San Antonio's The Bijou arthouse theater closing its doors after 35 years

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - San Antonio’s arthouse theater The Bijou is closing its doors after 35 years.

The theater, located at Wonderland of the Americas in Balcones Heights, has been operated by Santikos since December 1987.

The Bijou was closed due in part to the changing art-film dynamic during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Andrew Brooks, the executive director of sales and marketing for Santikos, who confirmed the closure to KSAT.

"‘CODA’ which won Best Movie (at the Oscars) was allowed to play in our theaters for only one week prior to opening on Apple," Brooks told KSAT. "There was a record bidding war between Amazon, Netflix and Apple, and Apple won with a $25 million purchase."

Brooks also told KSAT that it was this and the fact the lease was coming up for renewal that led to the decision to close the theater.

Santikos says that it will continue to support independent filmmakers and art films and starting this summer, "Bijou Series" art films will be shown across all Santikos theaters. Santikos operates theaters across Central Texas, including 10 in the San Antonio area.

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