Rick Cripe of Vandalia is the purchaser of Toler Cinema building

by Steve Dunford

Rick Cripe, a  contractor who owns Precise Construction, and owner of the Starmax Cinema in Vandalia, was the purchaser of the Toler Cinema around two weeks ago.

Cripe went into the theater business by building the Starmax in his hometown in 2014.  His plans are to renovate the old Toler Cinema building and reopen it as a theater.

In a presentation to the Vandalia City Council in April of 2014 before the Starmax opened, he described the theater being one that would have the amenities of a huge chain.  He described his theater would be like an “AMC twelveplex squashed into a four.”  He also said his plans in Vandalia was to have quality food and cutting edge equipment.

The Starmax is the only theater Cripes owns.  It is a first run theater.  The movies shown this weekend are 47 Meters Down, Despicable Me 3, The House, and Transformers the Last Night.

Pricing for the Starmax, is $8.00 for regular sessions, and $6.50 for matinees.  Seniors and children under 13 is $7.00 for regular sessions.  The information was obtained from the theater’s website.

I attempted to make contact with Cripe today, and was unsuccessful.