B&B Theatres
| Privately owned | |
| Founded | January 1, 1924 |
|
Number of locations
|
51 |
| Website | [1] |
B&B Theatres is a family-owned and operated cinema chain in Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida, USA. . Founded in 1924, B&B currently operates 414 screens, and is the ninth largest theater chain in the United States. The company maintains offices in Liberty, Salisbury, and Fulton, Missouri.
Contents
History
In 1924, Missourian Elmer Bills, Sr., founded Bills Theaters in Salisbury, Missouri. Elmer met his wife Johnnie when he purchased the Lyric Theater in Salisbury, where she was the piano player for the silent films. Their son Elmer Bills, Jr. was born a few years later. In 1959, Elmer Jr. graduated from the University of Missouri and married one of his "popcorn girls", Amy. The two generations of Bills continued the expansion of the company, and welcomed the birth of Elmer Jr. and Amy's daughter, Bridget. Sterling Bagby went to work for Elmer Sr. as a concession clerk at age 10 in 1936. After serving a stint in World War II, Bagby returned to Missouri and married a ticket seller from Higbee, Pauline. Together, the Bagbys started the Bagby Traveling Picture Show. The Show was, in essence, a portable movie theater, and the Bagbys traveled along with the equipment (including seats, snack bar, film, and projectors) showing movies in schools and barns. Their company became a Kansas circuit of both drive-ins and "hardtop" indoor movie theaters. Sterling and Pauline have three children: Steve, Bob, and Paula.
The two companies formally merged after years of friendship and combined efforts as B&B (Bills and Bagby) Theaters on January 1, 1980, making the Fulton Cinema the first official B&B Theatre. Just months earlier in 1979, Bob Bagby married Bridget Bills and cemented the convergence of the two companies. Sterling died in October 2000, and the remaining family run the National Association of Theater Owners-recognized Midwest chain. From 2000 to 2014 B&B replaced several of their existing locations with new state-of-the-art facilities as well as acquired, remodeled, or built several new locations. In 2010 B&B premiered their first PLF (premium large format) Grand Screen® and their first dine-in Marquee Suites® concept auditoriums.
In October 2014, B&B purchased Kansas-based operator Dickinson Theatres.[1]
Digital cinema
In September 2009, B&B Theatres announced that it had selected Christie Digital Systems to supply 2k digital projectors for the circuit's transition to realD 3D capable digital cinema. The digital conversion was completed by April of 2012. [2]
Locations
Arkansas
- Little Rock Chenal 9 IMAX
Arizona
Florida
- Tavernier Cinema 5
- Naples Towne Centre 6
- Sebring, Florida Fairmount Cinema 6
Kansas
- Roxy Cinema 4 (Chanute)
- Dodge City Village 8
- Emporia Flinthills 8 Cinemas
- Hutchinson Mall 8
- Independence Cinema
- Junction City Gem
- The Majestic Theatre (Concordia)
- McPherson Cinema 4
- Sterling Six (Iola)
- Olathe Great Mall 10
- Overland Park 16
- Shawnee 18
Missouri
- Bolivar Cinema 5
- Grand 6 (Chillicothe)
- Extreme Screen Union Station (Kansas City)
- Festus 8 Cinema
- Fulton Cinema 8
- Grain Valley Marketplace 8 and Grand Screen
- B&B Theatres Cineplex (Harrisonville)
- Main Street Cinema 8 (Hannibal)
- Independence Twin Drive-In
- Kansas City I-70 Drive-In
- Kansas City Extreme Screen Union Station
- Kansas City Northland 14
- Lee's Summit 16
- Lake West Cinema 5 (Gravois Mills)
- Ritz 8 (Lebanon)
- Cannonball 6 (Lexington)
- Liberty Cinema 12
- Clinton Missouri 6
- Moberly Five & Drive ([Moberly, MO])
- Monett Plaza 8
- Neosho Cinema 6
- Ozark Ozark/Nixa 12 with Marquee Suites
- Waynesville Patriot 12 and Grand Screen
- Wentzville Tower 12 (Wentzville)
- Wildwood 10 with Marquee Suites
Nebraska
- Hastings Imperial 3
Oklahoma
- Claremore Cinema 8
- Miami Cineplex
- Muskogee Arrowhead Mall 10
- Reno Cinema 8
- Sapulpa Cinema 8
- Windsor 10 (Oklahoma City)
- Tulsa Starworld 20
Texas
- Wylie 12 at Woodbridge Centre
- Port Arthur Central Mall 10
See also
References
- Dzurick, Alex (2006). Fulton Cinema moves to 8-screen building. Cinema Treasures.
- B&B Theatres company website
http://directoryofstlouis.com/blog/wildwood-10-now-open-has-over-21-theaters/
