Malco Theater Monday night.
Photo by Katie Williamson I The Daily Mississippian
Malco Theatres recently opened a new location on the east side of Oxford on Sisk Avenue. Oxford Commons, which opened on Oct. 11, has a total of eight screens equipped with stadium seating similar to the Malco Oxford Studio Cinema located on Jackson Avenue.
“We are really excited about the opening of the new theater,” manager Evan Brian said. “It gives the people around here another option to see the latest movies with even more features than before.”
Offering a full bar, an expanded lobby and leather seating, the Oxford Commons theater caters more to the adult crowd.
“The new theater is under the same people as the Jackson Avenue location,” said Jonathan Balsingame, an Oxford Commons employee. “The theater on Jackson is more of a family theater now, so it will be nice to have two different locations.”
The new Sisk Avenue location has been doing well after a month in business, according to Brian.
“It has had a good amount of people show up, but it is not extremely busy yet,” Brian said. “Once ‘The Hobbit’ and some other big movies come out, we expect it to pick up some more.”
The new features in the Oxford Commons theater are drawing in the college crowd as well.
“We have a lot of college students who are starting to go to the Oxford Commons theater,” Balsingame said. “They are taking advantage of all of the new things added to that theater for the adult age group.”
Oxford Commons offers movies starting in the early afternoon and lasts until night showings.
“On the weekends Oxford Commons is open for lunch and afternoon movies until late night,” Brian said. “During the week, the late afternoon movies and night showings are more popular rather than early shows.”
The new theater has drawn praise from University of Mississippi students satisfied with their experience at Oxford Commons.
“I actually like the new design of the theater as well as the fact that it is cleaner,” said Emily Morris, a junior hospitality management major. “I’ve seen ‘Captain Phillips’ like three times there, and it was awesome.”
The new location has provided several other Ole Miss students with a new venue to see the latest films popular among the college crowd.
“It was actually really nice compared to other theaters I have been to,” said Shelley Moss, a junior art major. “The refreshments with the new bar and comfortable seats are definitely a reason to go check it out.”
-Mallory Bailey
mmbailey@go.olemiss.edu
