Fate Of A Recently-Closed Northern Minnesota Movie Theater Unveiled

As August came to a close, it was revealed that a small-town movie theater in Northern Minnesota would be closing after sharing movies with the public for nearly two decades.

The Sunset Cinema in Pequot Lakes, right in the heart of Minnesota's Brainerd Lakes Area, announced in August that Labor Day would be its last day of business.

The small-town theater had been a moviegoing destination for locals and tourists visiting lake country for 17 years, serving as a convenient spot for new movie releases for people living or visiting towns like Crosslake, Breezy Point, Pine River, and Pequot Lakes.

With the closure of the theater, this now leaves moviegoers with a need to travel down to Brainerd, about a 30-minute drive away.

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After the theater closed, questions among locals began to pop up, as right after the building was closed, there was a lot of action from construction crews in and around the theater.

When it comes to buildings in the Pequot Lakes area, the Sunset Cinema building is among the larger ones. What could be moving into this sizable space? Now we know.

A local Pequot Lakes area business just announced yesterday (October 8) that they will be taking over the space.

Pequot Manufacturing, a machining and fabrication company also known to many locals as Pequot Tool & Manufacturing, will be taking over the space. The company has been around since the 1980s, growing into a CNC machining and fabricating company with tens of millions of dollars in sales each year.

In a social media post, Pequot Manufacturing answered the question of what's next for the building, sharing that they have purchased the building. They say they are thrilled to have this opportunity to expand their operations into their new property.

Pequot Manufacturing's primary location is just one mile north of the old Sunset Cinema building on Highway 371, giving them a new building in close proximity to their main facility.

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While the company didn't share their specific plans for the new building, they did say to "stay tuned for more" as the project to convert the building continues.