After speculation that the Cowichan Valley’s lone movie theatre would be closing, it appears that the Caprice Theatre will continue under new management.
DJRD Entertainment Limited, the owners of the Caprice Duncan Twin Theatres, released a statement Thursday saying that they plan to “re-introduce the Caprice Entertainment provision of cinema to the Cowichan Valley community.”
Previous tenant Moby Amarsi, who operated the theatre for the past 10 years, suggested that inflation and rent hikes were to blame for the theatre closing shop.
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“I don’t think the disposable income is as high as it used to be pre-COVID. That was one of the factors. The other factor was a 300 perc ent increase in rent,” said Amarsi in a Dec. 31, 2023 interview with CHEK News.
DJRD says those allegations are untrue.
“The monthly lease payment between the parties were negotiated in 2019 and has not changed since,” the statement says.
The company says that it will be making a “opening soon under new management announcement shortly.”
The theatre has been closed since Dec. 30, 2023.
Cole Sorenson
