9/26/2025

PARK FALLS - Park Theatre in Park Falls, a long-standing movie theater that first opened its doors in June 1950, is set to close on November 30. Owners Paul and Katie Freiburger, who purchased the theater in 2020 with plans for restoration, announced on Facebook that financial difficulties are forcing its closure. In their statement, the Freiburgers explained, “While we have enjoyed bringing entertainment to Park Falls, we unfortunately cannot financially keep going. In full transparency, not only has the movie industry dramatically changed over the years but rising costs of supplies and utilities has led us to make this incredibly hard decision. The theater’s history dates back 75 years to its opening by Jim and George Esterl, who later passed it to Pete and Marge Esterl. After a period of closure, Jim and Kathy Billek bought the Park Theatre in 1996 and operated it until the Freiburgers’ purchase in 2020. This closure marks the end of the only movie theater in Park Falls.