STAUNTON - A new movie theater is set to open in Staunton Mall by December.

Robert Harrison is in the process of cleaning up and updating the theater, calling it Paragon Cinemas, his own locally-owned brand, not to be confused with Paragon Theaters out of Florida.

It's been a few months in the works, but the overall idea of bringing the theater back has been a long time coming.

Regal Cinemas left in 2010 and the then-management at the mall took over the theater. The six screens have remained empty relatively since then. The big thing standing in the way to get a theater back at the mall is digitizing it, which means more money.

But that's exactly what Harrison is going to do. He's bringing all six screens back to life with new digital projectors. He said there wouldn't be any 3D movies, though.

The theater will play new releases, Harrison said.

The Staunton Mall, located in Augusta County, was built in the late 1960s as an open-air mall and later enclosed. By the 1990s, the mall had seen a facelift and brief revival.

In the last decade, there's been a huge decline in the mall.

There are still numerous empty stores, and the mall is more of a fitness hub than an actual mall. The majority of tenants include a gym, CrossFit box and a martial arts center.

Most recently, Head Over Heels Gymnastics closed its location in the mall. It is relocating to the former Elliott Chevrolet building on Greenville Avenue sometime this month. In the past year, numerous stores have closed.

Asprey Real Estate Corp., which took over management in 2015, has been trying to breathe life into the space. The mall was previously managed by former owners Staunton Mall Realty LLC.

More:New cider operation in the works for Augusta County

More:Portable solar watering station available for area farmers

More:Haunted mill opens in Dooms; Waynesboro library gets scary — The buzz

The mall has seen some changes in ownership, as well.

Staunton Mall Realty LLC sold the property to Staunton Mall LLC, a Delaware company, on Feb. 19, 2014, for $4.5 million.

Harrison has been in the business since 1991 and opened Venue Cinemas in Lynchburg last year. He has since then sold his interest in the company. Prior to that, he was a Cinemark general manager for 12 years.

"We saw an opportunity in Staunton," he said. "I'm excited to provide a quality movie-going experience at an affordable price to Staunton and the surrounding areas."

Harrison is still living in Lynchburg, but will be relocating to run the theater. He plans on hiring up to 20 people for the theater to start out, but hasn't begun the search yet.

"I expect to start that in early to mid-November," he said about the hiring process.

Harrison plans on offering value ticket pricing with the highest-priced ticket at $6.50. Concession items will be competitively priced, he said.

There is still work to be done at the theater, Harrison said, considering the space hasn't been occupied since 2010.

"The projectors are the biggest expense and will require the most work," he said.

He is self-funding the entire project.

As for the name, Paragon Cinemas, he said it portrays his business model.

"Paragon is a model of excellence, which is what the company will strive for," he said. "Excellence in customer service, integrity and doing the right thing for our customers."

The Staunton Mall management could not be reached for comment.

Follow Laura Peters @peterslaura and @peterpants. You can reach her at lpeters@newsleader.com or 213-9125.