(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge is primed for a sequel.
Earlier this week, owner Dino Vlahakis announced that the 1920s vintage movie house will close in early January 2023.
He said the decline in movie business since COVID-19 pandemic, combined with a desire to slow down, led to the decision to close the theater.
Since the announcement, though, Vlahakis said business is booming.
“All of the sudden, people want to come back to the theater,” he said. “In fact, yesterday we sold over 1,000 tickets.”
Vlahakis said he's also getting calls from people who want to operate the Pickwick as a movie theater or performing arts space.
“We went from, ‘Well, we will just mothball it,’ to, ‘We may be open,’” Vlahakis said. “There will be somebody operating it.”
In other words, it's not the end of the pickwick, just an intermission before its second act. Vlahakis said the theater might have to close for one or two weeks, but that would be it.
In addition to being on the National Register of Historic Places, the Pickwick is also known for its 1928 vintage Wurlitzer pipe organ. The organ will probably survive the transition to a new owner, he sai, because it's unique — and very difficult to remove.
“I think it complements the theater,” Vlahakis said. “I think it’s going to stay, and we obviously are not going to move it — it’s huge.”
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