Residents of Worthington, Minn., got the gift of movies for Christmas as new owners reopened the town's only cinema Tuesday night.

More than 100 people were in line when Todd Frager unlocked the front door of the Northland Cinema 5 at 6:30 p.m., the first time the door had been opened since the theater closed in early November after previous owners filed for bankruptcy and lost their lease at the Northland Mall.

Worthington Mayor Alan Oberloh showed up, as did 239 other patrons who, until Tuesday, had to drive to Iowa catch a flick.

"We are really happy to have it back," said Randy Rutzen, operations supervisor for the Northland Mall.

Frager, who co-owns West Mall Theaters in Sioux Falls, S.D., frantically worked with mall officials over the past two weeks to negotiate a short-term lease to get the theater reopened for the holidays. The lease runs until spring, but the plan is to strike a long-term deal, he said.

He also scrambled to get film titles secured, employees scheduled to work, and locksmiths and electricians to do last-minute jobs. There wasn't even time to advertise or place newspaper ads.

"Somehow the word got out," Frager said. "They really had to seek us out."

Limited concessions and a malfunctioning projector that delayed the start of one movie didn't seem to dampen the spirit at the Cinema 5. Frager said residents in the town of about 11,300 are appreciative that they once again can watch first-run movies in their home town.

"We had a lot of nice comments and well wishes. We're just excited," he said.

To keep customers coming back, Frager said tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children and seniors. And concessions are priced low, too, he said.

"We want to be a family-friendly movie theater," Frager said. "Pop and popcorn are part of the movie experience."