The Mar Theatre

Showtimes are posted on the theater's website and on the marquee out front, typically rotating weekly. The Mar usually runs two showings of a first-run feature per evening Tuesday through Sunday, with a Saturday matinee added during peak summer weekends. The auditorium seats around 290 in original-style fixed seating with a modest center aisle; sight lines are good from almost any seat although the front three rows can feel close to the curtain on widescreen presentations.

Tickets are general admission and inexpensive, usually around $8 for adults and slightly less for seniors and children, with a small surcharge for premium 3D releases. The concession stand sells fresh popcorn, candy and soft drinks. There is no online seat reservation system, and the box office accepts both cash and major cards. Arriving twenty minutes early is the best strategy for choosing a seat, especially for opening weekends of popular releases or for the classic film series.

The lobby is small but worth a slow look. Vintage one-sheet posters from past decades hang on the back wall, the ticket booth is original to the 1937 build, and the staircase to the balcony retains its original ornamental ironwork. Restrooms are downstairs and reflect their era; they have been updated for code but the layout is unchanged.

When the Butcher Brothers opened the Mar in 1937 it was one of dozens of small-town Art Deco theaters being built across the Midwest, riding the late 1930s movie boom. By the 1980s most of those theaters had closed or been gutted for retail, undone by suburban multiplex competition and aging mechanical systems. The Mar survived because successive local owners refused to sell and because the Wilmington community kept showing up. The current proprietors, the Tribley family, took over in the early 2000s and have invested in equipment upgrades while leaving the historic fabric intact.

Digital projection arrived in 2013, replacing the original 35mm equipment that had served the theater for more than seventy years. Without that upgrade most studios would have stopped distributing prints, and the Mar would have been forced to close like dozens of comparable small-town venues across Illinois. The original 35mm projector booth is still in place, however, and the theater occasionally schedules film prints for special events. The sound system has been upgraded twice, while preserving the original acoustic panels along the side walls.

Major preservation milestones include the 2010 restoration of the marquee neon, a 2017 refresh of the seating, and a 2022 lobby repaint that recovered Art Deco color tones documented from period photographs. The community supports the theater through small donations, season passes, and a steady flow of private rental events for birthdays and group screenings, which keep the seats filled even on slow weeks.

The Mar sits a block off the main Route 66 alignment, which means it pairs naturally with the rest of downtown Wilmington. The walk from the theater to the Gemini Giant at South Island Park is about five minutes south down Main Street, and the antique shopping district begins just one block north. Most travelers combine a daytime stroll through downtown with an evening show at the Mar; sunset is a particularly good time to catch the marquee neon glow as the street empties out.

Dining options within walking distance include Nelly's on Route 66 for burgers, several small diners along Baltimore Street, and the historic Polk-a-Dot Drive-In a few miles north in Braidwood for a longer detour. The historic Eagle Hotel anchors the north end of Main Street, and the truss bridge over the Kankakee River is another short walk. The Mar staff are usually happy to point Route 66 travelers toward additional Mother Road landmarks in the area.

Wilmington hosts an annual Catfish Days festival each August that takes over downtown with food vendors and music, and the Mar often runs themed classic screenings during community events. The theater's social media account posts upcoming films and special events, and reservations for large groups should be made in advance by phone. Centennial celebrations in 2026 are expected to bring extra programming, including a slate of Route 66 themed classic films.