Paramount Theatre Celebrates 80th Anniv. w/ 80 Cent Classic Movie Mondays

The Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, continues to expand its ever-increasing entertainment offerings with the launch of Classic Movie Mondays.

Starting Monday, Dec. 12, for only 80 cents, movie fans can buy a fresh box of popcorn and a beverage, nestle into one of the Paramount’s 1,888 comfortable seats, and experience movies that have made cinema history from the 1940s through today.

The first flick to launch the series is the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and 80 cent tickets can be purchased at the box office at that time.

Every Monday will feature a different genre:

First Monday: Horror
Second Monday: Comedies
Third Monday: Romance
Fourth Monday: Action/Adventure

Below is the December and January schedule:

December 12 A Christmas Story
December 19 It’s a Wonderful Life
December 26 E.T. (free admission!)
January 2 The Shining
January 9 Some Like it Hot
January 23 The Philadelphia Story
January 30 Goldfinger

One more thing: on December 26, the Paramount is treating everyone to one of the all-time greats – E.T. – on the big screen for FREE.

“It’s our way of saying Happy Holidays,” explained Paramount Executive Director Tim Rater, “With the launch of Classic Movie Mondays, we want Monday night to be the new Friday night in downtown Aurora. We invite the entire community to come check out our new 15,000 lumen projector and all new giant cinema screen. We’ll have a full-service bar open for the drink of your choice. Whether a family night out, or an inexpensive date, Classic Movie Mondays is a wonderful way to experience terrific entertainment while introducing new audiences to our beautiful theater.”

But wait, there’s more! Even parking is available for free in one of the Paramount’s designated lots. Go to ParamountAurora.com and the Plan Your Visit section to print off a parking pass in advance, or just pick one up at the box office prior to the show.
Of course, movies and the Paramount Theatre have been inextricably linked since the building first opened in 1932. In the 1920s, “talkies” had just begun to appear in theaters, and executives with Paramount Pictures predicted exponential growth in the industry. So the company began to construct theaters that could accompany their latest films. Thus, the Paramount Theater was commissioned in 1931 by J. J. Rubens for $1 million, and designed by esteemed theater architects C. W. and George Leslie Rapp in the Art Deco style with Venetian accents. It was the first air conditioned building built outside of Chicago. Paramount intended to bring such large theaters to all large cities across the country, but the Great Depression effectively ended those plans. Still, movies played a part in programming at the Paramount in the intervening years, with many west suburban residents recalling seeing their first movie “in the balcony at the Paramount.

Note: The Paramount will release a complete list of movies beyond January in the coming weeks.

About The Paramount Theatre
Today, the Paramount Theatre is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. In addition to its new Classic Movie Mondays series, the Paramount presents a long list of live, family-friendly entertainment, comedians and incredible tribute bands along with its first-ever Broadway subscription series, which already boasts 12,500 subscribers in its inaugural 2011-2012 season.

Named "One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres" by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre attracts an annual audience of more than 150,000, and is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics and historic beauty.

The Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Executive Director Tim Rater, Artistic Director Jim Corti, a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater professionals.

The 2011-12 Paramount Theatre season is sponsored by the Paramount Arts Centre Endowment, American Airlines and The Beacon News/Sun Publications. This season is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. For more information, visit the Paramount Theatre online at ParamountAurora.com.

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