Kandi 4 Theatres

A franchise of United General Theatres, a competitor to the “turn-key” Jerry Lewis circuit, launched here as the Kandi Twin Theatres on December 28, 1973 with “Bang the Drum Slowly” and “Blume in Love”. The theatre sat 500 with two identically-sized auditoriums with different color schemes each seating 250. The Kandi Twin was an original tenant of Kandiyohi County’s Kandi Mall. But the theatre missed the Mall’s launch date of August 16, 1973 be more than four months.

The Kandi Mall was announced in 1971 and had originally been designed around a Belscot discount anchor store that was replaced as an anchor spot for Goldfine’s Discount Department Store. The United General cinema in Willmar was part of a movement in cinema exhibition called the Suburban Luxury Theatre era in which theaters were built outside of downtown to take advantage of larger tracts of land offering free parking around suburban strip shopping centers or malls. Companies including United General Corporation (NGC) and Jerry Lewis' Network Cinema offered turnkey automated systems to first-time operators of movie theaters. But the work of the theaters and the operation of “turnkey” systems often befuddled this new breed of indy operator.

Within a year, Midcontinent Theatres of Minnesota (aka Midco) operators of the downtown Willmar Theatre turned Cinema 1 & 2, took over the venue in 1974 as the Kandi 2 Theatres. On May 28, 1981, a third and larger 400-seat auditorium was added increasing seat count to 900 (advertisement in photos) with the venue renamed as the Kandi Theatres 1-2-3.

On December 16, 1983, the venue became the Kandi 4 Theatres expanding to 1,102 seats with a new 202-seat auditorium added. The Mall had signed on Hershberger’s, JCPenney’s, Kmart (after losing its original Goldfine’s anchor) and a Sears Hometown as anchors with the mall hitting its halcyon period. But as original 20-year leases were coming due and many interior retailers not renewing in 1993, the Kandi Mall had to reorganize. Midco’s theatre re-upped - seemingly on a 30-year term - with a promise of an improved and expanded space in 1993.

The venue was indeed moved to a new spot allowing the Midco Kandi 4 to operate all the way to April 24, 1995 closing with “Bad Boys", “A Goofy Movie", “Jury Duty", and “Tommy Boy". The film prints were simply moved to the new storefront relaunching as the Midco 6 on April 25, 1995 with “Bye, Bye Love” and “Rob Roy” joining those four titles. The Midco 6 turned Carmike 6 turned AMC Classic turned Trans Golden Ticket has its own page.

On September 13, 1995, Carmike bought the 14-venue/67 screen Midco Circuit with the new venue eventually renamed as the Carmike Kandi Mall Cinemas 6. AMC bought Carmike on December 15, 2016. On May 13, 2017 the theatre was renamed as the AMC Classic Kandi 6 turned Reel Lux Kandi Cinemas 6 turned Golden Ticket Kandi 6 and has its own CinemaTreasure listing.

The Mall had shed its Sears Hometown (2018), Herberger’s (2018), and Kmart (2012 though replaced by Kohl’s seven years later) anchors along with the theater as AMC ankled the location in February of 2018. Despite the mall reaching greyfield status, Reel-Lux Theatres took on the location equipping it with recliner seating, new bathrooms and more amenities in the concession area in 2018. It relaunched March 30, 2018 as the Reel-Lux Kandi 6. The JCPenney would close in 2020 with the Mall attracting Kohl’s and Harbor Freight Tools, as well. The theater would continue as the Golden Ticket Kandi 6 completing renovations in 2020.

Just after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the Mall rebranded as the Uptown Willmar Mall with free rent offered to attract new operators and the hope of new foot traffic in a mixed use facility. The theatre continued into the streaming era of exhibition.

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