JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — It's your chance to relive history as Johnstown's State Theatre opens its doors this weekend.

Advanced ticket sales are strong for Friday's showing of "Casablanca," and at $5 a pop, patrons are in for a treat.

The history of Johnstown's State Theatre dates back to 1926, selling out shows then meant filling about 1,400 seats.

"As the population of the city of Johnstown grew, so did Lee Hospital. So, basically, Lee Hospital was built around and encapsulated the State Theatre and one of the things that happened is the ground floor seating was filled in. So what remains are simply 414 seats in what was the balcony area,” says Discover Downtown Johnstown Partnership President Melissa Radavonic.

And this month, discover downtown Johnstown partnership is hoping to sell out of tickets once more.

The nonprofit group is hosting a one month pilot -- nine $5 movie nights scheduled for the weekends of April.

"You can tell there's a passion for this theater to reopen from all age groups, people who used to come here when it was a theater, for people who took classes here simply as Lee Hospital's auditorium and from a younger generation who simply wants to see a movie theater downtown," says Radavonic.

Radovanic says the idea is to create a buzz and gauge interest.

And maybe discover a future owner or operator sitting in the audience.

It's a project that aligns with their mission of encouraging residents and tourists to shop, dine, and explore our downtown.

“Restaurants are very excited about the potential of having 400 extra people downtown Friday, Saturday and Sunday now. Again, it goes toward the long-term goal of having a permanent presence and permanent movie theater downtown would only make these small businesses very happy,” says Radovanic.

The movie showings this month will be:

• "Casablanca," April 5, 7 p.m.
• "Chariots of Fire," April 6, 7 p.m.
• "Cars," April 7, 3 p.m.
• "The Shining," April 12, 7 p.m.
• "The Godfather," April 13, 7 p.m.
• "Beauty and the Beast" (animated), April 14, 3 p.m.
• "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," April 26, 7 p.m.
• "The Shawshank Redemption," April 27, 7 p.m.
• "Finding Nemo," April 28, 3 p.m.

Patrons are encouraged to buy tickets in advance online at Event Bright.

There might be tickets available at the door if they are not sold out.

Doors open an hour in advance and limited concessions will be available.

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