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The latest movie theater news and updates
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May 3, 2011
Five new screens coming to Belleville
BELLEVILLE, IL — The owners of the entertainment complex called the Edge (Eat, Drink, Games, etc.) plan to substantially expand their complex by the end of the year by adding two theaters, one which will be a general admission triplex and the other a 21+ VIP twin cinema with plush leather seating and food and cocktail service available. The owners have received $80,000 in incentives from the City of Belleville, but now must operate for at least a decade. The new screens will place competitive pressure on the classic 1921 Lincoln Theatre in Belleville (now a triplex) and the Skyview Drive-in which is the only operating drive-in in the greater Saint Louis, MO area.
Both theaters will show mainstream, “first-run” films, and because they’ll be using digital projectors, they also plan to broadcast major sports games or concerts, and have other events, such as Xbox video game tournaments.
They hope to have the theaters open by Christmas.
The story appeared at BND.com.
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May 2, 2011
“Oldest cinema in the country” facing demolition
WARE, MA – The Casino Theater in Ware, which dates to 1909 and may well be the oldest purpose-built movie theater in the USA, is in danger of being demolished. Efforts have been launched to forestall the destruction and to allow more time for a possible rescuer to come forward. The theater last operated as a twin.
There is more about the effort to rescue the Casino at Examiner.com.
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Violet Crown art cinema opening in Austin
AUSTIN, TX — The Violet Crown, a new quad art cinema, opened on April 29 on Austin’s Second Street. The new cinema features a full bar and cafe, and will soon present a series of Criterion classics as part of its art and independent film programming. The theater’s name is a reference to an old nickname of the city of Austin. The theater’s owner, Bill Banowsky, is a former Landmark Theatres executive and former owner of the Magnolia Pictures distribution company.
This article about the theater, from the Austinist, features an interview with Banowsky and an architect’s sketch of the cinema.
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April 29, 2011
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre sold
HOLLYWOOD, CA — The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (and its sister theatre the Chinese 6 located in the Hollywood & Highland Center) has been sold to 2 movie producers.
Neither Samaha nor Kushner were immediately available to discuss their plans for the theater, but one person familiar with the matter said the theater will continue to screen movies and host premieres and that the new owners plan to upgrade food and beverage services.
The sale involves the Grauman’s building only and not the land the theater sits on, which in 2007 was sold to the CIM Group, which owns the Hollywood and Highland complex and other commercial properties in Hollywood.
UPDATE 4/29 2:30PM: This story in Hollywood Elsewhere discusses some rumors regarding the future of the Chinese.
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Booker-T reopens today
ROCKY MOUNT, NC — The Booker-T. (aka Savoy) has been restored and will reopen this coming weekend, 4/29-30/11. It is part of a community revitalization project called the “Douglas Block.” Another theater, the Manhattan, has also been left standing but this theater has been repurposed for retail. Both of these theaters were African-American theaters during segregation and to my knowledge, the Booker-T is the only African-American theater in North Carolina to have been restored and to be used for an entertainment venue.
We are heading up there for the dedication and celebration and will share photos and more history when we return.
If anyone has more info on these historic theaters, please let me know. There are so few of them left.
Spunky
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AMC opens new Randhurst Cinema 12; older theater to close
MT. PROSPECT, IL — The AMC Randhurst 12 opens on April 29 as part of the newly remodeled Randhurst Shopping Center, newly dubbed as Randhurst Village, which reflects its transformation from an enclosed indoor mall to an outdoor retail center. At the same time, the nearby AMC Randhurst 16 closed, after only operating for about thirteen years.
The new movie theater has 48,000 square feet, 12 auditoriums and 1,800 seats. The auditoriums range in size from seating capacities of 85 to 223. The smaller auditoriums will be conductive to art-house niche films, while the larger ones will be used for mainstream blockbusters, theater officials said.
The $200 million Randhurst renovation is being overseen by developer Castro Lifestyle Properties. The next site to open at the mixed-use development is scheduled to be a Hampton Suites Hotel, slated for an August debut.
There is more news about the new megaplex here.
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April 28, 2011
DRIVE-IN SUPER MONSTER-RAMA 2011 at the Riverside Drive-In
VANDERGRIFT, PA — What is DRIVE-IN SUPER MONSTER-RAMA?
Now in our 5th Annual Year! The ultimate trip back in time to the grand old days of drive-in cinema is back! DRIVE-IN SUPER MONSTER-RAMA is two nights of classic horror and science fiction 35mm prints (including some new prints, and several in Technicolor and Scope) presented at an authentic, hospitable drive-in movie theater. There will be two big shows on two consecutive nights which will start at dusk and go on until really late into the night! This is the fifth year in a row that we are hosting such an event, so we encourage all East Coast (or wherever you are!) drive-in movie fanatics to attend and experience something you’ll never forget! What could be better than a weekend getaway topped off with two nights of classic monster movies on the big outdoor screen?
We realize that everything is so expensive these days, but admission is (still) only $10 a person each night! Plus, children 12 and under are free with parent or adult guardian (parental guidance is of course suggested, but this is in case you want to put the little tykes to sleep in the backseat instead of hiring a babysitter). How can you beat that? The Riverside’s concession stand is loaded with reasonably priced goodies that patrons continue to rave about, including hot foods, hot and cold drinks, candy, popcorn and much, much more! Their concession stand always gets compliments, and it’s one of the things that keeps fans of this event wanting to come back for more.
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Norwalk Theatre, Norwalk OH
NORWALK, OH — The Norwalk Main Street Theatre, 57 E. Main, is for sale with Remax. Schine theatre with 900 seats and lots of charm and character. We run movies and live events. We are open to creative ideas such as a lease or a lease option or some sort of partnership. This theatre has tons of potential and we have gained lots of momentum and following over the last few years.
Attendance to events is growing all the time. Great theatre on a great Main Street in small town America! We just can’t continue doing it long distance here from Michigan. We have some wonderful, loyal volunteers that have been with us for the last 3 years. Call us at (269) 343-5932 for more info.
Steve
www.norwalktheatre.org -
April 27, 2011
Popcorn N Roses launch the “Save Our Screens” campaign
Popcorn N Roses has launched a new program aimed at helping theaters in need in the US and around the world.
Dubbed the “Save Our Screens” campaign, this new feature on our parent site at Popcorn N Roses will also be featured in a regular segment on our weekly podcast, Subject:CINEMA, and will probably be spun off into it’s own blog in the near future.
The campaign was inspired by the events in the 2006 documentary Preserve Me A Seat by director Jim Fields, and in particular the campaigns to save the Indian Hills Theatre in Omaha and the Gaiety Theatre (aka Publix Theatre) in PNR’s home base of Boston. Neither campaign was a success, and it was mostly due to local politics at the time.
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Pressure on exhibitors to go digital increases; financing, filmprint availability decreases
LOS ANGELES, CA — As reported earlier smaller theater chains and independent operators are finding it difficult to make the change to digital projection if they want to keep showing first run films. Even with financing provided by the major studios, the cost to some operators is prohibitively expensive. Making the situation worse, this special financing is reportedly only going to be available for about another year and a half or so and securing prints of first run films is getting harder as studios are cutting back on ordering print copies. Some within the industry are predicting that print availability will esentially cease in the U.S. by the end of 2013.
“Simply put, if you don’t make the decision to get on the digital train soon, you will be making the decision to get out of the business,” Fithian told attendees. “That would be tragic because digital cinema and 3-D have so much to offer.”
Overseas, theater operators also are rapidly converting to digital, although studios are expected to continue shipping film prints to some smaller countries for the foreseeable future.
There is more in the Los Angeles Times.