Atlanta art house cinema Tara closes

After nearly 55 years, the Tara Cinema is, sadly, no more.

What’s happening: Last week, Regal Entertainment Group turned off the projector and shut off the lights at the 4-screen theater on Cheshire Bridge Road and Lindbergh Drive.

Why it matters: Named after the plantation in "Gone With the Wind" and once owned by Atlanta cinema legend George LeFont, the Tara was focused on screening non-blockbuster, independent and foreign films.

Details: Regal Entertainment Group said the closure was related to a "real estate optimization strategy." No other information was given.

Of note: The Tara hosted the premiere of Burt Reynolds classic "Smokey and the Bandit" and was the first theater in town to show Star Wars, per the AJC.

What they're saying: "It’s heartbreaking because for generations the Tara was one of the few other art house cinemas in the city that was introducing Atlantans to indie film, foreign film and pictures that pushed the envelope," Christopher Escobar, the executive director of the Atlanta Film Society, tells Axios.

• "Places like the Tara only mean anything because people have been going there for decades, making memories and sharing experiences and it becomes a fixture on how they see and connect with their community."