Avalon Theatre
209 S. Jefferson Street,
Ava,
MO
65608
209 S. Jefferson Street,
Ava,
MO
65608
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Previous Names: Ava Live Theatre, Ava Family Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
417.250.8116
Nearby Theaters
The Avalon Theatre was opened on October 26, 1955 with Robert Mitchum in “River of No Return”. The theatre was owned by H.L. Pettit who also owned the Highway 14 Drive-In and Pettit’s Drive-In. The Avalon Theatre seated 345 and was closed in 1972. It was briefly reopened in 1986.
On March 31, 1995 it reopened as the Ava Live Theatre and by 1999 it was also showing movies. It was later renamed Ava Family Theatre with 165 seats. It was closed in 2016. It was reopened in 2017 reverting back to its original Avalon Theatre name. It operates with 146 seats and 4 wheelchair spaces.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
This September 2004 article discusses the Ava:
http://tinyurl.com/22dl8p
From 2012 a photo of the Ava Theatre building in Ava.
The Ava Family Theatre is all digital with Dolby 7.1 sound. Their website
This house was never called the Wilson Theatre. The Wilson was located on the east side of the town square, opened in 1925, and was renamed the Avalon Theatre in 1939, after being rebuilt following a 1938 fire. I haven’t found the year of opening for the new Avalon Theatre, but it was probably when the old house on the square closed, which was 1954.
The Avalon Theatre closed in 1972, though it was reopened for a few months in 1986. In 1995 the Pettits sold the Avalon, and it reopened on March 31 as the Ava Live Theatre. By 1999 it was apparently showing movies again, though live music was also presented sometimes. I haven’t found in which year it was renamed the Ava Family Theatre.
The new Avalon Theatre opened in 1955. The source for this and the information in the previous comment is a timeline of Ava’s history that was published in the 2009 Chamber of Commerce Community Guide (large PDF here.)
This closed down in 2016. Website gives no listings.
Petit’s Star Theatre launched on August 22, 1943 with “Andy Hardy’s Double Life.” It closed October 25, 1955 which was followed by the opening of the Avalon Theatre on October 26, 1955 to present widescreen film in CinemaScope. First film at the New Avalon - The River of No Return."
When the Avalon Theatre opened its doors on October 26, 1955 with Robert Mitcheum in “River Of No Return” along with the Donald Duck cartoon “Bearly Asleep”, it had a capacity of 360 seats in a 30x90ft auditorium with a 15x60ft lobby and a 13x25ft screen. The Avalon Theatre actually did not close in 1972. It actually operated as a seasonal-theater during its later years at the time, only running through winter months. This continued throughout the remainder of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s.
After closing in 1986, Ava was left without any movie business, leaving moviegoers to see first-run features in either Seymour or Springfield. The theater reopened on March 28, 1995 by Chuck and Lee Borrow under live performances called the Ava Live Theatre, and in December 1999, movies returned to Ava and became the Ava Family Theatre following ownership changes led by Tim and Deirdra Carnell.
It closed in 2016 for a full-year and reopened on December 15, 2017 under the current ownership of Patricia Ketzler and Kent Hicks, and was renamed back the Avalon Theatre.