Movies are the college student’s entertainment staple. Many Ames residents, including ISU students, get frustrated at the Ames theater system. Sometimes a single film will stay here for weeks, while other blockbusters skip the city altogether.

And considering the upcoming overhaul of Ames Theatre, it seems only fitting that Campustown’s other cinematic mecca, Varsity Theatre, located at 2412 Lincoln Way, will get its share of expansion and remodeling, just in time for the holiday season and ready to alleviate the problems of the current system.

The renovation is slated to begin in mid- to late September and should be complete by Christmas, said Roger Hansen, director of operations at Central States Theatre Corporation.

The Varsity will be expanding into the vacant lot just to the west of their present location.

Watch for some technological advances and brand-spankin’-new stuff to make movies as realistic and modern as possible. New features will include another auditorium, two new screens, new projectors, an expanded lobby and new restrooms. Four-track Dolby stereo surround-sound will also be installed in the theaters, Hansen said.

Forget the frustration of the same movie staying at a single theater for weeks on end. How many times can a person see Nine Months, anyway? Hansen explained that the additional auditorium will enable the theater to bring more recent movies to the Ames area. “The extra screen will help the situation,” he said.

Hansen wouldn’t elaborate, but he did say that plans for a state-of-the-art, six-screen theater in the Ames area are being considered. Stay tuned for more info in the next couple of weeks.