Movie theaters at Tampa's University Mall to close

The movie theaters at University Mall will close Friday because the company running them has decided to get out of the movie business, said Tom Locke, general manager at University Mall.

The Regal University 16, owned by Glimcher Realty Trust, will be closed for an unknown number of months as the mall looks for new owners and renovates the theaters, Locke said.

Business at other stores in the mall will suffer a bit while the theater is closed, but it will rebound, he said.

"If we can upgrade, it will be a much better draw than the way the theaters were operating," Locke said.