Esquire Theater likely to close

DENVER — A theater known for bringing independent, unique films to Denver is expected to close.

The owners of the Esquire Theater have sent plans to the city to redevelop the nearly 100-year-old property at East 6th Avenue and North Downing Street. 

“It’s a huge loss for the film community in Denver. It’s been such a part of the fabric of the entire city, of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It’s a place where you get to see movies that you don’t get to see every day,” said Dr. Vincent Piturro, professor of film and media studies at MSU Denver.

News of the Landmark Esquire Theater’s likely closing is hitting hard for many around Denver. For decades, the historic theater drew in movie lovers like Piturro.

“I was a really big fan of the Esquire in the ‘90s, when I was in my twenties and I went to see movies there that I wouldn’t have seen anywhere else. And it’s really one of the reasons why I do what I do, why I became a film professor,” Piturro said. “Seeing these wonderful movies that you couldn’t see anywhere else, seeing them on the big screen, seeing them in the dark, all that magic of the movie theater. That really, really inspired me.”

Piturro said the Esquire’s impact on him and others around the city is immeasurable.

“You can’t duplicate that experience and when you lose a theater like the Esquire, you really lose a lot,” Piturro said. 

The Esquire has drawn crowds to Cap Hill since 1927.

The theater was bought out by Landmark in 1980. They sold the building in 2021 but still operate the Esquire. 

Now, nearly a century after the theater opened, the building’s current owners have sent plans to the city to redevelop the property.

LoopNet’s listing said the Esquire’s current lease expires in July 2024 with no option for the theater to renew. Their proposal would turn the historic theater into retail, dining and office space.

It’s tough news for film lovers to swallow.

“It’s a cultural icon,” Piturro said. “It’s an aesthetic icon, it’s beautiful, has that wonderful logo. And I think probably the unkindest cut is they will be keeping that sign in its next iteration which is a bit cruel, I think.” 

Piturro said venues like the Esquire bring in independent films that challenge our way of thinking and introduce us to new people and cultures.

“Those theaters are dwindling. And our choices are few. The Esquire was one of those great choices, so that was one of the places where you could go and see something alternative to the biggest movies,” Piturro said.

And while the movie theater industry suffered during the pandemic, Piturro said the movie theater industry overall is rebounding. 

“This past summer was one of the best summers ever because of the Barbenheimer experience and so theaters are starting to do better but unfortunately, it looks like the Esquire is slated to close next year,” Piturro said. 

And Denver’s lost a number of theaters recently, with the Continental and Elvis Cinemas closing their doors for good earlier this year.  Now, it’s likely the Esquire will close sometime next year.

“It’s heartbreaking to think we’re going to lose a theater like that and that we might be losing more theaters like that,” Piturro said. “It’s going to leave a hole in the city, it’s going to leave a hole in the cultural community of Denver and certainly a hole in the film community of Denver.”

For people upset to see the Esquire go, Piturro said it’s critical that they fight for and just show up for the independent theaters we have left.

“There’s one thing people can do, and that’s go to the movies. We still have to go to the Esquire, we still have to go to the Mayan, Chez Artiste, the Sie Film Center which just hosted the Denver Film Festival. Those are the places where those wonderful movies are playing and if we don’t go to them, then more and more theaters are going to close down,” Piturro said. “I hope the Esquire does hang around. I’d hoped the Continental would hang around. But if they don’t hang around, then what we have to do is support the theaters we do have and I think that’s the most important thing we can do.” 

A spokesperson for Denver’s Planning and Development office says they received plans at the end of October for the development at the Esquire theater property. Those plans have not yet been fully reviewed or approved. 

9NEWS reached out to the building’s owners about their plans to close the Esquire. They declined to comment. 

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