On the final night of the Palace 9 movie theater’s operation, the hottest ticket was the Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon,”…for a dollar.

By Jonah Frangiosa, Community News Service

On the final night of the Palace 9 movie theater’s operation, the hottest ticket was for the three-hour Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon,” costing only a dollar.

“We’re here to see the new Leo DiCaprio movie!” a group of college-age men yelled as they entered the 30-year-old theater, tucked behind a retail plaza on Shelburne Road.

The Palace 9 closed for good on Nov. 9 with a special deal for the diehard patrons who came for its final showings: $1 tickets, drinks, popcorn and candy.

Customers poured into the lobby from all entrances and formed lines that extended to the sidewalk outside. The cheap tickets weren’t the only reason for the crowds. Many families, groups and couples came for the sentimental value that Palace 9 held for them.

“It is the end of an era of cinema,” said Mark Stevenson as he left the theater with a companion after watching “Killers of the Flower Moon.” “I already saw this movie on one of the channels that we get. We just decided to watch it on the big screen.”

The explosion of streaming services is the primary reason for the struggles of the movie theater industry nationwide and a key factor in the closure of Palace 9.

The theater opened in the early 1990s as Vermont’s largest movie theater at the time, according to Burlington newspaper Seven Days. Owned by Merrill Jarvis III, who also operates the Majestic 10 in Williston and Merrill’s Roxy Cinema in Burlington, he and his family sold the Palace at one point before buying it back in 2012. But the onetime trademark movie house of South Burlington has experienced a downtick in business since the COVID-19 pandemic. With the property’s lease expiring at the end of this year, Jarvis made the decision to shutter the place.

Mother and daughter Kathryn and Star Lenski waited in line to view “The Nightmare Before Christmas 30th Anniversary.” Kathryn has visited Palace 9 nearly every month for years, and the closing saddened her, she said. She plans to adopt the Majestic 10 as her new “go-to spot.”

“We’re going to do what we came to do: support their theatres.” Kathryn Lenski said.

Star Lenski, who said she works in the marketing field, offered an optimistic outlook for the future of the region’s remaining movie theaters. “I’m a little worried, but I also have a little bit of faith,” she said, because the closing of the Palace 9 could “strengthen the other two.”

Palace 9 may have suffered from its low profile among consumers, Star added, describing the theater as “out of the way” and “slow on social media.”

On closing night, employees stayed on their toes at the concession stand – after spending many recent nights nearly alone in the quiet theater, with a mere handful of customers in each

screening room. Jarvis told Seven Days that the Burlington area had too many screens for the demand.

Jarvis didn’t respond to The Other Paper’s repeated requests for an interview before closing day. That evening, he rushed around the theater, unable to find a few minutes to speak with a reporter for the South Burlington newspaper.

Hailey Holliday had worked for Palace 9 for nearly a year and called the final curtain “bittersweet.” The staff took pride in the enthusiasm of the closing night crowd, which made the end of the business all the more disappointing, Holliday said.

“We’re trying to send out a final thank you,” she said. “That is what this night is all about.”

After 30 years in business, she said, the final night served as “a send-off, a thank you, and we’ll miss you.”

The closing brought out such a large crowd that it likely surpassed the busiest days of the dual release of the record-setting blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” this summer, according to Holliday.

While the screening rooms emptied of moviegoers from the early-evening showings on the final night, more visitors entered the lobby for the next round. Several in the departing crowd lamented that it was their last viewing at the Palace 9.

Even with the plethora of streaming options vying for their attention, many locals said they still seek the enjoyment of a communal viewing experience.

“I don’t think the big screen will ever go out of fashion, because everyone is interested in the shared experience,” said Linda Jones, who accompanied Stevenson to the “Killers of the Flower Moon” screening. “Movies can get people to stand up together and clap.”

As she exited the Palace for the last time, she added, “I don’t think that will ever end.”