There are certain combinations that simply belong together: peanut butter and jelly, summer and ice cream and, of course, movies and popcorn.
At Ratterman Theatres in O’Fallon, that classic pairing is part of a larger mission. They are bringing back the kind of moviegoing experience many people remember from childhood, while introducing a new generation to the magic of seeing a film on the big screen.
For owner Tristan Ratterman, the inspiration came from years spent working in independent, family-owned cinemas throughout the Midwest.
“It was the best college education I could get,” Tristan says. “I got to see various approaches to the same goal: deliver a movie experience you couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Along the way, he also accumulated an assortment of movie-theater antiques waiting for an opportunity to return to the public eye. When the time came to design Ratterman Theatres, those pieces helped create an atmosphere that feels nostalgic without requiring guests to have actually experienced an old-fashioned theater firsthand.
The goal, Tristan says, was to create a place resembling “movie theatres in the cartoon movies," somewhere instantly recognizable and comfortable.
“Whether or not you’d ever stepped foot inside, it felt familiar,” he adds. “You knew exactly what you’re walking into.”
That familiarity extends to the experience itself. While streaming services and home theaters have made entertainment easier to access than ever, Tristan says he believes there's still something fundamentally different about seeing a movie in a theater.
“No matter what people say, no one has a 25-by-50-foot curved single screen in their home,” he jokes.
Technology is only part of the attraction. Trips to the movies often become markers in a person’s life. Those can be outings with parents or grandparents, first dates, birthday celebrations and childhood milestones.
“Everyone has some sort of ‘core memory’ associated with going out to the movies,” Tristan declares. “Something about a theatre is an experience like no other.”
And then there's the popcorn. “Popcorn and movies are like peanut butter and jelly,” he says. “They just make sense together.”
Ratterman Theatres has deliberately kept that tradition affordable. Its “REEL DEAL” includes admission, popcorn and a soda for $15 every night of the week. The theater also serves popcorn with real butter topping, another small detail meant to recreate the classic cinema experience.
Tristan sees affordability as essential to making moviegoing a regular activity rather than an occasional splurge.
The theater team also embraced an intentionally back-to-basics approach. Guests will find large auditoriums seating roughly 200 to 300 people, big screens, simple concessions, flashing lights and even old-fashioned physical movie tickets.
What they will not find are many of the features now associated with modern multiplexes.
“The big guys can keep their recliners, reserved seating, buffalo wings and 45-minute Screenvision pre-show,” Tristan says. “You won’t find that with us, and we’re proud of it.”
Instead, the focus remains squarely on the movie and the experience surrounding it. Tristan says guests have even begun seeking out the locally owned theater specifically because of its atmosphere, affordability, presentation, concessions and in-house organist.
For him, seeing children arrive for their first theater movie is especially meaningful.
“It’s just nice knowing we’re making an impact, and seeing so many make going to the movies a weekly event again," he shares.
Ultimately, Tristan says he hopes guests may not always be able to pinpoint exactly why the theater feels different, only that it does. “We hope it’s impactful and positive. And we also hope you leave with the desire to make moviegoing with us a regular experience.”
At Ratterman Theatres, the formula remains wonderfully uncomplicated: a giant screen, a darkened auditorium, a real movie ticket and a bucket of buttery popcorn.
Sometimes the classics really do get it right.
“Everyone has some sort of ‘core memory’ associated with going out to the movies.”