America Stadium Theatre

119 S. Center Street,
Casper, WY 82601

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Commonwealth Theaters Corp., Gibraltar Enterprises Inc.

Firms: Crowther & Marshall

Previous Names: New America Theater, America Theatre

Nearby Theaters

America Theatre  Casper, WY  July 1994

The New America Theater opened October 15, 1920 with Barbara Castleton in “The Branding Iron”. In 1950 it was remodeled to the plans of architectural firm Crowther & Marshall and renamed America Theatre. It was renovated in the mid-2000’s with stadium seating (hence the change of name). Operated by Movie Palaces Inc. it also had the ultimate Digital sound system, and until March 2015 when they opened their Studio City Mesa + ARQ, it boasted the largest screen in Casper. It was closed in 2022 and was put up ‘For Sale’ with the proviso that the purchaser would not reopen it as a theatre.

Contributed by Ross Melnick, Ken Roe

Recent comments (view all 16 comments)

kpdennis
kpdennis on April 27, 2009 at 1:40 am

The America in 1994. I heard that three years later they held a special regional premiere screening of “Starship Troopers” here – parts of that film were shot in nearby Powder River.
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MichaelGraham
MichaelGraham on February 21, 2010 at 7:30 pm

This is actually owned by Movie Palaces Inc. or at least that is name listed at the bottom of their website.

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on August 3, 2010 at 2:50 am

From July 2010 a photo of the America Theatre in Casper.

WyoDan
WyoDan on December 9, 2011 at 3:53 pm

Good news and bad news. They’ve converted to digital projection so the option to ever see a 70mm showing there again seems impossible now. That said, 70mm prints are almost never struck so it’s probably not a huge loss. Just a couple of years ago one of the owners said they didn’t make a digital projector that could fill that massive screen. Well, they do now and I’m happy to say it looks spectacular. Still one of the best places to see a movie in the area, and I actually prefer it to the IMAX in Denver. We’re very lucky here.

MichaelGraham
MichaelGraham on March 5, 2016 at 10:47 pm

This theater is in the process of installing leather reclining seats. Right now the top half of the auditorium has these seats, while the bottom portion is empty and awaiting these new seats. I am hoping that some else can report on how many seats there were be after all are installed.

rivest266
rivest266 on November 18, 2017 at 10:23 pm

This opened on October 15th, 1920. Grand opening ad below. I think that the America was rebuilt or torn down and a new one built around 1950. Awaiting further digitization of the Casper newspapers.

Found on Newspapers.com

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on May 21, 2018 at 4:57 am

1969 photo added via Mike Mase Mason. 1969 versus 2015 comparison shot added as well.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on June 10, 2020 at 4:27 pm

Images added, including 1950 with original facade and marquee.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on August 27, 2022 at 4:01 pm

The re-opening of the American Theatre (I don’t know if American was a mistake or if the theater was actually called that for a time) was noted in the September 23, 1950 issue of Boxoffice. The house had undergone a $75,000 remodeling. New seats, carpeting, lighting and stage drapes had been installed, along with a new foyer and new restrooms. Seating capacity had been increased from 808 to 822. Outside, a new marquee had been installed on the updated façade. The house was owned by the local Rialto Theatres company, but among the guests at the opening was Charles P. Skouras, president of the National Theatres company.

MichaelGraham
MichaelGraham on July 9, 2023 at 12:22 am

This theater is has been closed for over a year now and is listed for sale. The following is link to a story about his.

https://oilcity.news/community/city/2023/05/18/downtown-caspers-historic-rialto-and-america-theaters-listed-for-sale/

It is my understanding that any new owner must agree to not reopening this a a theater though.

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