- Steve Sarowitz, an Illinois billionaire, acquired and renovated Payson's Wayfarer Theaters.
- The theater aims to showcase uplifting films, avoiding most R-rated content.
- Sarowitz's Bahá'à faith inspires his mission to promote positive stories in communities.
PAYSON — A longtime movie theater in Utah County is getting a remake with a new look and a new focus for the types of movies it puts on the screen.
A grand reopening for Wayfarer Theaters in Payson was held Friday. Formerly known as Stadium Cinemas, the newly renovated theater is now owned by Steve Sarowitz, an Illinois billionaire who also owns Wayfarer Studios.
"We love the town of Payson," Sarowitz told KSL, noting that his theater has a specific mission to showcase positive stories and uplift moviegoers.
That means most R-rated films won't be shown there, he said, but rather those that "feed our souls," including movies produced by Provo-based Angel Studios.
"Films that show the spiritual virtues such as love and compassion and mercy and justice," Sarowitz said. "They don't have to be perfectly squeaky clean. There could be some swearing, there could be some violence, there could be some sadness. But we really want to uplift humanity."
Sarowitz's Wayfarer Studios has produced more than a dozen films in the last few years, including "The Senior," "Eleanor the Great," and "It Ends With Us." The latter film is tied to an ongoing legal battle amid harassment allegations by actress Blake Lively.
The new theater owner said he draws on his Bahá'à faith to try to bring people together, including at the movies. The Payson theater is his second location. He said others could come later.
"I'm not looking to rule the world," Sarowitz said, "but what I want to do is I want to make the world a better place in every community we come to."
The theater's general manager, Stacy Thomas, said people in the southern Utah County community have responded positively to the theater and its mission.
"I think that when people come in and they spend a couple of hours with us, they should leave the theater feeling just inspired and uplifted and good about humanity," Thomas said.
Payson Mayor Bill Wright welcomes it.
"This is a great community," Wright said. "We want to keep our values, we want to keep our heritage, and this is something that is very important. I believe it's going to continue."
