LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After months of being empty, the popcorn is popping once again at Louisville’s last standing discount theater, Village 8 Theatres. 

What You Need To Know

  • Village 8 Theatres has been a St. Matthews staple for the past 45 years

  • The discount house offers cheaper prices by showing movies a few weeks after their release date

  • The theater was closed twice in 2020

  • Grant funding allowed the theater to reopen this summer

Last March, the big screens in Apex Theatres of Louisville consisting of Baxter Avenue Theatres and Village 8 Theatres went blank when theaters were mandated to close. 

With Paycheck Protection Program loan funding, the team reopened the doors of both Baxter Avenue and Village 8 Theaters in June 2020, but only one survived after the summer season. 

“The business just wasn’t there and the PPP loan it kind of dried up pretty quick. So by August 1 it just didn’t make sense as far as income for Village 8 to keep it open, says Apex Manager LLC senior manager Matthew Kohorst. 

Shuttered Venue Operator grant funding allowed the theater to reopen this past weekend. 

“When we opened, good crowd, lots of regulars came back in and we’re ecstatic to see us back open and that’s what we do it for ... the hometown crew,” says Kohorst. 

Paul Neidrstadt is a regular customer who is excited to be back in front of the big screen. 

“I’ve been coming here off and on since I was a kid back in the 70s. You get a chance to see movies here that you wouldn’t have been able to afford to see in the regular main run theaters,” says Niedrstadt.

For the past 45 years, Village 8 has been a favorite for families looking to have a night out without breaking the bank by showing movies a few weeks after their release date. 

“I would prefer to see a movie even if it’s in a second, third run theater like this on the big screen versus seeing it for the first time on a DVD or blu ray," says Niedrstadt. 

For Niedrstadt, nothing beats the movie theater experience.

“It’s the whole thing about cracking jokes and getting a reaction out of the rest of the crowd,” says Niedrstadt. “You and your friends can just go sit and screw around and pretty much everybody has already seen the movie in the big theaters anyway.”

He hopes the theater continues to remain a standing staple. 

“The little dollar theaters like this, this is the only one left in town. I mean Dixie Dozen is gone. J'Town 4 is gone, the one down there on Broadway,” says Niedrstadt. “It’ll be a sad day when this place eventually has to close.” 

Apex Theatres usually hosts special events like the Jewish Film Fest and the International 48 Hour Film Festival. None have been announced so far.