Isaac Stant and daughter Eva, 3, leave Consolidated Theatres Ka‘ahumanu Saturday afternoon at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center after watching the movie “Elemental.” The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
KAHULUI – The decades-old Consolidated Theatres in Queen Ka’ahumanu Center showed its final movie Sunday night as the longtime cinema brought operations to a close.
Manager Jose Rodriguez confirmed Sunday afternoon that the theaters will go dark and signs should be posted at the theater by today regarding the closure, along with information for customers who may still have gift cards to claim.
There are other Consolidated Theatres on Oahu, but none left on Maui, Rodriguez said.
A Consolidated spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday afternoon.
No reasons were given for the closure.
Consolidated Theatres Ka‘ahumanu on Saturday. It was expected to close on Sunday.
Tracee Ige-Reis of Kahului stood in front of the theater Sunday afternoon checking the show times. She wasn’t sure yet if she and her 3-year-old were going to see “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.”
She called the closure of the Ka’ahumanu theaters “kind of junk” as the only other option would be Regal Maui Mall theaters, or a 20-minute drive to Regency Kihei Cinemas, although she likes the Kihei cinema. There is also the Regency Wharf Cinemas in Lahaina.
Isaac Stant and daughter Eva, 3, took in the movie “Elemental” Saturday.
Stant said he heard the theater was closing and decided to take his daughter to see a movie on the big screen while she still could. “It’s her first time,” he said. “She’s never been.”
The closure of the theater will leave a void at the mall, which for more than 40 years has housed a movie theater. Old-timers remember that the Ka’ahumanu movie theater used to be in the area where Koho’s Grill & Bar is now located prior to the center having two levels.
Rodriguez has worked for Consolidated at the mall on and off for 15 years, but wasn’t down about the closure.
“I’ve been through five different closures. So it’s not a big deal,” he said on Sunday.
Rodriguez has also worked at Spencer Gifts at the mall which has long shuttered its doors.
With many folks looking for workers, Rodriguez said that theater customers have even offered him jobs, giving them their business cards.
He has yet decided what he will do next.
According to a report by the Associated Press earlier this year, the National Association of Theater Owners reported that during the pandemic, the number of screens operating in the U.S. and Canada dropped from 44,283 in 2019 to 40,263.
Though the losses are far less than many anticipated, the balance sheets for some theater chains remain strained, according to the Associated Press.
But the box office also rebounded last year with the success of films including “Top Gun Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
In 2022, there were 71 movies that opened on over 2,000 screens. Eight of them grossed over $300 million domestically and 18 surpassed $100 million, according to The Cinema Foundation.
Rodriguez said there was slight uptick in customers in the past several days after news broke over social media about the closure. He has also been fielding lots of phone calls.
* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
Isaac Stant and daughter Eva, 3, leave Consolidated Theatres Ka‘ahumanu Saturday afternoon at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center after watching the movie “Elemental.” The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo 
Consolidated Theatres Ka‘ahumanu on Saturday. It was expected to close on Sunday.Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
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