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The latest movie theater news and updates
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February 15, 2011
AMC closes another former Kerasotes theater in Illinois
PARIS, IL — The Paris Theater a former Kerasotes property, was closed by AMC on February 6. The theater opened in 1924 as the Lincoln and was twinned in 1996. The nearest cinema now available to local residents is in Terre Haute, IN, about twenty-five miles away.
Employees of the theater told the Journal-Gazette newspaper in Mattoon that the theater closed Sunday night.
AMC Entertainment spokesman Justin Scott said Wednesday the Paris theater no longer “competed effectively in the marketplace.”
The story is here.
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Historic Movie Theaters of Center City Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA — An article was published February 9, 2011 online on “Historic Movie Theaters of Center City” by Shawn Evans, AIA discusses many downtown Philadelphia movie theaters and emphasizes the importance of preserving the Boyd.
The economics of the motion-picture business today make it unlikely that the few surviving structures will be restored solely for film, yet these buildings retain a powerful hold on the collective imagination. We are unwilling to let them go. Like the damsels in distress tied to the railroad tracks in so many of the movies that played inside, their future is momentarily uncertain. We await creative rescue plans that can return these buildings to the public.
Here’s a link to the article which is illustrated with photos from the Archives of the City of Philadelphia. Cinema Treasures is cited in many footnotes as a source.
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Regal and AMC form joint venture to distribute films
LOS ANGELES, CA — The nation’s two largest cinema chains, AMC and Regal, have announced the formation of a joint enterprise to acquire and distribute independent films. The venture may exacerbate the increasingly tense relationship between studios and exhibitors, as the studio releases will now compete for screening space with the films distributed by the Regal-AMC operation. Apparently, the federal government’s relaxation of the rules stemming from the 1948 Consent Decree over the years contributed to the establishment of the enterprise.
AMC and Regal hope in part that by acquiring their own movies for distribution they will fill the supply-and-demand gap created by Hollywood’s downshift in movie making. From 2007 to 2010, the number of movie releases in the U.S. dropped 16%, according to Box Office Mojo. At the same time, the theater industry’s trade group estimates that the number of screens in the country has risen 3%, making fewer pictures available for a larger number of screens.
And with attendance flat over the last five years and down 5% in 2010, theater owners have been experimenting with ways to draw more people into their venues, such as showing live sports events and concerts.
There is more in the L.A. Times.
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February 14, 2011
Renovations at the Rio
IDAHO FALLS, ID — A video from five years ago at KPVI shows the famous sombrero sign being taken off the side of the Rio Theatre. There has recently been further discussion of how this building will be reused.
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Traditional 3D glasses not chic enough for you? Armani can fix that
If you find the 3D classes handed out in most theaters today simply too dull and unfashionable, your image might be enhanced by what fashion trendsetter Armani has to offer: A fifty-eight dollar pair of 3D specs. Armani cautions that they are not to be worn outside of a theater auditorium.
“The perfect fusion of 80’s retro design and modern appeal with an updated classic navigator design, the Armani Exchange 3D glasses meet the highest standards required for 3D movie theater viewing,” wrote Armani in a statement. “The optically correct 6-base curved lenses with circular polarized technology will allow 98+ percent of visible light through which will provide edge-to-edge distortion-free viewing in a movie theatre environment.”
The story appeared at TGDaily.com.
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Conversion of Covington, LA theatre to brew-and-view delayed but moving forward
COVINGTON, LA — The previously reported transformation of the Holiday Square 12 by Southern Theatres into a seven-screen movie tavern with casual food service has been delayed due to unforeseen problems with mold and the building’s structural integrity. The chain now expects the revamped theater to open in May. The chain operates the theaters in Canal Place in New Orleans and eighteen others under the names Grand and Amstar.
The full story is at NOLA.com
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February 11, 2011
Odeon Edinburgh in danger
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND — Southside Community Council are running a campaign to try to stop the deterioration of this wonderful Art Deco cinema, which has been allowed to fall into serious disrepair by its current owners. Please see our website at www.edinscc.org for full details plus an online petition. We want the City of Edinburgh to initiate urgent compulsory repairs to make the building wind and water tight, and also to set in motion compulsory purchase proceedings so that ownership of this building can transfer to someone who will restore it and return it to use as a cinema and arts venue.
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Restoration to start on Globe Theatre Stockton-on-tees
CLEVELAND, ENGLAND — It has been announced that a £4 million restoration project on theGlobe Theatre will start soon,creating a new large entertainment venue between Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne. Stockton Council will contribute £1 million to the scheme with owners Jomast funding the remainder. The venue has been closed for over a decade was last in use as a bingo hall. During its heyday, it hosted many top groups, including The Beatles & The Rolling Stones. It is expected to open late 2012.
More can be found on the following articles in the Evening Gazette:Gazette #1,Gazette #2 and a short video from the local news program North East tonight.
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Central Theater in Hot Springs gets new life as a playhouse
HOT SPRINGS, AS — The closed Central Theater will be reopening in May as the new home of the Arkansas TheatreWorks. The theater dates back to at least the late 1930’s and was used previously as a venue for country music.
The story appeared at KSPR.com.
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February 10, 2011
Cobb to open twelve-plex in Spring, 2012 in Clearwater
CLEARWATER, FL — Birmingham, Alabama-based Cobb Theatres plans to open a twelve-plex at the Westfield Countryside Mall. In addition to the rapidly-becoming standard amenities for newly-built theaters such as digital projection, 3D capability, surround sound, and stadium seating, the new theater will have Rear Window captioning for the hearing impaired and a Descriptive Video system for the sight impaired.
Theater amenities include the following:
» 12 auditoriums with more than 2,000 seats
» Unobstructed views in all auditoriums made possible by stadium seating with 18-inch risers and 48-inch row spacing
» Extra-wide rocking chair seating featuring high backs and tilt-up cupholder armrestsThere is more, with a sketch of the theater, at CreativeLoafing.com.