: Home for the Holidays, a downtown shopping night with Santa, cocoa, music and caroling.
The parade wraps up at 8 p.m. on a Saturday, so the evening price of $8.75 applies to anyone heading to a late show afterward. A Halloween matinee before 5 p.m. costs $7.50 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. If the holiday target for Screen 3 holds, the larger auditorium could open in the same weeks as Home for the Holidays. Showtimes are on bigrapidsmovies.com.
At West Michigan Homes and Land, we follow the small changes that shape daily life in towns like Big Rapids, from a reopened marquee to a pizza place on Michigan Avenue. If you'd like to see what's for sale within walking distance of downtown's theater and restaurants, Explore West Michigan Listings.
