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Showcase Cinema 14 East Hartford, CT To Close
posted by
mlupo
on
August 28, 2006 at 7:18 am
HARTFORD, CT — Citing low attendance, Showcase Cinema owner National Amusements has decided to close its East Hartford Connecticut 14 screen house.
Built in the early 70’s with 4 screens, the theater was expanded and renovated through the years to the present 14 screens.
Showcase has a newer, larger facility in nearby Manchester, CT. That theater has 16 screens and an Imax auditorium. It is also one to be converted to the Cinema de Lux format, adding amenities to attract patrons.
No word on what will happen to East Hartford facility after the last show slated for September 4.
Comments (3)
I have been to “Showcase Cinemas” in several cities and have found deficiencies in all of them. We don’t need bigger and larger shoeboxes. We need movie houses with personality and programs that are so enticing they literally grab you from the sidewalk and beckon you inside.
Yeah but this is the last of its kind – a 70’s style multiplex, I for one liked how retro it was when I was living in CT. That and they had, for some unknown reason the best popcorn in the area. There was something about driving past that huge theater on 84, all lit up and empty on a weekday night (ussually on the way to the Showcase in Manchester). That and Hartford will be losing screens for Indian movies.
Now what would be great is if R.A.W. and Wadsworth Anthemium teamed up and opperated a huge art house/art gallery combo.
To be fair I had a feeling this would be gone when I heard Manchester would be expanding, apparently they are building four new theaters on to it but I’d imagine they had to cut a theater or two out since the lobby was a bit small for the new food features. Showcase Buckland Hills (which opened in 1998) has always been a quality theater even though its I-Max is tiny. Maybe the Palace will take on the Bollywood movies?
It should also be noted that Cinema City, the commerical art house in Hartford will likely soon close when Criterion Cinemas opens at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. At one time Cinema City and East Hartford were the only game in town, and still to this day they have a policy of not playing the same movie at the same time.
This place was a dump though, It did last alot longer than i thought it would. Not really gonna be missed, cept the empty auditoriums felt like a private screening room on certain evenings. I remember this one time a couple weeks ago i went here for a show and there were a couple more people my age (college students) who decided to partake in smoking (not a cigarette mind you). There were no theater checks or anything. Did i snitch, hell no. I sat with them. Tou can get away with murder here.