Located in the Briarcliff Plaza shopping center, now branded Plaza on Ponce, the Plaza Theatre is the only independently owned movie theater remaining inside the Perimeter and the longest continuously operating one of its kind in Atlanta. Christopher Escobar, 35, purchased the Plaza in 2017 and recently signed a 25-year lease with Asana Partners, who bought the shopping center five years ago. Despite the societal challenges working against him — the rise of streaming, the pandemic, fancy multiplexes — he sees a pathway to make the Plaza even more of a neighborhood magnet, a community hub, a gathering spot. And he has big plans. Rodney Ho spoke with Escobar about those plans and the future of the Plaza Theatre for this week’s podcast.

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