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Closings
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January 6, 2011
Destinta Theatres closes Independence Plaza 12
HAMILTON, NJ — December 31, 2010 was the last day for the Destinta Independence Plaza 12 which opened in 1999.
Mayor John Bencivengo on Monday night said Hamilton has recently seen positive developments with local businesses but that Destinta’s closure “is a result of the national economy” where consumers are putting a “tight hold on discretionary spending.”
“It’s never a good moment when a business is closing, especially when it’s in Hamilton,” Bencivengo said. “We hope that (the Independence Plaza) center does well, and we hope it gets filled again, that particular movie theater.”
There is more in the Trentonian.
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December 17, 2010
AMC Loews Stroud Mall 7 closes; new Cinemark 12-plex to replace it
STROUDSBURG, PA — The last day for the AMC Loews Stroud Mall 7 was December 12. The theater opened in the late 1970’s as a triplex; over the years additional screens were added including two in another part of the mall. Cinemark plans to open a new twelve-screen multiplex by Thanksgiving 2012 that will occupy this theater’s main space and that currently occupied by some stores.
The story appeared in the Pocono Record (registration may be required).
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December 14, 2010
Tucson’s Century Park 16 to close in January
TUCSON, AZ — An investment group has purchased the Century Park 16 which is currently operated by Cinemark, which acquired the theater when it absorbed the Century chain a few years ago. The theater opened as the Century Park 12 in the late 1980’s and was built on the site of a former drive-in. The investment group plans to use the site for non-theatrical purposes.
The property is zoned for light industrial use, said Buzz Isaacson, a broker with CB Richard Ellis who is listing the property for the investors. That leaves it open to a variety of occupant types, including medical, office or educational. It could include some retail space, though that will not likely be its primary use, Isaacson said.
A new tenant would likely retrofit the existing structures to accommodate its business. “Our prediction is that we will attract a user that will use all or part of the theaters,” Isaacson said.
The full story appeared in the Arizona Daily Star.
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Theater closed by AMC will reopen in Keokuk with new management
KEOKUK, IA — Eisentraut Theatres, based in Hillsboro, IL, will be reopening the Plaza Cinema which was closed by AMC in November.
“We wanted to get a deal done in time to open for the holidays,” Eisentraut said. “Zetterlund worked very hard to make sure there was little down-time during the transition of theater operations.”
Renovations to Cinema Plaza will progress gradually…
There is more in the Fort Madison Daily Democrat.
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December 13, 2010
Hamilton 10 in Hamilton closes
HAMILTON, OH — The sad saga of recent closings by AMC of former Kerasotes properties continues. November 28 was the last day for the Hamilton 10. Kerasotes had acquired this former bargain cinema when it was known as the Danbarry Dollar $aver Cinema and turned it into a first run house.
The Northwest Washington Boulevard theater, called AMC Hamilton 10 for the past 6 months, “was identified as a theater that no longer competed effectively in the marketplace,” said Justin Scott, director of public relations for AMC.
“No decisions have been made yet about the building’s future,” Scott said.
The story appeared in the News-Journal.
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December 9, 2010
Regal closes Southland 7 in Marion
MARION, OH — The Southland Cinema 7 operated by Regal since 1994, was closed on December 5. The theater was located at the Marion Centre Mall, which is facing foreclosure proceedings in January.
Regal Cinemas decided not to renew its lease, which ends in December, and to vacate the 1415 Marion-Waldo Road site, Gallagher said. The company has operated the movie theater since 1994, when it expanded it to a seven-screen cinema complex. The theater opened under the operation of Cinema Centers Corp. of Boston.
She said she did not have information regarding whether Regal Cinemas had any plans to open a theater elsewhere in the Marion area. She said she had no response to whether her company’s decision to close the cinema was related to the mall being in foreclosure.
There is more in the Mansfield News-Journal.
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Rivertree Court Cinemas closed
VERNON HILLS, IL — It appears that AMC has closed the curtain on Rivertree Court Cinemas in Vernon Hills. According to the Vernon Hills Review, the theater will be converted to a Gordman’s department store.
Rivertree Court was opened in 1988 by the now defunct Cineplex Odeon chain and had the distinction of being one of the few Chicago area theaters left with the original CO decor. It was closed once before by Loews Cineplex in 2000, before Kerasotes purchased and reopened it in 2001. After AMC purchased Kerasotes earlier this year, the writing was probably on the wall as AMC also purchased the Showplace 8 (also in Vernon Hills) which is much newer.
The last day of shows was Thursday, December 2nd. Among the last features shown were “The Last Three Days”, “Due Date”, “Secretariat”, “Skyline”, “Life As We Know It”, “The Social Network”, and “Morning Glory”.
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December 7, 2010
AMC closes another: the Colonial Commons in Harrisburg
HARRISBURG, PA — Add another theater to the recent set of closings by AMC. The nine-screen Colonial Commons showed its last films on November 28. The theater opened in 1991.
There is more at Penn Live.
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December 6, 2010
Will Rogers Theater in Charleston closed by AMC
CHARLESTON, IL — Another in a recent series of theaters closed by AMC has occurred in this eastern Illinois town. The Will Rogers, which opened in 1938 and which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, closed quietly on November 28.
The theater just off the courthouse square in Charleston was popular with locals and Eastern Illinois University students through the past seven decades. But like many smaller theaters, it was losing financial ground to multi-screen movieplexes, DVD rentals and Internet downloads.
“I really liked the small-theater atmosphere,” said Cuddy, who expects to transfer his work to another AMC facility. “I’ve been here for three years. It was my first job.”
There is more in the Journal Gazette.
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December 3, 2010
Landmark to close the Neptune in Seattle
SEATTLE, WA — Another classic movie theater will close soon in the Emerald City. Landmark Theatres has announced it will cease operations in February at the historic Neptune Theatre which opened in 1921. The lease will be picked up by the Seattle Theatre Group (STG) which will take out about five hundred seats and use it primarily as a venue for live performances, though STG says that films will still be occasionally shown.
The Seattle Theatre Group will spend about $500,000 on renovations, including updated restrooms and removal of about 50 percent of the theater’s floor seating, according to a spokeswoman.
The Neptune will reopen in spring of next year. Films will still be shown on occasion, but the venue will primarily be used for live performances.
The full story is in the online Post-Intelligencer.