Max Theatres

Max Theatres is a historic movie theater in Sibley, Iowa, in the northwest corner of the state. It traces its origins to 1917, when a Mr. Dixon purchased an old opera house called Port's Theatre. A new building was constructed in 1919 and renamed the Royal Theatre, featuring a lobby, foyer, women's bathroom, its own power supply, the first air conditioning in the area, and an auditorium with 525 seats. New management installed sound equipment in 1929, using the 'talkie vitaphone' system. In 1941 Richard Carl Max bought the theater from Otto Lehmen, and in 1951 he designed a new marquee and renamed it the Max Theatre. R.C. Max introduced innovations such as one of the first wide screens (CinemaScope) in the area and sold soda bottles alongside popcorn. Larry Pedley and Aileen Sleeper began working at the theater in 1962, Larry as a projectionist and Aileen in concessions; they later married. In 1973 they leased the theater from R.C. Max, and after his death in 1981 they purchased it from his heirs. During the farm crisis of the late 1980s the theater was in danger of closing; ticket prices were $3.50 at the time, and in 1987 the price was lowered to 99 cents a ticket, a move that drew attention because patrons paid a dollar and still got change. Today Max Theatres continues to operate as a nostalgic, reasonably priced movie-going destination. It shows current popular films alongside upcoming releases, and offers specialty sweet drinks, a Coffee Espresso Bar, and popcorn that the theater describes as acclaimed. The theater maintains a Facebook presence and offers a free phone app. During the COVID-19 pandemic, following a public health disaster emergency issued by the Governor's office of Iowa, the theater suspended film screenings and periodically opened its concession stand for carry-out, directing patrons to its Facebook page for updates. The theater remains a Northwest Iowa landmark, reachable at (712) 754-2672.

The Max Theatres story began in 1917 when a Mr. Dixon purchased an old opera house named Port's Theatre in Sibley, Iowa. In 1919 a new building was constructed and the establishment was renamed the Royal Theatre. It featured a lobby, foyer, women's bathroom, its own power supply, the first air conditioning in the area, and an auditorium containing 525 seats. When new management took over in 1929, sound equipment was installed; the first sound system was called 'talkie vitaphone.' In 1941 Richard Carl Max bought the theatre from Otto Lehmen. R.C. Max had come from running a general store with his brother in Kaylor, South Dakota. In 1951 he designed a new marquee and named the place Max Theatre. According to a letter from Alice Max Krebs, R.C. Max's daughter, Mr. Max incorporated new ideas into the movie business: he introduced one of the first wide screens called CinemaScope in the area, and sold soda bottles to go with the popcorn. The soda bottles had to be drunk in the lobby for fear of spilling or breaking the glass in the auditorium. In 1962, Larry Pedley and Aileen Sleeper started working at the theatre with R.C. Max. Larry was hired as a projectionist and Aileen as a concession worker. Larry and Aileen later married. In 1973 Larry and Aileen Pedley leased the theatre from R.C. Max. When Max died in 1981, Larry and Aileen purchased the theatre from his heirs. Due to the farm crisis in the late 1980s the theatre was in danger of closing. Ticket prices were $3.50 at the time. In 1987 the price was lowered to 99 cents a ticket; people thought it was neat that they paid a dollar and still got change. There was a penny jar that people could put their penny in, and when it was full there was a contest to guess how much money was in the jar. The theater continues to operate in the present day, showing current popular films and upcoming releases. It offers specialty sweet drinks, a Coffee Espresso Bar, and acclaimed popcorn. The theater maintains a Facebook page and offers a free phone app. During the COVID-19 pandemic, following a public health disaster emergency issued by the Governor's office of Iowa, the theater was required to stop showing films until further notice; management stated they would try to periodically open the concession stand for carry-out and directed patrons to Facebook for times and updates.

• 1987

  Ticket prices were lowered to 99 cents during the farm crisis.

• 1981

  R.C. Max died; Larry and Aileen Pedley purchased the theatre from his heirs.

• 1973

  Larry and Aileen Pedley leased the theatre from R.C. Max.

• 1962

  Larry Pedley and Aileen Sleeper started working at the theatre.

• 1951

  R.C. Max designed a new marquee and renamed the place Max Theatre.

• 1941

  Richard Carl Max bought the theatre from Otto Lehmen.

• 1929

  New management installed sound equipment, the 'talkie vitaphone' system.

• 1919

  A new building was constructed and renamed the Royal Theatre, featuring 525 seats and the first air conditioning in the area.

• 1917

  Mr. Dixon purchased an old opera house named Port's Theatre.

A nostalgic, community-oriented single-screen movie theater offering current films at reasonable prices in Northwest Iowa.

• Movie screenings

• Popcorn

• Specialty sweet drinks

• Coffee Espresso Bar

1. 1The Max Theatresmaxtheatres.com
2. 2A Brief History of the Max Theatres: Sibley, Iowamaxtheatres.com
3. 3Max Theatreswikidata.org