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After 20 years, the Olney 9 Cinemas will go dark in early January.

"The decision to close the theater is bittersweet, said Caroline McLaughlin, vice president of HPI Inc., parent company of the Olney 9 Cinemas. "We have been a part of the Olney community even before the Olney 9 Cinema first opened its doors 20 years ago, and will always recognize Olney as home."

She said the decision was made not to renew the lease in the Olney Town Center shopping center based on business economics and tighter credit markets.

The theaters have remained family-owned and operated, unlike the mega-complexes that have sprouted up throughout the county in recent years.

"It has been a wonderful partnership the past 20 years and we are grateful for the time we have been able to serve the Olney community," McLaughlin said.

Michael T. Reilly, vice president and general manager of Carl M. Freeman Companies Commercial Real Estate Division, said they are looking for a new tenant.

"It could be a new theater operator taking over the existing space, or it could be turned over to a new tenant for a different concept or multiple concepts, or it could be torn down and something entirely new could go there," he said.

He said the theater industry has changed. When it was built, the Olney 9 was the largest theater complex in the county, now it is the smallest at 24,000 square feet.

"Today's theaters require 50,000- to 80,000- square feet, and we just don't have the flexibility to accommodate that," he said.

Reilly said the economy is also a factor.

The Olney Town Center Advisory Committee, formed as part of the Olney Master Plan approved in April 2005, has been working on concept of what Olney's town center could look like as development progresses.

A large part of Olney's town center is owned by the Carl M. Freeman Companies, and company officials are currently working on plans to redevelop the property that includes the Olney Town Center shopping center.

Committee chairman Jim Smith said that the most common concern committee members hear from residents is whether or not the new plan includes a movie theater. Smith said one of their roles is to review tenant mix.

"During the course of our public meetings we have heard the public's concern that they want to have a movie theater in Olney," he said.

Holiday Filmfest schedule:

Dec. 5-7: Home Alone (PG), Jack Frost (PG)

Dec. 12-14: Polar Express (G), Elf (PG)

Dec. 19-21: Fred Claus (PG), Jingle All The Way (PG)

Dec. 26-28: Alvin & the Chipmunks (PG),The Santa Clause (PG)