About Us
The Vali Twin Cinema building, in downtown Powell, was built in 1919. Originally built for vaudeville, the then Lyric Theatre was home to live acts before the day of silent movies!
Extensive remodeling in 1948 gave the building a classy 40’s deco look, 600 seats and a new name, the Teton Theatre.
Allen and Lorna Mercer leased the Teton Theatre from Norm and Jo Ann Bentz on January 1, 1976. Using 35 mm movie film and carbon arc lamps for a light source, the single screen theater could entertain 596 movie-goers.
A new marquee was installed in the late 1970s to replace the aging neon marquee with a more modern florescent sign. The name of the theatre was changed to Vali Cinema.
On January 1, 1979, Vali Cinema and Vali Drive-In were purchased from the Bentz's.
In 1982, the projectors were changed from Carbon Arc lamps to Xenon bulbs.
In 1994, Vali Cinema was converted form one screen to two and the name changed to Vali Twin Cinema.
The Drive In was sold in 2004 to Kathleen Haney and Julie Sullivan.
Marking another major change in the movie industry the theatre was completely updated to digital picture and sound in 2011.
Since 1984, Allen and Ena Mercer have been sharing their love of the movies with the people of Powell.
On June 1, 2014, Allen and Ena retired and sold the theater to Ena's son Brandon Asay and his wife Diedre.
Allen and Ena will still be working at the theater sharing their love for the movies!
