Spokane to close its IMAX at end of year

The IMAX at Riverfront Park only will be open for six months.

The Spokane Park Board on Thursday voted unanimously to close the theater after Dec. 31 .

It will open for six months in the spring. Park officials estimated that shortening the schedule would save about $90,000.

The city’s IMAX, which opened in 1978, has struggled to cover its costs since the nearby AMC Theatres at River Park Square opened an IMAX and IMAX stopped allowing the city to show first-run Hollywood films.

The city’s screen is bigger than the screen at the mall at five stories tall. The city’s theater, however, doesn’t have the ability to show digital movies.

The Park Board will be considering the theater’s future this year as it finalizes a long-term plan for the park.