Last month's closing of Carmike Cinema 5, formerly 116 Heister St. left most college students without a car with nowhere to see Rambo downtown.

Students who choose not to rely on LateNight Penn State selections at the HUB-Robeson Center or screenings of classics and independent films at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., will have to rely on movie theaters farther from campus to fulfill their desire to view current movie releases.

The three prominent movie theaters outside downtown -- Premiere Theatre 12, 125 Premiere Dr., College 9, 3031 Carnegie Dr., and Carmike Cinema 6, 501 Benner Pike -- are the only options for students who want to catch new Hollywood flicks.

This change is providing a theater like Premiere Theatre 12 with a noteworthy surge in profit.

"We've definitely felt the extra business in the past month," said Bob Ricker, general manager of Premiere Theatre 12. "But it's hard to tell because it depends on which movies come out each week."

He said the selection of the types of films that will be played at Premiere Theatre 12 will not change, but the theater regularly takes into account the vast student population, as well as a large family population, living in town.

The management at College 9 said they're also feeling a surge, as a higher quantity of students have visited the theater, usually seeing an Academy Award release or Cloverfield, said general manager Anthony Smith.

The State College downtown area could feasibly remain without a movie theater for almost the next two years. Still in its early stages of development, the Fraser Centre, which will include a 10-screen cinema, residential apartments and commercial space, is expected to open on the 100 block of South Fraser Street no later than December 2009, said Tom Daubert, former State College Borough Council member.

"It's necessary to have things downtown that will bring people downtown," Daubert said. "I think it will be good for the whole community and very good for downtown State College, which needs a movie theater."

As for the likelihood that the State Theatre will capitalize on the current dearth of new commercial films downtown, Mike Negra, executive director of the theater, said it is quite slim.

State Theatre, which Negra described as a "calendar house" instead of a "first-run house," could not commit to running films two or more weeks in a row because it would diminish the opportunity for other diverse events and acts, he said.

"We will not adjust our framework," Negra said, adding that there is a possibility the theater may show theatrical releases this summer. "But I doubt it. I think we'd disappoint our audience if we showed 27 Dresses. It's not to say there's not a market for it -- it's just not ours."

One frustrated student is Aman Bashir (freshman-marketing), who said he finds it a hassle to have to take into consideration the infrequent bus times and movie show times for the distant theaters.

"That's a big problem," Bashir said. "There's no other option but to catch a cab because the buses are way off. It's crazy."

According to mapquest.com, trips to the theaters that start at Pollock Road in front of the HUB are about 4.9 miles to Premiere Drive, 4.3 miles to Benner Pike and 4.8 miles to Carnegie Drive.

Eric Bernier, CATA service development manager, said there are currently no plans for facilitating smoother travel.

"We haven't thought about the impact a routing change might have on those corridors," he said.

By the fall semester, CATA "could conceivably make it more convenient and possibly provide more service," Bernier said. "We're beginning our budget of service planning right now."

At a Feb. 25 CATA board meeting on various service planning issues, Bernier and others expect to open the floor to the public and encourage any suggestions for the upcoming 2008-2009 academic year. In the meantime, the distant movie theaters are making transitions to stay in tune with changing audiences and new developments.

Ricker revealed that the Premiere Theatre is making preparations to install HD digital projection in the near future.

"That's something that'll appeal to everyone, especially students who like to keep up with technology," he said.