The lobby of the Rio Theatre in downtown Overland Park is a time capsule back to March 17th, 2020, when large gatherings were abruptly banned around Kansas and most businesses were forced to temporarily shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
There is a fallen poster for the film “Parasite,” which had just collected five Academy Awards a month earlier in February 2020, including the Oscar for Best Motion Picture.
This lobby has not seen moviegoers for more than three years, and despite noticeable repairs and maintenance being performed on both the inside and outside of the building, 7204 W. 80th St., there is still no exact timetable for when the Rio’s projector will once again light up the silver screen.
Owners have no plans to sell
The Rio is part of the The Fine Arts Theatre Group, owned by twin brothers Brian and Ben Mossman, who have been operating theaters in the Kansas City area since 1982.
The brothers say they have been getting calls to sell the Rio property for at least 20 years. But Brian says they’re still dedicated to the business and have no plans to part ways with it.
“I’ve never considered selling it,” Brian Mossman said. “The building is on the National Register (of Historic Places). They’ll just try to tear it down and make way for some more apartments.”
“This is our 41st year in the exhibitor business, and we don’t have any plans to leave,” he vowed.
There was work recently on the exterior
Still, local passers-by and movie buffs may have noticed work being done on the Rio’s marquee recently.
The neon sign is now back to beaming the “RIO” name over 80th Street in downtown Overland Park.
But the Mossmans hesitate to give a clear timeline for when the one-screen theater may be back in operation
Brian pointed out that business at their only other film house, the Glenwood Arts Theatre at Overland Park’s Ranch Mart South shopping center, which reopened in 2021, steadily increased over the past year.
He says that when the five screens at Glenwood reach a certain level of patronage, then they will get more focused on pinpointing a date of reopening the Rio.
“Every day, I still have people coming up to me and telling me they are coming back to the movies for the first time since COVID,” Brian said. “Our business runs on an older clientele. They are going to be the last to come back to do things, like go out and see movies.”
The Rio building carries a lot of history
The Rio was built in 1946, and opened on Christmas Day that year, featuring “The Hurricane” with Dorothy Lamour and “In Old California” with John Wayne.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Such smaller movie houses, which typically focus more on art flicks and independent movies as opposed to be summer blockbusters, are a dying breed in an industry where even behemoths like Leawood-based AMC have struggled amid the rise of streamers and the change in movie-going habits.
The Englewood in downtown Independence, Mo., the Glenwood at Red Bridge in south Kansas City and the old Glenwood Arts at Metcalf South were all closed by 2015.
It’s safe to say that the Mossmans aren’t huge fans of the largest movie theater chain in the world, but they’re very comfortable with the space they occupy and the specialty films they can bring to town.
“We can’t compete with AMC, and the commercial films they show,” Brian said. “We’re the only true art house left in town. We’re doing pretty well at the Glenwood, people are slowly coming back to the movies, and hopefully it will continue to grow and get to a point where we need to reopen the Rio.”
Theater industry remains in flux
The movie studios certainly haven’t adjusted their model to help accommodate the dwindling number of art houses hanging by a thread around the country.
Brian says they send 50% of every ticket back to the studios (and sometimes 60% and higher for the bigger, more commercial releases).
The recent explosion in streaming platforms has only complicated life for the Fine Arts Theatre Group, as well, but the brothers feel that their business model can still thrive within this changing, modern entertainment landscape.
“I understand if you have a family it’s easier to turn on Disney+ or one of the other options and just have a movie night at home,” Brian said. “But there’s still nothing like watching a movie in a theater with an audience. Having that experience (with a comedy) of laughing with all the people around you … you never get that experience in your living room.”
Ben McCarthy is a contributor to the Post and other publications in the Kansas City area. He can be reached at ben.c.mccarthy@gmail.com with questions, comments and story suggestions.
