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Closings
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October 10, 2008
Grand Forks Columbia 4 closes
GRAND FORKS, ND — The Carmike Columbia 4 closed its doors over the weekend. A sign posted in the theater’s window announced its closure and thanked customers for 25 years of patrongage.
The theater originally showed first-run films, but converted to a dollar theater last February and removed its digital projectors due to competition from its own nearby Carmike 10 and the River Cinema 12 in the Riverwalk Mall in downtown East Grand Forks.
Read more in Biz Buzz.
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Second cinema closes in a month
ASHTABULA, OH — The second theater in a month closed down in the town this weekend as the Ashtabula Cinemas shuttered its eight screens. Just recently, the Conneaut Plaza Theatre closed.
“This is another blow to that area of town,” said the chairman of the town’s trustees.
This leaves only the Ashtabula Mall 6 Cinema and two video rental businesses as outlets for movie fans.
Read more in the Star Beacon.
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Nearby closing leads to possible re-opening
CONNEAUT, OH — The closing of the Ashtabula Cinemas this past weekend has created a business opportunity for the nearby Conneaut Plaza Theatre which closed suddenly last Sept. 4th.
The plaza’s owner has a handshake agreement with a new operator for the two-screen cinema and it could be back in operation by Nov. 1st. However, the plaza’s owner declined to identify the operator until the deal is finalized.
The previous operator blamed the economy and competition from larger cinemas as the reason for closing after 29 years.
Read more in the Star Beacon.
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October 9, 2008
Delaware mall cinema closes suddenly
REHOBOTH BEACH, DE — The Rehoboth Mall Cinema closed suddenly last week without informing its staff. When the general manager of the theater returned from vacation Monday, she found it closed. The theater had been struggling with low attendance and poor upkeep for some time.
“Everything in the theater was gone,” manager Loretta Stewart said. “The popcorn machine was gone. The inventory. The box office computer. Everything.”
The theater’s owner said he owed more than $20,000 to the mall for maintenance and decided to close it without telling anyone, putting seven people out of work. He also said he may reopen the second-run cinema if he can re-negotiate terms with the mall.
Read more at Delaware Online.
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October 6, 2008
Drexel Grandview (finally) closes
COLUMBUS, OH — The single-screen Drexel Grandview finally closed Tuesday night after a valiant effort by Jeff Frank, the owner of the Drexel Theatres Group, to keep it open.
In an e-mail sent to the press, Frank explained, “After the windstorm that closed Drexel East and Radio Cafe for most of five days, we tried hard, but unsuccessfully, to reach agreement with the Grandiew property owner so we could keep the theater open longer for a closing-night party.”
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October 2, 2008
Canadian Theater closed because of fire
NAPANEE, ONTARIO, CANADA — A fire at the Boulevard Cinema in Avril Lavigne’s hometown has closed the theater for the next few weeks.
The fire occurred last Tuesday on the theater’s busiest night of the week, discount night. The local fire department turned out quickly, the fire sprinklers worked, and there was extra staff on duty to help in the evacuation.
The fire started in a microwave located next to two popcorn machines and was contained to the refreshment stand.
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Police Patrol closing theater
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — The San Bernardino Police Department enhanced patrols around the CinemaStar movie theater this weekend as the mayor’s office received reports the theater was on the verge of shutting down.
None of the theater employees had been told about the pending closure and a woman identified as the manager told the reporter he would have to leave if he continued talking to employees.
The operator has been in bankruptcy and the city had been negotiating for months to get a new operator for the theater.
You can read more in the San Bernardino Sun.
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September 26, 2008
Columbus' Grandview to close
COLUMBUS, OH — The Drexel Grandview is closing this Saturday, September 27. Its operator cited economic difficulties in running a single-screen theater, especially with rising energy costs.The building’s owner turned down an offer to buy the building so more screens could be added. Without the extra screens, the operator had no other choice.
The Grandview had been running without a lease and losing money for some time. It programmed independent and art films exclusively. The theater opened in 1928 and was about to celebrate its 80th anniversary. Its final films are “Elegy”, “Man on Wire”, and “Tell No One”.
You can read more at Public Broadcasting and the Columbus Dispatch.
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Neighborhood Flix Cinema closes after 1 year
DENVER, CO — Open for less than a year, the Neighborhood Flix Cinema & Cafe closed unexpectedly Monday because the three-screen theater could not secure first-run movies.
The multiplex was coupled with a cafe where moviegoers could dine before or after a movie, or even take their food with them into the theater.
Flix had intended to hold a fundraising event October 9th to help keep the theater open. However, on Monday evening, the owners notified all 20 employees that the theater was closing immediately and that they would try to sell the business.
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September 5, 2008
Drexel Grandview to close
COLUMBUS, OH — After over 80 years in the business, the Drexel Grandview is closing its doors and leaving nothing but memories for its community. Current management head Jeff Frank states that offers to buy the theatre and add screens have been refused.
The Drexel Theatres Group earlier this year lost their management to the recently built Gateway when Landmark Theatres took over. The Drexel Theatre in Bexley will continue to be run by the Franks.
The Drexel Grandview, the oldest movie theater in Franklin County and one of the region’s few venues for art films, will close Sept. 27.