The Chagrin Cinema 6 opened in Bainbridge on Nov. 26, 1989, playing “The Little Mermaid.” On Wednesday, Ariel and her friends from “Under the Sea” will return as the theater reopens as The Hive and Honey Hill.
“I had my fourth birthday party here and … so many memories of my life involved this property,” said the new theater’s owner, Kimberly McCune-Gibson. “When your community loses its beloved movie theater, that takes the wind out of a lot of people. That’s why it was my goal … that we would make this a gathering house and a place for everyone.”
At its peak, the complex housed 14 auditoriums. McCune-Gibson said those spaces have undergone a renovation costing “well over” $10 million to house event spaces, a music venue, a banquet hall and her 13-year-old gourmet food shop, the Hungry Bee, previously located nearby. Instead of a full theater, there’s a cozier space with a screen for movies, sporting events and even video game tournaments.
The Chagrin, as it was known, was built on the site of the old Valley Drive-In. During its opening weekend, it also screened “Steel Magnolias,” “Back to the Future II,” “When Harry Met Sally, “Dad” and “The Bear.” It closed in January 2023, part of a wave of cinema closures in the years following COVID-19 as ticket sales struggled to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Other casualties included Regal theaters in Montrose, North Olmsted, Middleburg Heights and Green, Tower City Cinemas and AMC’s Solon 16. Angee Shaker, then Solon’s economic development director, said viewers were still watching movies, but at home.
“With the theater shutdowns, a lot of people invested in home theaters,” she said, predicting that demand for multiplex cinemas may never return.
A new look
The front of the Chagrin has been completely rebuilt, with a rustic facade replacing the previous neon-and-glass-block look.
Inside, there’s also a new iteration of Timberfire restaurant, which burned down just before Christmas 2005. Working at the restaurant was McCune-Gibson’s first job.
Later, the Kenston High School and Culinary Institute of America graduate met her husband, Jimmy Gibson, when they worked together at Moxie in Beachwood. They spent the past two years creating the Hive, which takes its name from Kimberly’s upbringing.
“My mother wanted my father and I to get a hobby together,” she said. “We came home with beehives. So, my whole life has been surrounded by bees. It taught me a lot of amazing lessons growing up about … working together to achieve a common goal.”