DENVER – Another historic Denver movie theater – Chez Artiste – will close its doors after its final showing Thursday night.

“Two weeks ago they closed Esquire, another restaurant that had been at this location for over 100 years. What will happen to Denver? This is very, very sad for many of us. We love this place,” said Chez Artiste guest Sheila McNally.

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Chez Artiste has been in the University Hills neighborhood for 52 years.

“This is a neighborhood theater, a theater that belongs here and should not leave this location. It’s our theater. It’s Denver’s theater,” McNally said.

It is known for its old-fashioned charm and for showing small indie films.

“You know, the bigger chains are nice and you can see a lot of Deadpool and Wolverine stuff there, but I feel like you get more of a classic Hollywood experience than if you go to a small indie theater like this one, which is really about movies and quality storytelling, and for adults,” said Lilian Fuglei, a regular at Chez Artiste.

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In this regard, McNally pointed out that before a film is broadcast, a person appointed by Chez Artiste comes and talks to viewers. In addition, Chez Artiste even invited a professor from DU to talk about classic films before and after the broadcast.

Chez Artiste’s last showing on Thursday is “Widow Clicquot” at 7 p.m., according to the theater’s website. Then Chez Artiste announced on Facebook that its Classic Film Series will move to The Landmark in Greenwood Village.

Following the closure of the Esquire Theatre and the Chez Artiste Theatre, parent company Landmark still owns two other historic cinemas in the Denver metropolitan area: The Landmark in Greenwood Village and The Mayan on South Broadway.

“I just think it’s cool to sit in a movie theater and know that 20, 30, 40 years ago there were people sitting there watching movies just like you in a building that looked pretty much the same,” Fuglei said.

Film fans fought hard to keep Esquire alive and even started a grassroots initiative on social media called #SavetheEsquire.

However, the owners stated that they had tried to rent the theater to another tenant but had not been able to find a partner.

“It’s about getting people to go to the movies. It’s a habit that I’ve had my whole life, that I love, and that we hope to keep up for the rest of my life… I know that since Covid and because of other things that are happening, a lot of people have stopped doing that and just don’t go to the movies as much as I would like,” said Tim Fuglei, Lilian’s father.

The Esquire Theater will be converted into luxury office, restaurant and retail space. The Esquire signs will be renewed according to the design plans and displayed in the new building design.

Chez Artiste, another historic cinema in Denver, closes Thursday