Photo by Gage Vota St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Lisa Kindler, from left, Golden Ticket Cinemas president and CEO John Bloemeke, general manager Christopher Lafont, CFO Jeremy Mcminn, and Cafaro Co. director of communications Joe Bell cut the ribbon marking the official grand opening of Golden Ticket Cinemas.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Members of the St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the return of movie theaters at the Ohio Valley Mall with a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday at Golden Ticket Cinemas.

President and CEO John Bloemeke said that the ceremony was a great way to celebrate the completion and opening of the movie theater at the Ohio Valley Mall. The theater technically opened in November but some of the theater’s amenities were not fully opened until recently.

“We opened in phases, the first phase which occurred around Thanksgiving time. We just had five auditoriums open, but in January, we were able to open the other wing, or so to speak with the three large auditoriums,” Bloemeke said. “Now we’re fully open and the beer beer wall’s open and good to go. That’s one of the highlights and favorites for the adult movie goers.”

Bloemeke said he’s excited to be part of the Ohio Valley Mall, filling the void left when the AMC Theaters closed in 2024.

“We’re just so happy to be part of the community and part of this amazing shopping center,” Bloemeke said. “We look forward to entertaining everyone here and making memories for years to come.”

The journey to bring Golden Ticket Cinemas to St. Clairsville started in 2019 when the company opened a theater in DuBois, Pennsylvania.

“I took a little detour on my way home back to North Carolina, and I stopped here and watched a movie at AMC that was here at the time, and I watched a film,” Bloemeke said. “I just left the theater at that time with an impression of the potential that this place had, but it needed some upgrading. I made notes on my phone and took pictures, and lo and behold, years later, we reached out to the Cafaro Company about another site, and lo and behold, there was an opportunity to come here. And immediately I went back to those old pictures, and I said, ‘Absolutely, we’re very interested.'”

Cafaro Co. director of communications Joe Bell said Golden Ticket offers an awesome experience for moviegoers.

“Golden Ticket takes it up a notch, and maybe several notches, because it offers a premium experience for all of those cinema lovers out there,” Bell said. “We have great seating, great auditoriums, and all of the amenities that people want whenever they’re coming out to the theater.”

He added that he’s happy to bring the new amenities to the people of the region.

“We’re going to keep looking for all of those great things to bring here at the Ohio Valley Mall that will make people’s lives a little happier,” Bell said.

St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Lisa Kindler said the chamber was glad to be a part of ribbon cutting.

“We know that the theater has been open for a while for folks to come and see some of the movies, but to do the official ribbon cutting was really an honor for us, because we know having this movie theater in the Ohio Valley is going to be something great for everybody, she said. “Keeping that feeling like going to see a movie, and bringing your family out, it doesn’t compete with just sitting in your own living room watching a movie on TV. So we’re happy to have that for our city.”

Bloemeke added that when theaters close, there’s no more movie experience.

“You may say boo-hoo, I can watch it at home. But I challenge everyone here to think of just one time where you have a special memory of coming to the movie theater. And I guarantee you, 100% of you do, whether you came here with your parents, came here with your first date, with your wife, taking your kids to the first movie everyone has that,” Bloemeke said. “When movie theaters go away, that’s gone. What are you gonna do? Take them to Walmart? I mean, there’s nothing to do in so many towns, so I take a great deal of pride in doing what we do.”