The summer blockbuster season is here, and the Capri Theater in the Fondren District of Jackson is doing just fine.
“Top Gun, Maverick” is showing, and plenty of moviegoers are visiting Jackson’s only movie theater, which opened nearly five months ago, thanks to the efforts of folks like David Pharr, Jason Watkins and Robert St. John.
“The honeymoon period is over. We have smoothed out all the rough edges,” St. John said. “We are hitting on all cylinders.”
The over 80-year-old theater is back in business, sparking nostalgia from those who spent many nights looking up at its screen. For St. John, the entire Fondren project has been a passion project.
“I am a huge movie person,” he said. “Before I ever owned a movie theater, I probably went to three movies a week. I don’t play golf. I don’t really hunt. I don’t really fish. I like movies, music and football.”
Instead of leaving his office at 3 in the afternoon and playing a round of golf, St. John says he would prefer a matinee.
“So, it really has been a kick to be in the theater business now, but to also learn about it,” he said. “I knew there would be a lot to learn and there has been.”
Learning to deal with major studios and navigating that process has been a challenge, but he says this might be the most rewarding project he has ever been associated with.
“Out of the 21 or 22 openings, I have never been part of a project where so many people came up and thanked me for opening something,” St. John said.
Highball Lanes is connected to the theater, which St. John is quick to point out, “It’s really a restaurant with a bowling alley attached, not the other way around.”
There is also The Pearl, a tiki lounge and restaurant next door to Highball Lanes, which once served as James Patterson and Ron Blaylock’s photography studio for years.
St. John said he was the second food guy Pharr and Watkins talked to about the project. They had already spoken with someone who wanted to put a live music venue where the Capri is.
“For me, I was definitely interested, but I knew Jackson didn’t have a movie theater, and there was already a music venue right down the street at Duling Hall,” he said.
There were originally 500 seats in the Capri back in the day, but St. John and his team re-worked the facility to accommodate 178 seats, all recliners. There is Dolby 7.1 sound and a digital laser projector.
St. John said he knew there are a lot of nice theaters with the same technology, but he also had a secret weapon those others, the vast majority of which are chains, didn’t have.
“The food and drink element,” he said. “We knew we could separate ourselves from everyone else. We offer a lot of my recipes from Hattiesburg.”
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Folks going to see a movie at The Capri can order from Highball Lanes’ menu and have it delivered inside the theater.
Justin Ferguson is the executive chef. He worked with St. John at the Purple Parrot for 12 years and then was in New Orleans for another four years. It’s Ferguson’s product that is being served in the movie theater.
“So, you aren’t going to get food and drink like that anywhere else,” St. John said. “I am all about eating local. I am all about viewing local. This is the locally owned theater in Jackson. If you want to go to a local theater, then this is where you go.”
Next on the list for St. John in the Fondren District is adjacent to the Capri. What once was a gas station and most recently a yoga studio, St. John intends to turn into Highball Station, a place for beer and cocktails with a small menu. It is set to open before the end of the year.
Originally in the plan was Ed’s Burger Joint, which would have replicated the original Ed’s Burger Joint in Hattiesburg. The old gas station would have been torn down in favor of a new, more modern building in that plan. However, current construction prices called for a re-thinking of the project. That’s when Highball Station was brought to the table.
St. John has been quick to point out to anyone who will listen that his work in Fondren comes on the heels of 30 years of work from many in the area who have helped revitalize the area, including those who own restaurants like Derrick Emerson (Walker’s Drive-in), Bill Latham (Babalu founder), Jeff Good (Bravo!, Broad Street and Sal and Mookies) and Grant Hutcheson (Pig and Pint).
“It hasn’t been a surprise, but it has been a pleasure to come in and feel supported by our neighbors,” St. John said. “… a rising tide lifts all ships, and we have seen that here, probably more so than other places I have been.
“It’s great to be a part of a restaurant community with a great theater. We love it.”
Ross Reily covers Business and Development for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
