DOVER, Del. - After more than two years without a movie theater, Dover residents once again have a place to catch a movie close to home.
Dover Movies 14 officially opened its doors Friday at Dover Mall, marking the return of the big-screen experience to Delaware's capital city and giving moviegoers a new reason to visit the shopping center.
For some residents, the reopening has been a long time coming.
Moviegoer Fred Evins said he was so excited about the theater's return that he regularly stopped by the mall during construction to check on its progress.
"I'm kind of glad they left their entrance into the mall to try to help them all out, too," Evins said. "I was so excited about them coming back that I kept coming over here and talking to the construction guys, asking how the progress was going."
The new theater features heated reclining seats, LED screens and a self-serve popcorn machine, offering moviegoers an updated experience.
Sven Johnson, the theater's head of operations, said bringing a theater back to Dover means residents no longer have to travel to neighboring communities to see a movie.
"It'll be nice for the community to have their own theater now where they can come here and not have to drive 20, 30 minutes to go see a movie," Johnson said.
Johnson said the theater's return could also benefit the mall by attracting more visitors and generating additional business.
Former Dover Mall employee Darryl Curry shared that hope, saying the theater could help bring people back into the shopping center.
"I'm glad it's back in Dover so we don't have to drive that far to go to a movie theater like Milford, or even Middletown. And it also brings money back to Dover and the Dover Mall," Curry said.
For Evins, community support will be key to making sure the theater remains a fixture in Dover.
"I hope everybody comes and it's busy all the time. I don't want to hear that it's closing again. We can't do that. This is the capital city of Delaware, so we need a movie theater," he said.
The reopening comes as Dover Mall looks to regain momentum and attract new businesses and visitors.
