December 28, 2022
The Hi-Pointe gets a sequel
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Features (FLIP) Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1 CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3 The Hi-Pointe Theatre, which being the oldest, locally-owned, single-screen theater in the region, celebrated its 100th birthday this year.
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The historic Hi-Pointe Theatre marks 100 years with the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis assuming ownership from the James family By Wendy Todd Movie theaters across the country have struggled to survive since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including several in St. Louis. Some have been hanging on by a thread and some, like the historic Moolah Theatre, have closed. One movie house that has remained in the fight to stay open is the Hi-Pointe Theatre, which being the oldest, locally-owned, single-screen theater in the region, celebrated its 100th birthday this year. But things have been difficult for the venue over the past couple of years, and the family-owned business has decided to make a change. But rest assured, the Hi-Pointe Theatre isn’t closing, it’s changing ownership. Georgia and George James are selling the iconic theater to the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, the organization that hosts the annual St. Louis International Film Festival.
The family’s statement from the James’ daughter, Diana Grayson, is as follows: “After 45 years of owning the beloved HiPointe Theatre, we have decided that it is time to end our run. We have been blessed to share this theatre with three generations of our family and have had the privilege of helping it reach the magical age of 100 years. We know that Cinema St. Louis is the perfect sequel to our story. They share the same passion and vision, and we are confident that they will be able to carry on our family’s legacy for the next 100 years. We thank you for your continued patronage, dedication and support through the years. We will miss you all.” The Hi-Pointe will serve as the nonprofit’s new office of operations as well as continue to show films and host events. The change of ownership is beneficial for both parties. The James family has the opportunity for the legacy of the theater to continue as op-
posed to shutting down, and CSL will have a home base for operations, festivals and other related programming. “As each fest has grown, so too has the need for consistent venues,” said Bree Maniscalco, executive director of CSL. “Over time, especially coming out of the pandemic, this has become increasingly difficult. Cinema St. Louis was losing control of its own story and the sustainability of its festivals was becoming less certain. In preparing for the St. Louis International Film Festival in 2022, the organization reached out to the Hi-Pointe to see if it could serve as a fest venue and planted the seed of being considered should the family ever be interested in selling.” Fans of the theater can rest assured its iconic attributes and culture will be maintained. See ‘SEQUEL’ page 2
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