Couple transformed Premiere Theaters Oaks 10 into modern experience
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Couple transformed Premiere Theaters Oaks 10 into modern experience

Couple transformed Premiere Theaters Oaks 10 into modern experience

Stephanie Hill

15 years of movies

The tale of Premiere Theaters Oaks 10 is a love story. A young man and young woman, both from Satellite Beach, met at the Melbourne theater in 1989. The couple married, had three children, and gave life to a business they were told was dead. Together, they transformed an aged building and replaced outdated equipment, gifting Brevard County the modern movie house it is today.

Stephanie Hill, 47, runs the theater that her husband, Rob Kurrus, believed in so much. Kurrus followed his love of movies up the ranks at the former Cobb then Regal theater. Working at Regal headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., the family of five took the opportunity to move back home in 2002 when the theater became available.

“We knew this theater was special and we had a lot of ideas how to bring it back to life,” Hill said. The tax attorney turned mom handled the paperwork. Kurrus handled everything else. The kids — Jessica, now 22, Scott, 20, and Maddy, 18, grew up there.

At the beginning, the theater had fewer than 50 customers some days. A big new theater had just opened a few miles away. Hill said the Regal CEO told Kurrus, “You’re crazy... That theater is dead, it’s never going to do any business.”

But Kurrus was a visionary. He eliminated the box office and created one line for tickets and concessions, built a second floor, brought in stadium seating and digital projectors.

Two years of renovations paid off. “It was not easy to stay open, but the customers were so supportive and excited to see the progress every time they came in,” Hill said.

Life was good. Then, a tragedy in 2012 rocked the family and the community. Kurrus, 44, was piloting back into the airport just miles from the theater. The father, philanthropist, adventurer and dreamer was killed, as were two passengers, when confusion with air traffic control communication led to the plane crashing.

Hill found herself alone with three teenagers and the theater. Five years later, the tears come just as quickly when she talks about her husband.

“It all started with the fact that we met at the theater, so walking away wasn’t an option,” she said. “I didn’t have much of a choice, the kids were all looking at going off to college and I had to find a way to pay for that.”

The Oaks stays connected to its community. Kurrus made sure more than 3,600 people could watch free movies in the aftermath of hurricanes in 2004, enjoying a few hours of entertainment and air conditioning. The theater hosts the Melbourne Independent Filmmakers Festival each October and other charitable events.

“I would never wish it upon anyone what happened, but I think you have to make the best of the cards you are dealt,” Hill said. “Chris [Franklin] and Justin [Gaines] and Rob would not be proud if I buried my head in the sand and refused to come back.”

So Hill looks forward. Concessions now include draft and bottled beer, champagne, and frozen cocktails. Wine will soon follow. Future endeavors may include technological upgrades and premium seating.

“I go [to movie conventions] each year and come back with the neatest thing that Brevard would want,” she said.

For more information on movies and events, including celebrating the 15th anniversary at Oaks 10, visit http://www.oaks10.com

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