The 10 p.m. showing of "Black Hawk Down" on Thursday ended a 34-year run for moviegoers at the Cottonwood Mall 4 theater.
Operated by Carmike Cinemas Inc., the Cottonwood 4 is located in the south parking lot of the mall at 5001 S. Highland Drive.
"We will be closing our doors for the last time on Valentine's Day," a recorded message said. "We would like to thank everyone, and especially thanks for our regulars for coming in."
In addition to the Cottonwood 4, Carmike is abandoning its Cache Valley 3 theater in Logan.
The Logan and Cottonwood theater locations had been removed Thursday from a Carmike Web site that provides show times.
In January, the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Since 1999, it had closed two other Utah locations: Creekside Center and Plaza 5400 in Salt Lake City.
Calls to Carmike Cinemas' office in Columbus, Ga., were not returned by deadline Thursday.
However, Tony Rudman, vice president of Westates Theatres Inc., a Salt Lake-based business with 15 locations in five Western states, said his company had entered into a short-term lease agreement with JP Realty on the Cache Valley 3 theater building.
"We are taking it over tomorrow," Rudman said Thursday, adding that there would be no interruption in movie showings.
And Westates will pour $50,000 to $100,000 into upgrades of movie and sound equipment and eventually erect a new building.
"We are in the process of negotiating to replace this theater with a new stadium theater that would have six to eight screens," Rudman said.
Westates already operates three other theaters in Logan and is building an eight-plex stadium theater in Providence, Cache County, that will be finished by Thanksgiving.
Rudman said he is in negotiations with JP Realty and Carmike to lease the Cottonwood 4 theater.
"If we can work out something, then we will open those back up as soon as we can," Rudman said.
The company last year took over the six screens at Holladay Centre Cinemas, located north of the Cottonwood Mall at 1945 E. Murray-Holladay Road, from Loews Cineplex, another national theater chain.
Rudman attributes his success to cost consciousness and attention to detail.
Westates was founded roughly 50 years ago by Rudman's father, Anthony William Rudman.
"We visit each one of our locations every two weeks. We try and watch our overhead and try to pass our savings on to the public. We try and stay on top of things. We don't take huge salaries. We are not run by investment bankers," Rudman said.
E-mail: danderton@desnews.com