New management takes over South County movie theater with plans to implement several changes for the new year. PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Clark
All South County Cinemas, located in South County Commons, just a quick ride away from the University of Rhode Island’s campus, is about to undertake some big remodels, adding a little more luxury to the local spot.
The theater recently fell under new ownership. The new co-owners of the theater, Bill Dougherty and Harold Blank have both been in the movie theater business for a long time and have lots of plans regarding what they want to bring to the South County theater.
Dougherty’s interest in the theater world sparked at a very young age, when he was just 3 years old and his father brought him to the Palace Theatre in Danbury, Connecticut. After that, all he wanted to do was own his own movie theaters. He learned a lot from his dad over the years, and when he got out of high school, he stuck with it and continued to build theaters. He built many in Connecticut and even owned the Narragansett Pier Theater 25 years ago before losing the lease.
Fast forward to this year, Dougherty saw an opportunity at the South County theater and felt strongly that he could fix it up. After a couple of phone calls, he and Blank became co-owners of the spot last month.
Dougherty has plans to bring a lot of what he’s implemented to his theater in Mystic, Connecticut over to All South County Cinemas. This would provide a touch of luxury and make it more than just a movie theater.
They are planning on getting new VIP reclining heated seats and adding wine service in the lounge for moviegoers prior to showings. Due to these changes, the seating size will go down considerably and the theater will seat just under 500 guests.
“We’re currently laying the groundwork and we basically want to make the place look and feel a lot more inviting,” said Rashmi Hauser, the general manager at All South County Cinemas.
Dougherty hopes that all of this work will be completed just after Jan. 1.
As far as what will be playing at the theater, Dougherty said they plan on playing all the mainstream films, but also mix in the classics and different events.
“We show all kinds of films for each of the demographics. We have family pictures, documentaries and art films. We will also look to bring in different events like Metropolitan Operas, concert films and classical films,” Dougherty said. “There will also be a theater that guests can rent out for an event like the Super Bowl or they can bring their own Blu-ray and watch the movie with their friends and family.”
Dougherty’s goal is to give it back to the community and provide a place for guests to enjoy entertainment. He believes that the area deserves a great theater and that is what he has been working to provide. He is excited to be back in Rhode Island and continue his dream of operating great movie theaters.
“I own the seats, the screens, the projector, the popcorn machine,” Dougherty said. “The landlord owns the building, but the theater belongs to the community and we are going to give the theater back to the community.”