Marathon Live has turned old warehouses and auto plants into live music venues across the country, but the company had never converted an old theater until it came to Jacksonville.

For Five , the firm spent about $2 million to turn the old Sun-Ray Cinema space into a venue that can hold up to 1,250 for a concert.

"This is the first time we have renovated a historic theater," Mark Dinerstein, the company's CEO, said May 15 in the venue's lobby. "You cannot replace or create the character of a 1927 building. They just don't make them like this anymore."

Five sits at the heart of the Five Points business district in Jacksonville's historic Riverside neighborhood, and retains the familiar blinking marquee on Park Street. The main room is set up in three tiers, a remnant of the old movie theater layout. A large bar is at the back of the room, along with a small seating area and the soundboard. Down one step is a large standing area. Down another is the front "pit" area.

The mezzanine has been extended down both sides of the room and has space for about 200 fans. The old projection booth has been converted into a VIP lounge.

Five opened on May 13 with a performance by BoyWithUke. On opening night, fans were in line by 5 p.m. for an 8 o'clock show. By the time the doors opened at 7 p.m., the line had stretched all the way to the corner of Park and Post streets. Before entering the venue, fans first had their IDs checked and received a stamp if they were old enough to buy alcohol, then went through a security checkpoint, where a guard checked them with a metal detector.

There's a large bar at the rear of the main floor, and another upstairs. The bars sell beer, but no cocktails at this point. Five has no kitchen, but some snacks are sold at the bars, but Dinerstein said he expects to get a liquor license this summer. Liquid Death sparkling water and Red Bull energy drinks were big sellers on opening night, but there were never lines at the bar. The big lines were at the merchandise booth, which is located in the front lobby. The venue is cashless, so all transactions must be paid electronically.

The stage is 28 feet wide, which Dinerstein said is about average for a venue the size of Five. The stage has a 30-foot high fly loft overhead, allowing for large lighting systems. The club has its own L'Acoustics sound system.

All of the old theater seats are gone. On opening night, there were fewer than 50 chairs in the whole venue — a couple dozen arrayed along the mezzanine railing and in the VIP loft (the old projection booth) and some folding chairs in a floor-level Americans with Disabilities Act seating area. No spots are reserved, and fans are free to stand wherever they like. Some shows will be fully seated, although none are on the current schedule.

There are no age restrictions for most of the shows. At the BoyWithUke show, there were dozens of children in attendance and families posed for photos with the stage in the background.

Capacity at Five is 1,266 standing patrons or 545 seated. That puts it around the same size as the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall , which is undergoing renovations but will reopen in August with capacity for around 1,100 standing and 600 seated.

Opening night at the venue has been delayed a number of times by construction delays. Five was originally slated to open in January, and the first 17 shows booked at the venue were canceled, moved or postponed. There are 20 shows on Five's upcoming schedule, including Jacksonville's Lil Poppa, Georgia rockers Drivin N Cryin, former Disney kids Aly & AJ and country singer Drake Milligan.

Five will not operate on nights when there is no show booked. Dinerstein said he plans to be "genre-fluid" and book comedy, lectures and other events in the space and open it about 100 nights per year. Five no longer has projection equipment to show movies.

Marathon Live announced plans in 2022 for another venue at the Dennis + Ives development in the city's Rail Yard District that remains unbuilt. Dinerstein said that project is still in discussion. Marathon does not operate more than one venue in any other city, he noted.

There was a large community outcry last year when Sun-Ray announced it was closing after 13 years in Five Points, when the building was sold and the lease was not renewed. Dinerstein said he's heard from some of the Sun-Ray supporters and wanted to be clear that Marathon Live doesn't own the building and didn't do anything to push Sun-Ray out.

"There are definitely some old Sun-Ray fans that have let us know they are displeased," he said. "We had nothing to do with Sun-Ray going out of business."

Five joins Decca Live on Bay Street among the city's newest music venues. Another Bay Street venue has changed names, with Underbelly rebranding as The Albatross .