The Thomas Theatre Group was founded in 1922 by Martin Dawe Thomas. At the time, he managed more than 20 theatres for FOX across Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His vision for Thomas Theatre Group was to bring the most modern theatres for local entertainment to the region. He did so by opening/purchasing and operating theatres in Houghton (Lode), Laurium (Peoples), Iron Mountain (Capitol, Colonial, Braumart), Menominee (Lloyd), Ironwood (Cloverland, Morgan, Rialto, Ironwood), Calumet (Calumet), Hancock (Kerredge, Orpheum) and Fond du Lac (Garrick, Bijou, Orpheum). In 1936, the family business was passed on to Martin’s daughter, Elizabeth Thomas. She and her husband, Thomas Renn, operated the business from 1945-1979. Elizabeth’s daughter and son-in-law, Kristina and James Andes, took over the business operations in 1979. As industry technologies rapidly changed in the 1990s, Thomas Theatre Group – in fulfilling Martin’s vision – kept up. In the fall of 1994, James and Kristina built two 8-screen movie complexes in Escanaba (Willow Creek), Michigan and Quinnesec (Tri-City), Michigan. Any remaining Thomas Theatre Group theatres across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were either sold or closed. In 2014, Thomas and Valarie added a chapter to the history and tradition of what Martin Dawe Thomas created – a state-of-the-art multiplex in Marquette, Michigan.
Developed by Northern Initiatives / Home Events Partners Resources Annual Meeting