Odeon Theatre

123 S. 2nd Street,
Tucumcari, NM 88401

Unfavorite 1 person favorited this theater

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Commonwealth Amusement Corp.

Functions: Movies (First Run)

Styles: Art Deco

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 575.461.0100

Nearby Theaters

The Odeon

Built in 1935, this old white front Art Deco style theatre is still in operation. Single screen, seating 696 in orchestra and balcony levels. The theatre has a squared marquee with no attraction panels but has a good sized vertical in all red like the marquee with white neon lettering spelling out Odeon. The Odeon plays first run attractions. It was listed on the Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Due to the owner retiring, the Odeon Theatre was put up ‘For Sale’ in the fall of 2010. It was reopened under new owners on April 29, 2014. It was closed on March 15, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Refurbishment was carried out and it reopened on September 1, 2022 using the orchestra seating area only. The reopening movie was a free screening of Jeff Bridges in “Hell or High Water”.

Contributed by Chuck Van Bibber

Recent comments (view all 12 comments)

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on April 29, 2008 at 1:36 pm

A 1988 view of the Odeon Theater in Tucumcari.

DonSolosan
DonSolosan on October 14, 2010 at 9:19 pm

I noticed # of seats given as 696, but next to the ticket window there’s a sign that says “Occupancy 360.”

rivest266
rivest266 on August 21, 2013 at 4:26 pm

Still open, showing The Heat this week.

kpdennis
kpdennis on March 24, 2016 at 7:01 am

Just read in the local paper that in April 2016 Tucumcari will be celebrating Rawhide Days, in honor of the classic TV western series. Location filming for the show took place near Tucumcari. The Odeon Theatre has offered to screen episodes of the series on their big screen. Series star Clint Eastwood has been invited to attend.

kpdennis
kpdennis on March 25, 2016 at 7:37 am

Historic Route 66 gets all the attention in Tucumcari, while its nearly deserted downtown has one bright spot: the Odeon. Recent pics posted in the Photo section.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on March 29, 2019 at 7:32 pm

1944 postcard added courtesy Tucumcari and Quay County Then and Now Facebook page.

DavidSimpson
DavidSimpson on September 4, 2022 at 3:09 am

On a visit to Tucumcari on Saturday 13th August 2022 I was fortunate to be able to meet current co-owner, Christy Dominguez, at the Odeon. She told me that she and her husband, Robert Lopez, a local farmer, had acquired the Odeon in March 2013 from Ramon Martinez. It was open at that time, but they closed it in September 2013 for refurbishment and the installation of a digital projector and a Dolby 7.1 sound system. The Odeon re-opened in January 2014 with children’s favourite “Frozen”.

Sadly, the Odeon was then forced to close on 15th March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The opportunity is being taken to carry out a further, much more extensive, refurbishment, and it is hoped that the Odeon might re-open as early as September 2022. This will be stalls-only (220 seats); it is unclear whether the circle seating will be brought back into use.

Christy also informed me that the Odeon had been built by the owner of the nearby Princess Theatre, a much grander venue which presented vaudeville in addition to the films, as a fairly ‘basic’ ‘films only’ theatre “for the common man”!

DavidSimpson
DavidSimpson on December 23, 2022 at 1:25 am

The link provided by Trolleyguy on 4 September 2022 refers to a proposed re-opening in 2021. Sadly, this did not happen, although the really good news is that the Odeon did re-open on Thursday 1st September 2022 with a screening of the 2016 crime drama “Hell or High Water”, starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, that was partly filmed in Tucumcari. A second screening was held the following Saturday. These were free, with the emphasis on revenue from concessions rather than tickets. It was hoped that first or second-run films would soon be screened five or six days a week, with, in addition, separate free lunchtime shows supported by concessions sales.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on March 7, 2023 at 6:48 pm

Over 100 photos in this grouping on Flickr. Some are evening shots with the neon lit.

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=odeon%20Tucumcari

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.