An independent movie theater is set to open in the West End this fall, according to the West End Flyer.

The Inner Circle triplex will reopen as the West End Theater at 2301 M Street NW, according to Josh Levin, who recently leased the sub-ground level property.

Levin, a film producer and distributor, plans to replace the three theaters’ seats and drapes, remodel the bathrooms, and install new light fixtures.

When the West End Theater opens, it will screen “first-run independent films, art house, documentary, and remastered classic films.”

“[It will be] a luxury screening room setting with plush leather seats and real food and drinks,” Levin told the Flyer.

Although the Inner Circle has no kitchen, Levin plans to sell sandwiches, salads, and more traditional movie snacks at a concession stand. And once the Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the D.C. Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration approve Levin’s liquor license application, the West End Theater will also sell beer and wine.

The history of the Inner Circle dates back even earlier than the soon-to-be renovated triplex. The first Circle Theatre was built in 1911 at 2105 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, only to be replaced by a parking garage in the early 1980s. Jim Pedas and Ted Pedas, who owned the theater since 1957, expanded the Circle Theatre brand during the 1980s, opening three additional locations in the Foggy Bottom area. By the end of the decade, however, the Pedas brothers sold the Circle Theater chain to the Odeon Corporation for $45 million.

Vox is awfully excited for the West End Theater’s opening. We love the E Street Cinema‘s midnight movie screenings, but getting downtown can be a bit of a hike. But soon, Georgetown and George Washington students will have cult classics a few blocks down the street! We’ll keep our fingers crossed that they screen Birdemic.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Leisure, Vox Populi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.