gGood news for moviegoers: Oak Cliff’s only theater, the Texas Theater, has added a second screen upstairs. Not only will this almost double the number of screenings and features the theater can show, but it will also enhance special events with a second bar and VIP balcony for annual events like the Oak Cliff Film Festival.

With recent renovations, the capacity of the main hall is now 675, with the upstairs cinema seating 165 people. Barak Epstein, president of Aviation Cinema, said the new additions could allow 10 to 20 screenings per week between the two auditoriums. In addition, the stage lighting in the main auditorium has also been improved.

Epstein has been with Aviation Cinema, the group that owns the Texas Theater, since day one. He says the creative team is considering adding a second theater since the building was taken over in 2010.

“We basically started planning the renovation in 2015, but it wasn’t until COVID hit in 2020 to realize that we could use the forced downtime to make this major expansion, ”he says.

While the cinema was closed for months during the economic shutdown, Aviation Cinemas never stopped planning improvements for the theater.

“2020 has obviously been a tough time for all businesses around the world,” Epstein said. “We had to update our plans quickly and extensively to take advantage of unplanned downtime so that we could get back to 150% once the pandemic started to subside.”

The renovations to the second screen cost around $ 2 million. Aviation Cinemas was able to obtain funds through the theater bank and tax credits stemming from the historic status of the place.

“It’s huge to fund a project like ours. We can get up to 25% reimbursement from the state on our total project expenses as a rebate, ”he says.

The theater’s second bar is under construction, but Epstein says the plans don’t end there. They also added a VIP balcony for the main room. Epstein said that left enough space to fit a new 4K RGB laser projector as well as a row of 25-person seats. The upstairs cinema is fully American compliant With Disabilities Act and includes a chairlift, elevator and hearing and visually impaired devices for those in need.

“The original balcony housed around 1,000 people 90 years ago, so it was built structurally, very solid,” he says. “The main thing added was the soundproof wall to separate the two rooms. Plus, part of the renovation included uncovering parts of the theater that hadn’t been seen for over 40 years, like the fountain tile you’ll see when you enter the new upstairs cinema. Also, the tiled floor in the two upstairs toilet rooms. In addition, we now let people use the original balcony stairwell from 1931 to access both the new cinema and the VIP row of the cinema on the ground floor. Part of this restoration included the restoration of some original plaster ornamental design work.

The theater beautification process is something Epstein sees as an ongoing process and should add to the theater’s legacy as it serves the Oak Cliff community. And after? Epstein says the idea of ​​buying a second theater is not far off and keeping an eye on the Fine Arts Theater in Denton.

“I hope the upgrades will create long-term sustainability for the building, as well as some pride in being able to show off ‘the whole building’ and even more of its historic features,” he says.