Chapel Hill moviegoers can click their heels together Thanksgiving weekend. After all, there’s no place like the Varsity Theatre. The iconic downtown venue will re-open with the Wizard of Oz, new owners, new prices and a renovated décor.
Paul and Susan Shareshian purchased the theatre after Bruce Stone closed it this summer. It’ll show second-run films for $3 a ticket beginning Friday, Nov. 27.
“We’ve done a lot of research on what theatres were like in 1927, when the Varsity opened,” Susan Shareshian said. “What was the experience for the customer that went there? How can we bring it back to that more intimate feeling without being overwhelmingly in your face?”
UNC students are helping with the historical renovation, including painting, with the opening just three weekends away.
Along with the Judy Garland classic, the Varsity will show The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner and The Informant staring Matt Damon, for the opening week.
We’ll bring you more in next week’s Indy.
