Source: Flint Journal
The folks who built Fenton Cinema and operated it for nearly two decades have relinquished their control over the eight-screen, independent theater. Dean and Diane Kitchen have sold the building to a circuit from Grand Rapids. The new owner, Jason Lillmars, has theaters in Fremont, Rockford and Whitehall (under the name NorthStar Cinemas). The sale price was not disclosed.
We'll miss the Kitchens, who started Fenton Cinema in 1985 as a twin-screen house. They kept a clean facility that always was responsive to its community. They reacted to community growth by twice expanding the theater, to five screens in 1990 and eight in 1998. The Kitchens formerly owned theaters in Clarkston, Howell and East Tawas as well as Fenton, but they've pulled out of the business altogether with the Fenton sale. "We'd like to thank all the people who have supported us over the years. The people in Fenton and surrounding cities have been great," said Dean Kitchen, whose family has been in the theater business for more than 50 years.
As the article below indicates, there were folks wanting to re-open the theater but none of those efforts came to fruition unfortunately.