![]() Rather than give up on a sure blockbuster that would stay on the big screen for nearly a year, Santikos bought the theater with the San Antonio exclusive rights.īy the mid-1980s, going to Santikos and going to the movies were one and the same with every San Antonio movie house under the brand. In 1977, Santikos was famously outbid for the right to show George Lucas’ first “Star Wars” movie in San Antonio. Mission Drive In, The Galaxy, Embassy and Northwest theaters all were part of the ever-growing thirst for the Hollywood blockbusters. Mary’s, took over when his parents returned once again to the Mediterranean the following decade. ![]() John Santikos began learning the business from the ground up and, after graduating from St. Civil unrest drove him and his family back to San Antonio, where he opened the Olmos Theater on San Pedro in the 1940s. He sold his San Antonio interests in favor of distributing movies in his homeland. ![]() The following year, Louis Santikos returned to Greece and had three children, including John. He then built the luxurious Palace Theater San Antonio in 1923 and it wasn’t long before he began opening more theaters to accommodate the growing population. ![]() In 1918, San Antonio business leaders came calling for Santikos to run the downtown Rialto. The early short films were usually combined with live acts. It all began with Greek immigrant Louis Santikos saving enough money to buy the Rex Theatre nickelodeon in downtown Waco in 1911, when the concept of moving pictures on film was only about 16 years into development. We pride ourselves in providing the best in cinematic presentation and being the first exhibitor in San Antonio to bring the best in technology to our moviegoers is essential.” “It’s important to get each advance into the theatres as soon as possible. “Things have certainly changed from presenting vaudeville shows to now this awe-inspiring presentation of digital film, IMAX, Xpand 3-D and D-BOX motion coded seats, which are a truly immersive affair,” Santikos says. If the future of the leadership at the company is unknown, its future in movies seems a sure thing. At 84, he has no successor to keep the theaters a family-run business but also no plans to retire. John Santikos, like his father before him, never tires of reinventing the way customers experience movies. There are also gourmet burgers and pizza, craft beer ordered at your seat, dining rooms and even a gelato cafe. Some theaters have reserved seating, seats that move in conjunction with select films, 3-D that keeps getting better, and audio techniques that further transport the audience into the movie. Look a little closer though and patrons will find cutting edge concepts, technology and a glimpse of the future at what will soon be eight San Antonio theaters and two in Houston. And the smell of popcorn wafts across the lobby like a salty, buttery promise of a two-hour escape. Details of the lobby mimic classic theater styles usually found in the rare, restored historic theaters. Ticket sellers and takers, concession staff and the clean up crew all sport red bowties and white shirts. Movies at Santikos Theaters aren’t quite like they were when the first opened 101 years ago, and yet they are. Once in front of the silver screen, customers might don 3-D glasses, order up a burger and fries or catch their seat rumbling with the film’s action. Walking into one of Santikos Theaters seven San Antonio locations, it’s not uncommon to see a crowd with beers in hand cheering at a televised Spurs games or to find a group shooting pool.
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