KAILUA — Consolidated Theaters quietly closed its Aikahi Twin theaters last week, a move that means Kailua residents will soon be without any place to see a film in their town, the second largest on O'ahu.

A notice on Consolidated's Web site and newspaper advertisements this week announced the change: "Aikahi Theater is closed. Thank you for your patronage. Please visit our nearby Ko'olau 10 theater."

The two theaters in the Aikahi Park Shopping Center were shut after years of declining attendance. In recent years, the theaters had largely shown off-beat and independent films that often brought in no more than a dozen people to the prime-time and evening shows.

"I'm sorry to see it go," said Kailua resident James Allen, who grew up in 'Aikahi and went to the Aikahi Theatres nearly every week in his teenage years. "It's too bad, but it seems like it just kept going downhill in recent years. The last time I was there was about three years ago to see 'Fahrenheit 451' and it was sold out. Seems like they couldn't make up their mind what they wanted to do with the place. I miss the Kailua Drive-in, too."

The closing, combined with previously announced plans by the Portland, Ore.-based Hollywood Theaters to shut the Keolu Center four-plex cinema when its lease expires next April means that Kailua residents will have to travel to Honolulu or Kane'ohe to see their favorite flicks.

The Keolu Center theater features $1 ticket prices and films that have generally been previously released in other theaters.

Consolidated officials and a spokesman for the Aikahi Park Shopping Center could not be reached for comment yesterday. Earlier in the year, however, a Consolidated spokesman said that the smaller, aging theaters were losing patrons and that most younger filmgoers preferred to attend a more modern megaplex with stadium seating.

Two Kailua theaters operated by Wallace Theaters closed in 2005.

Earlier this summer, Consolidated also shut down the Varsity Twin Cinema on University Avenue. That means that the closing of the Aikahi Theaters leaves Honolulu with no cinema complexes with less than four theaters. At the time of the Varsity closing in June, company officials said it remained committed to showing a "diverse slate of movies," but it was increasingly common in the industry to close older, small locations as crowds migrated to multiplex cinemas.

Justin Blackston, enjoying a late-afternoon coffee at the Aikahi Park Shopping Center yesterday, said he had never been to the theaters even though he lived nearby for more than a year.

"Mostly, it's because my girlfriend prefers going to the nice, new larger theaters with stadium seating and everything," he said. "We usually go to Kane'ohe or into town when we want to see a movie."

Consolidated still had several years remaining on its lease in 'Aikahi but had earlier said that it would consider leaving the space if the property managers there had a better use for it.

The last movies to be shown at the theater on Thursday were "Sicko," "The Simpsons Movie" and "El Cantante."

Consolidated continues to operate nearly 100 theaters at its Ward, Mililani, Pearlridge, Kapolei, Kahala, Ko'olau, Koko Marina and Maui cinema complexes. The company's smallest complex is now at Kukui Mall on Maui, where there are four theaters.

Meanwhile, officials said that talks were under way to find a new tenant for the Keolu Center property, but it would probably not involve a new theater operator. Hollywood Theaters operates theaters at seven other locations across the state and has said it is interested in expanding if it can find suitable locations — ones big enough to handle larger multiplex cinemas.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.