The Marcus Showtime Cinema in Franklin, Wisconsin is closing September 17, 2023.

Located southwest of Milwaukee on Loomis Road near Highway 100, the movie theater originally opened in November 2003 as the independent Showtime Cinema. Before it opened, Marcus Theatres Corp. (the area's dominant theater chain) announced in April 2003 that it planned to build a sixteen-screen movie theater on the southeast corner of Ryan Road and 76th Street, which was less than three miles away. The Showtime Cinema opened that November, and the Marcus project never happened.

Marcus Theatres Corporation purchased the theater in December 2011 and has operated it since. The company mentioned recently that it would be closing this and two other locations in southeastern Wisconsin this month:

In September, Marcus Theatres is closing its Southgate, Showtime, and Saukville cinemas. The last day of business operation for Southgate is Tuesday, September 5. Saukville and Showtime cinemas will cease business operations on Sunday, September 17. We routinely reviewed the amenities at our theatre locations to provide the best moviegoing experience and determined that our customers at these locations are better served by the more expansive amenities at other nearby Marcus Theatres.

That statement also mentions the Marcus Southgate Cinema in Milwaukee, which closed September 5, and the Marcus Saukville Cinema in Saukville, which also will close September 17.

While its ticket prices were traditionally below that of their full-priced theaters, such as the Marcus Ridge Cinemas in New Berlin, this theater wasn't officially a budget-priced Value Cinema, such as what Marcus had at the Marcus Value Cinema - Oak Creek. The Silver Cinemas - Budget South a few miles to the north closed in 2015, and then the Oak Creek location closed in May 2017, which opened the door to Marcus turning the Showtime Cinema into a true budget-priced location that June and renamed it to the Marcus Showtime Value Cinema.

The theater shut down in March 2020 as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic (along with every other theater in the country), and it reopened in June 2021 as the Marcus Showtime Cinema once again. However, this time the theater was for sale and has been ever since. Even though the asking price has been reduced from $4.7M to $3.5M, the reduction won't be an incentive for another enterprising movie theater operator to buy it. The sale restricts against a future use as a movie theater, so moviegoers will say goodbye to watching movies there in a week's time.

The closing of this location is a disappointment. Unfortunately, it suffered from isolation on Loomis Road, being located about a half mile southwest of Highway 100 and the traffic that intersection enjoys. It's set off Loomis Road and while there is a sign by the road (albeit a considerable distance from the roadway and only visible while travelling east), it's easy enough for many to forget that the movie theater is there. Even once you turn into the property, the theater building does not face you and is not immediately recognizable as a movie theater until you are parked. Check out the photo below and the photos in the Photo Gallery to see what we mean.

Can you find the movie theater? Many people probably don't know it's there.

From a competition standpoint, the Marcus Ridge Cinemas in New Berlin attracts many people that live to the north in Muskego and Hales Corners with its SuperScreen DLX, heated DreamLounger recliners, and Zaffiro's restaurant, and the Marcus BistroPlex Southridge in Greendale offers in-theater dining. The Marcus South Shore Cinema in Oak Creek is about six miles away, so anyone living east of the Showtime Cinema has those options from which to choose as well. Our guess is that development was expected to happen along the Loomis Road corridor west of Highway 100 and it hasn't yet materialized.

Showtimes and Tickets

Until it closes, you see what's playing and when, and buy tickets online, please visit the Showtimes page for the Marcus Showtime Cinema.

After September 17, moviegoers in the area will need to visit one of the other nearby theaters, including the Milky Way Drive-In in Franklin, the Marcus BistroPlex Southridge in Greendale, and the Marcus Ridge Cinemas in New Berlin.

View the Photo Gallery

We have 42 photos of the Marcus Showtime Cinema, dating back to its opening in 2003. You can see all the photos in the Photo Gallery for the theater!

Do You Have Memories of the Marcus Showtime Cinema?

If you have memories of going to the movies at the Marcus Showtime Cinema, please feel free to leave a message on the Reader Comments page for the theater!

Theater photos Copyright SVJ Designs, LLC. All rights reserved.