David Parlier, owner of Ruby Cinemas in Franklin, is teaming up with Greg Israel, owner of Smoky Mountain Cinemas in Waynesville to launch Catamount Cinemas in Sylva.

Catamount Cinemas was just announced Monday via Facebook by the theater’s former Facebook page, Quin Theatres.

The Quin Theater was first opened in 1977 as “The Quin Twin Theatres” and was built by Resicom Builders. The original theater had two screens with a combined total seating capacity of 484 and was operated by the Quin Corporation, a group of five local men, including Johnny Maney of the Maney family.

After operating for decades, former owners The Maney Family, who own and operate the East Sylva Mall, announced in April that the Quin Theaters would be closing. It was then that Parlier and Israel began discussing the possibility of working together to reopen it.

Together, Parlier and Israel have over 50 years of industry experience. This experience, coupled with a love of providing space for the community, led the men to reopen Sylva’s cinema.

“Working in the film industry, it’s always sad to see a cinema that has been so involved in the community close its doors,” Parlier said. “We saw this by reading the many memories shared by those who had visited the Quin Theater over the past four decades. However, the closing of a movie theater does not always mean that it was not or could not be a successful operation. The Maneys made the decision to retire after more than 40 years, but still hoped to see this complex reopen as a movie theater. We felt after discussions with them that this was an excellent opportunity. The Quin Theater is in good shape within a great community, and we want to provide the experience of seeing movies on the big screen for years to come.

As the theater reopens soon, Parlier said the new owners plan to make upgrades and upgrades inside.

“Over the next few months there will be several minor changes to the theater,” Parlier said. “Some of those changes will be new media servers, sound coming to 7.1, the implementation of online ticketing, the addition of nachos and ICEE to the concession area, and more. We’re still evaluating bigger changes like adding 3D capability and VIP seating areas that could include recliners, gliders, or lounge chairs.

Interviews for the theater are currently underway, with many former employees of the establishment reapplying for open positions. With little to do to get the theater up and running again, residents can expect the doors to reopen after the 4th of July holiday, just in time to enjoy some of the summer’s biggest hits!

“We would like to reopen the cinema as soon as possible, but there are a variety of elements that must be completed before we do so,” Parlier said. “Some of the items include replacing/repairing some equipment and getting approval from studios to show films under this new company. However, we have set an internal deadline of July 8 which coincides with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder from Marvel Studios.