Our Corporate Office is located at:

6801 W. 107th Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 432-2334 Fax: (913) 432-9507

90 Years of Excellence!!!

Entertaining audiences in the Midwest for 90 years, Dickinson Theatres continues to provide motion picture excellence with quality presentations and superior customer service.

In 1920, company founder Glen W. Dickinson, Sr quit the family business –a Ford dealership in Brookfield, Missouri specializing in tractors—to purchase a small two-screen theatre in a booming agricultural college town. The Dickinson Marshall Theatre in Manhattan, Kansas was christened in November 1920 as the first of many Dickinson Theatres.

After overwhelming success with his first venture in the motion picture exhibition, Mr. Dickinson soon added a second market to his circuit. The Dickinson Bowersock Theatre sprung up in a booming college town less than 2 hours away in Lawrence, Kansas.

It wasn’t long after when a second Lawrence theatre was opened, and within a brief period of time, the fledgling circuit had expanded its size and scope to include theatres in Junction City, Kans.; Ellsworth, Kans.; Beloit, Kans.; Great Bend, Kans. and Springfield, Missouri.

By 1931, Dickinson Theatres had grown to parent 26 theatres and continued to expand. It was at that time Mr. Dickinson decided to relocate the company office to Lawrence, Kansas.

In 1946, the company branched out to introduce its first drive-in theatre. The first Dickinson drive-in opened in Pittsburg, Kans. and was followed in 1948 by the construction of the 81 Drive-In Theatre in Salina, Kans., the Shawnee Drive-In in Shawnee, Kans. and the Leawood Drive-In Theatre in Leawood, Kansas.

Company expansion and diversification continued under the operation of Glen W. Dickinson, Jr. as theatres sprung up in Waterloo, Iowa; Quincy, Ill.; Monroe, Missouri; Noel, Missouri; Anderson, Missouri and Branson, Missouri. Property was also purchased near a little known town called Overland Park, Kans. with contract and the dream to build Dickinson’s finest theatre.

After more expansion, the company decided to move Dickinson’s corporate headquarters to Kansas City’s suburban Mission, Kansas. At that time, the small city only included a filling station, barber shop, taxi service and bicycle rental shop.

The next ten years became very important for Dickinson Theatres, as the construction of a major motor hotel complex, the Glenwood Manor Motor Hotel, began at 95th and Metcalf, just a short distance away from what would be Dickinson’s “Flagship” Glenwood Theatre, already in construction. In 1966, the Glenwood Theatre opened with the Midwest Premiere of the popular movie "Is Paris Burning?"

The “new” Glenwood Theatre received instant recognition for movie theatre comfort, quality and design. Its overwhelming popularity with the public and film companies soon warranted the construction of additional screens and expansion to the complex.

The decade of the 60's also marked the passing of the company's founder, Glen W. Dickinson, Sr. in 1963. The company was passed on to Glen W. Dickinson, Jr. who would go on to run the theatre chain for the next 20 years.

One of the company's most significant milestones occurred in early 1980 when Dickinson Theatres purchased 25 screens from Mann Theatres. The acquisition increased the company's size from 46 screens to 71 screens with operation in 4 states.

Glen W. Dickinson, Jr. passed away in 1983, leaving the leadership of the company to Kent Dickinson, the second of three sons. The other two, Jon Scott Dickinson and Glen Wood Dickinson III assisted as vice presidents for the company.

Throughout the 80's under Kent Dickinson's administration, existing theatre properties were refurbished and updated with the latest technology. New luxurious theatre complexes were constructed over the next few years and included major multi-plexes in Kansas City, KS; Wichita, KS; Springfield, MOand Columbia, MO.

A change in company direction occurred in October 1992 when Wood Dickinson was named president of Dickinson Theatres.

During Wood Dickinson's appointment to office, Dickinson Theatres opened its first 12-screen motion picture entertainment complex, the SouthGlen Theatre in suburban Overland Park, Kans., as well as the new Plaza Cinema 6 facility in Leavenworth, Kans.

1995 marked Dickinson Theatres’ 75th anniversary and a year of great success. Dickinson introduced the "Crown Jewel" to the Kansas City area, opening the extraordinary WestGlen 12 Theatre in Shawnee, Kans. Destined to become Dickinson's most luxurious movie center and model operation for excellence, the WestGlen soared expectations and later expanded to 18 screens.

With a minimum addition of 20 new screens during 1995, Dickinson Theatres was operating 168 screens in 39 locations throughout Mid-America.

In September of 1999, a monumental event propelled the company in a new and exciting direction. Wood Dickinson, the last of the Dickinson family, decided to move on to other industry related and personal ventures. In his place, a young and motivated team led by John Hartley, head of purchasing for Dickinson Theatres, stepped up and took control of the company. Reviving the company mission to provide the best of family entertainment, the following years show a rebirth of the Dickinson Theatres.

After more than 30 years in the business, John Hartley retired and sold the company to Ron Horton, the Executive Vice President of Film Buying and Marketing.

Today, Ron Horton, continues to lead the company into the digital age. The company currently operates 18 theatre locations with 210 screens across 7 states.

With unlimited projected growth, stability in operations and a never-ending pursuit to please customers, Dickinson Theatres strives to be the premier movie exhibition company in the Midwest.

The fundamental goals of the company rests in the enduring mission statement: