Gene Oliver, owner of the Allred Theatre, and Century National Bank have teamed up to take the state of the art cinema complex to the next level. Century Bank has committed the $700,000 needed to completely convert all five screens to digital and three of them will be

digital 3D.

“Digital and 3D are the biggest change in the film industry since sound was added,” Oliver said to the group of business leaders who were in attendance for the announcement. “Live events, concerts, sporting events, and much more will be presented to audiences in

theaters.”

The Allred has followed every trend in technology and is now committing to total transition to all digital projection, Oliver said in his press release.

“Three of the five screens will be 3D capable,” he said. “The installation is projected to be

completed by March of this year.”

The reintroduction of 3D to the movie industry has been widely successful. According to Oliver, there were seven 3D releases in 2009. There are 17 scheduled for 2010.

“On April 2, the Allred will be playing three 3D movies at the same time,” Oliver said. Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, and Clash of the Titans will all be showing in RealD 3D.

“There is only one theater

in Tulsa that will have this same capability along with the Allred,” Oliver said. “There will be others, but we are among the first in the nation to have this capacity.”

Funding the money has been difficult,” Oliver said. “I am grateful to Century Bank for its foresight and visionary commitment to the

citizens of Mayes County and Green Country.”

Century Bank’s Richard Willhour also addressed the group.

“We are grateful to be a part of this historical theater and this

community,” Willhour said.

Mayor Jimmy Tramel thanked Oliver for his continued efforts in keeping the revitalization of downtown Pryor a focus.

“He has been such a supporter of downtown Pryor and of this entire area,” Tramel said.

April 2 has

been declared Allred Appreciation Day in Pryor.

Oliver addressed “the bigger story” with the group, commenting on the importance of having a vision.

In 2000, when Oliver took over the theater that his parents had owned for many years, the Allred was ranked 65 of 65 theatres in Oklahoma. In 2009, it was ranked 4th.

“It’s about the fact that the same opportunity was here in 2000,” he said. “The same community surrounded us. The same people were here. But because someone decided to invest, look what happened.”

He asked people to look around and see what they can do with the people and the resources already available to them.

“You can choose helpless and hopeless, or you can choose to believe and have a vision,” he said.

Support is a two-way street. The Allred and Century Bank have invested in this community and this area by providing a state of the art entertainment destination.

Now citizens can return the favor by going to the movies. Not only will it be a chance to see a great movie using the latest technology, but the revenues generated by the theater keeps it on the cutting edge to receive the latest releases on their release date.

“The industry determines who gets the first run films by the theatre revenues,” Oliver said.

The more you go to the movies, the more first run movies you get to see.