Has Twin Falls grown to the point where the population could sustain a second movie theater?

On the surface it sounds like a brilliant idea but with theater attendance declining, it's hard to say whether or not there's a large enough movie-going audience to keep two locations in business.

Several sold out shows over the Christmas holiday prompted us to wonder if Twin Falls could use another movie theater.

Sold out movies aren't all that unusual. If you know people in other cities, they'll tell you it's not uncommon for a movie to sell out... especially on opening night or holidays.

But up until about five years ago, a sold out show in the Magic Valley was practically unheard of.

For those of you who are new to the area, the theater at the mall has only been around since 2012.  Prior to that, Twin Falls' only movie theater was Twin Cinema 12, on Eastland on the south side of Twin Falls.  A competing theater opened at the mall in the late 90's but they didn't last and their lease was quickly picked up by Interstate Amusement, the company that owned Twin Cinema 12.

In 2012, Magic Valley Cinema 13 opened at Magic Valley Mall. Twin Cinema would compete for the next couple of years before Interstate Amusement announced that they would be closing all of their properties in 2014.  Among other reasons, Twin Falls just didn't seem to have the population to sustain two theaters.

Today, there are unprecedented crowds (for Twin Falls) at the movies.  Long lines and sold out shows have become a regular occurrence.  Could it be that in four short years, Twin Falls has grown to the point that we could support a second theater?

On the surface it sounds like a brilliant idea but with theater attendance declining, it's hard to say whether or not there's a large enough movie-going audience to keep two locations in business.

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