Greeley Gems is a weekly feature showcasing the city’s businesses and nonprofits. If you have a business or nonprofit you’d like to be featured, email Tribune entertainment reporter Chris Bolin at cbolin@greeleytribune.com.
The Kress Cinema & Lounge opened in 2008 with a single screen playing 35-millimeter film. The theater, guaranteed to take you back in time, has since expanded with a second screen and a speakeasy. General Manager Danyelle Butler recently spoke with the Tribune about what sets the theater apart and what it has in store for the future.
How did the Kress Cinema & Lounge get its start?
Back in 2008, the owners, Ron and Linde Thompson, wanted a movie theater downtown and started renovating the building, which was an old department store. They did all the restoration, the original plaster and Art Deco molding, and built the gorgeous bar and the fireplace lounge. Since then, it’s evolved into us running the speakeasy in the basement, then we built out a second screen in 2019.
Bartender Maddie Miller makes a amaretto sour for a customer in the speakeasy lounge at The Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)What does the Kress do, and what sets the business apart?
We’re a movie theater, an event venue, a restaurant, a lounge space and a bar. So people come for the movies, but we love when they plan a whole night around it and visit the speakeasy, or come early to have dinner with us in the lounge. It’s a whole experience. The Kress itself is absolutely stunning. You walk in the door, and it transports you to a different time with this old-world feeling. It’s very nostalgic, though all of our technology is state-of-the-art. I feel like we pride ourselves most on quality and hospitality. You can go to a movie anywhere, but when you come to the Kress, I’m proud to say the team cares a lot. No matter who is behind the bar or the concession stand, they are always very friendly, very welcoming and super helpful.
What was a significant moment or event for the theater?
It was before my time, but in 2012, I believe, they had to make the switch from running actual film reels to digital. When they opened the cinema in 2008, they used 35-millimeter film. Another milestone was opening the speakeasy in 2018 and adding the second screen in 2019. Then, we were shuttered for an entire year because of the pandemic. It wasn’t just because of the virus, but Hollywood kind of shut down. Everything came to a halt as far as production and actually making movies. It was like a reset button got pressed, so I’m really proud that we’re still relevant post-pandemic and that we have such an amazing community that still wants to come out and support. We’re so lucky that more than being a movie theater, we’re also like a community center. There are so many people who come in and celebrate their engagement, their baby shower or their graduation. We have families that have been coming here for almost two decades now to have these celebrations with us.
People walk out of the front doors at The Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)What drives your success?
We’re always trying to come up with something fun around our programming. We’ve hosted a lot of movie events and series. Our “crafternoon” is really fun. We bring in an old movie and leave the lights on so people can come knit and crochet during the movie. We also do our annual Oscar party coming up on Sunday, March 15. We try to play all the pictures that are nominated for best film, then have a big party the night of the Oscars. We roll out the red carpet, most people put on ball gowns and get all dressed up, and people come in and cast their ballots for who’s going to win. Having these events — almost parties — that we get to plan and throw for people, that has kept me going. I love making our programming special.
What are your goals for the future?
More collaborations for sure. We’ve got a really exciting project with the Denver Film Society from June through November to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state. We’re doing a series of movies that have some connection to Colorado, whether they were filmed here or the directors are from here. But also, we want to partner with more people in our community and downtown neighbors — like The Midnight Oil. We just hit five years on our book-to-film club.
A customer buys tickets and snacks at the concessions in The Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley on Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)The Kress Cinema & Lounge
The Kress is open 5-9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5-10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays, but may open earlier depending on showings. For more information and to check show times, go to KressCinema.com.
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