Kendall 11 insider: Oswego theater expecting future growth

Kendall 11 operates in Oswego, Illinois, under the company Classic Cinemas. The local theater recently made some changes to its seating, and the final touches are expected to be finished in February.

“We are reopening that [GDX] auditorium for Captain America. It opens on February 14th, but there’s a day before preview on February 13th. But if everything goes correctly, we’re actually going to have the same seats that we have in the other ten auditoriums, but they’re [also] going to have massaging seats,” said Classic Cinemas CEO Chris Johnson.

Despite the appraisal for these new seats, Kendall 11 is currently facing low guest rates, but not because of the change in seating.

“Usually as movie theaters go, once we get into January, that’s usually when the big ticket-selling movies are not being released, so attendance is actually down right now, but that’s to be expected in January,” said Kendall 11 Assistant Manager Joshua Fonner. “Once the GDX theater opens up in February… I think we’re going to start picking things back up as we head into the spring/summertime.”

Though attendance is expected to rise, the upgraded seating has caused the number of seats to decrease greatly in the auditoriums.

“It’s really odd because you lose a lot of seats, but you increase your attendance by a lot,” said Johnson. “In 2022, we reopened the LaGrange Theater in downtown LaGrange, and this theater, prior to closing, had essentially a thousand seats. We brought it down to 304 seats and we doubled the attendance.”

In the coming months, Kendall 11 may be crowded more than usual and theatergoers may have to buy some tickets in advance. However, every small addition to the theater is designed to improve the experience and environment for guests. Unfortunately, some new additions have created obstacles for employees.

“They put in new carpet, and the carpet is super thick and plush right now because it hasn’t been walked on a lot, [So] now the popcorn gets stuck in the carpet really easily,” said OH senior and Kendall 11 floor staff employee Greta Woelke. “It gets messy to clean up, but it’s fine.”

While it might be a part of their job description, it may be in the best interest of theater-goers that they do their best to leave the auditorium as spotless as they find it and take a mint on the way out. After all, Johnson spends over $50,000 a year on them.

“I spend a lot of money on those mints, only because I want people to feel welcomed. I want them to feel welcomed when they come in and welcomed when they leave,” said Johnson.

Every single aspect that is put into Kendall 11, whether by the workers or the CEO himself, is for the sole purpose of making sure people have a great time together.

“Watching a movie in a movie theater is about community and even though you don’t know everybody in that audience, you’re all laughing together, scared together, or whatever it is, the emotions are all together,” said Johnson.

Gavin Dolan - Entertainment Editor

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I am a senior and this is my first year as a student journalist for 42Fifty. I currently play the trumpet in the OHS Marching Band and I am a member of BIONIC as well. I am excited for learning and gaining experience in journalism this year. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!

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