NORWICH – Only one month after the “final” showing at the Colonia Theater, preparations are already in the works to show movies on the big screen once again. Doors of the Colonia will reopen to the public next Thursday, when Rich and Todd Barnes debut some of the alterations made to building’s interior, and roll out their first film as the new owners.

“People will see changes as soon as they walk through the doors,” said Rich Barnes, who co-manages the theater with his brother, Todd. The two have been working long hours at the Colonia since taking ownership of the building earlier this month. “We’ve had a lot of calls from people wanting to know when it’s going to reopen,” he added. “We wanted to get it open as quickly as we could for the public.”

The theater was forced to close in October, giving way to demands the movie industry to make technology upgrades to play digital movies. At the time, funding wasn’t available to foot the costly $150,000 price tag that came with the new digital equipment, and availability of 35 millimeter to roll on old projectors was dwindling. The business had no choice but to close, Rich Barnes said. Even so, closing the theater set in motion a series of events that would result in Todd and Rich Barnes resuming ownership of the business in addition to becoming the new owners of the 90-year-old building that houses it.