Macomb city officials ‘still hopeful’ The Rialto will re-open

MACOMB (WGEM) - City officials said Wednesday they are still hopeful the city’s only movie theater to re-open.

It’s been one month now since the VIP Rialto shut down because the building’s leaking roof posed a safety threat, along with its electrical problems and non-working fire alarm.

Mayor Mike Inman said the city has done their part to keep the theater thriving, such as loaning money for upgraded projectors.

“That business has been operating here for the better part of the decade,” Inman said. “We provided initial substantial financial support to get the theater up and running when it first came into the community. And have been supporting it through additional loans.”

V.I.P. Cinema’s Vice President Jake McSparin, issued the following statement in January when the theater shut down:

“We are working with our team and scheduling working hours to devote to maintaining, cleaning and improving the facility during our temporary closure. We are also offering our management the opportunity to pick up shifts at our nearby Quincy location if desired. The full scope of our efforts to provide longer-term options for our team will be affected by the ultimate timeline we are able to work out on our roof replacement.”

Inman said he hasn’t heard from the owners since then.

“We know through some other sources that they have made outreach to local contractors to get bids and estimates on roof repair work,” Inman said. “But those folks have said they have not heard any more from them. We’re still hopeful.”