The doors to the Dollar Movies at Northwest that were supposed to open in Muncie this week will remain closed a little longer.
The dollar theater, expected to open Friday, is now set to open Nov. 18.
Since a recent hurricane struck Miami, factories that were building some equipment for the theater were without power, said Alan Teicher, who also owns a nine-theater company headquartered in Troy, Ohio and Winchester's Airline Twin Drive-In.
The dollar theater is still waiting for concession cases and hardware for its restroom partitions, both of which were shipped Monday, Teicher said.
"We're not guaranteed when they'll be here, so it's better to open on the 18th with no problems," he said.
When the dollar movies do return to Muncie on Nov. 18, it will be "bigger and better" than ever, Teicher said.
The theater will open at 4 p.m. with five screens at the former location of Northwest Plaza Cinema 8, 1907 W. McGalliard Rd. Teicher said he expected 300 to 400 people for opening day.
"The theater is gorgeous," he said. "People are going to be really surprised."
Ball State University students will especially benefit from the return of the dollar movies.
"It's just close, and it's a cheaper price," Teicher said. "Now they can walk over."
The theater has been repainted, cupholders are in place and seats are spread apart farther to provide more leg room, he said.
Teicher will not know until Monday what movies the theater will show, he said.
Teicher's dollar movies at the Muncie Mall closed on June 14 after three and a half years. That same day, Kerasotes, an independent theater chain, abandoned the site now occupied by the Dollar Movies at Northwest and opened ShowPlace 12 on an outlot at the Muncie Mall.
Ball State junior Lani Hadley said she enjoyed frequenting the old dollar theater last year.
"I probably went there five or six times last year with friends," Hadley said. "It's a great thing to do on a Sunday. Then they took that away."
Hadley said the dollar theater's return to Muncie would be a positive add for students.
"It's a common idea that most college kids don't have eight bucks a pop to spend," she said.
Admission at Northwest every day except Tuesday will be $1 before 4 p.m.; however, on Fridays and Saturdays, admission will be $1.50 after 4 p.m., Teicher said. Movies on Tuesdays will cost 50 cents all day.
On opening day, moviegoers can get into the theater by bringing a can of food, which will be donated to Christian Ministries Food Pantry.
"I think that will be a tremendous benefit for our food pantry, and we'll be able to help more people," Marie Evans, executive director of Christian Ministries of Delaware County, said. "It will also bring awareness to the fact that there are hungry people in our community."
With the state of today's economy, marked by an increase in grocery and utility prices, more people are struggling today than they have in the past, Evans said. Allowing moviegoers to bring canned foods for the dollar theater's opening day is a positive incentive, especially for college students.
"There are a lot of people hurting today-struggling in the pain of poverty," Evans said. "(Bringing canned goods) is less expensive than buying a ticket, and I think bringing canned food will probably give them the opportunity to see a free movie and of course help people at the same time."
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