Many people support the idea of bringing a theater to Grayson County, but few people can afford to do so.

Mayor Thomason looked into the idea of getting a theater in Leitchfield 10 years ago.

The cost was the problem. A building would have to be big enough to house a theater screen and 100 or more seats.

Renovations would be extreme among the few buildings already taking up space in Leitchfield that might be big enough.

Constructing a new building should be expected and that could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The real cost of a movie theater is the reels, or rather the DVDs. DVDs of new releases are rented to theaters, most with contracts to run a certain amount of time.

Some of the biggest names and newest movies would cost so much that every cent of profit would be eaten up, leaving no profit for the owner.

Most business owners want to reap a profit from their businesses.

One local businessman that has researched the idea says, to be profitable the theater would have to have four screens.

That way lower budget movies could be shown along with the higher budget films and a profit would be more probable.

His estimation of cost for a new theater with current technology is between $1.2 and $1.5 million.

For Grayson County, a good mix of ratings are important. Movies that would appeal to both teens and adults must be balanced, as well as having at least one selection for children.

In order to do that, the children's movies could play earlier in the day and the adult movies played later, but the owner would still have to rent both movies.

Many people in Grayson County remember wonderful nights at the Alice Theater. It was a treat for any kid, teen or adult. Graysonites would like to see the Alice Theater opened again.

Although Jim Dinwiddie says he is renovating the building, others believe it is too far deteriorated to ever be used again.

The market for a theater would include Grayson County residents and several neighboring counties.

For instance, residents from parts of Edmonson, Breckinridge and Butler counties would most likely make the trip to Leitchfield instead of going further to theaters in Bowling Green or Elizabethtown.

A theater would open up employment opportunities for 20 or more people.

A theater would bring more money to the city and attract neighboring county residents to visit and spend money.

Mayor Thomason also said a theater would be ideal for the young adults in the county, but it simply isn't economical.

On the down side of having a theater in town, home entertainment systems are becoming so advanced that going out for a movie is sometimes overlooked for the comfort of home.

There is the idea that movies will be sent straight to DVD, bypassing the theater altogether.

However, people are social creatures and they like to go out and spend money. Theaters are not in danger of extinction but in Grayson County it may be difficult to bring them back to life.