The audience ambled out of the Villa Theatre late Tuesday night as the big screen faded to black and the lobby lights were turned off for the last time, leaving more than 50 years of cherished movie memories behind.
The largest remaining single-screen moviehouse in the Salt Lake Valley, at 3092 S. Highland Drive, closed for good after an 8 p.m. showing of the three-hour fantasy blockbuster "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."
The final night may have been one of the biggest in the Sugar House theater's storied history, as nearly 2,000 people — 1,300 of them paying customers — showed up to say goodbye to a Utah cinematic institution.
"This is a very sad day for Salt Lake — for the entire state of Utah, really," said Troy Preslar, one of those who watched the three-hour fantasy film and stuck around for the final curtain.
"We're living in a world where all of our old, favorite things seem to be coming to an end. And this is one of the final nails in that coffin," he said.
The audience was diverse and included hard-core "Ring-heads" as well as a mix of old-time moviegoers, young families, couples and singles.
There were even some first-timers, such as Jared Beckham, Hitari Hite and Jason Hadley. All three said they'd never been to a show at the Villa before Tuesday night. "We'd always drive by and think how neat the theater looked," said Hite. "And then we'd say, 'You know, we really should go see a movie there.' We almost waited until it was too late. I guess it is now."
Preslar said he has been going the Villa for more than 20 years. "I remember riding my BMX bike from my parents' house over here to see movies when I was a kid. I saw the first Indiana Jones movie here. I really fell in love with movies here."
While the final show was at capacity, hundreds more crowded the parking lot to take photos and get one last look at the Villa while it was still in operation. Many said they were interested in what will happen to the theater's fixtures and seats.
Beckham, one of the proprietors of the all-ages dance establishment Club Impulse in downtown Salt Lake City, acknowledged that he had another motive for being there. "We're sort of hoping we might get to buy all the neon (tubing). That stuff's pretty expensive, and if it's just going to go to waste, we'd certainly have a use for it."
The Villa opened for business during the 1949 Christmas season. The then-1,000-capacity movie house was the crown jewel of the Joseph L. Lawrence Theatre chain and passed through several hands in the years that followed, including the competing Fox Intermountain Theatres chain, which converted it into a showcase for widescreen Cinerama films in 1961. Carmike Cinemas bought and refurbished the Villa in 1993 and began showing family films, including many Disney classics.
The Villa faces an uncertain future as rumors persist that the theater will be bulldozed and replaced by a large retail business.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com