Ideal Theatre

The Ideal Theatre (also styled Ideal Theater) is a historic movie theatre in downtown Clare, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1930 by John Asline, who already owned the Princess Theatre two doors to the south. Asline built the Ideal because the Princess had outgrown its crowds and because the arrival of talking pictures required a theatre with state-of-the-art sound and projection systems. Located directly across the street from the historic Doherty Hotel, the Ideal opened its doors in August 1930 and has been a fixture of Clare's historic downtown for nearly a century. The theatre changed hands several times over the decades. It was most recently purchased in 2021, after having been closed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new owners undertook massive renovations, and the theatre reopened for business in March 2023. Today the Ideal presents itself as a newly renovated historic theatre offering affordable current movies alongside classics and special events, combining the warmth and nostalgia of a 1930 movie theatre with modern comforts and accessibility. Programming at the Ideal includes first-run films, classic titles, and live special events. Its website lists current and upcoming shows with specific showtimes, and it has hosted live comedy nights featuring touring comedians. The theatre is a private, locally operated business rather than part of a national cinema chain, and it functions as a community entertainment venue in central Michigan. Note: The name "Ideal Theatre" is also associated with a former cinema in Cebu City, Philippines, recorded in Wikidata. That Philippine cinema is a separate, unrelated entity and is not the subject of this dossier.

The Ideal Theatre in downtown Clare, Michigan, was built in 1930 by John Asline. Asline already owned the Princess Theatre, located just two doors to the south, but the Princess had outgrown its crowds. At the same time, the arrival of talking pictures created a need for a theatre equipped with state-of-the-art sound and projection systems. Asline responded by building the Ideal directly across the street from the historic Doherty Hotel. The theatre opened its doors in August 1930 and quickly became a vital part of Clare's historic downtown. Over the following decades the theatre changed hands several times. It remained a downtown movie house through the 20th century, surviving the broad shifts that reshaped American cinema exhibition, including the rise of multiplexes and the decline of many single-screen downtown theatres. Historic photographs of the theatre from the 1920s through the 1970s are preserved in a gallery on its website. The theatre's most recent chapter began when it was purchased in 2021, after it had been closed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new ownership carried out massive renovations, and the Ideal reopened for business in March 2023. The renovated theatre markets itself as a historic venue that pairs the warmth and nostalgia of a 1930 movie theatre with modern comforts and accessibility. In its current operation the Ideal provides affordable, current movies as well as classics and special events. Its programming has included live comedy nights with touring comedians and first-run films with published showtimes across weekends and weekdays. As a privately operated, locally focused cinema, it serves as a community entertainment anchor in central Michigan.

• 2023

  After massive renovations, the theatre reopens for business in March 2023.

• 2021

  The theatre is purchased after having been closed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 1930

  The Ideal Theatre is built by John Asline and opens in August 1930 in downtown Clare, Michigan.

A newly renovated historic movie theatre offering affordable current movies, classics, and special events with the warmth and nostalgia of a 1930 theatre alongside modern comforts and accessibility.

• First-run films

• Classic films

• Live comedy nights

• Special events

1. 1Ideal Theater – Ideal Theatre – Historic Movie Theatre – Clare Michiganidealtheatre.com
2. 2About Us – Ideal Theateridealtheatre.com
3. 3Ideal Theatre – Wikidatawikidata.org