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The latest movie theater news and updates
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July 14, 2010
Gadsden’s Pitman Theater undergoing renovation
GADSDEN, AL — The 1947 Pitman Theater is being renovated by the city for use as a multi-purpose events center. The last film was shown in 1983 and the city acquired it in 1986, but it was then allowed to deteriorate. The first steps toward reuse were taken in 2008, but fire code violations and lack of working air-conditioning has limited usage. The auditorium has been essentially gutted out, but its distinguished facade and marquee still grace Broad Street.
In January, the Gadsden City Council approved a resolution for Whitaker & Rawson Inc. of Birmingham to provide design plans for the HVAC replacement.
A grant of $169,000 was awarded to the city from the Department of Energy to help with costs for the heating and air conditioning replacements at the Pitman and the Ritz Theatre, which also is undergoing renovations.
A full article about the renovation is in theGadsen Times and citizens share their memories of the Pitman here.
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July 13, 2010
Carmike abruptly closes University Cinemas in Normal
NORMAL, IL — The University Cinemas were closed suddenly by Carmike on June 30. Although the city approved plans to build apartments on the site months ago, films had been booked through the Independence Day weekend. The theater was the area’s first multi-screen theater, opening in 1971 as a twin; over time, an additional six screens were added.
She said that the office was notified Tuesday by Carmike’s Atlanta, Ga.-based corporate headquarters that the theater would close the next day. Less than 24 hours earlier, the office had supplied The Pantagraph’s GO! entertainment section with bookings targeted for a traditional Friday opening.
By Thursday, Kreiser was in the theater helping oversee the closure with the theater’s staff.
There is more in the Pantagraph.
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New development to demolish theaters
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The CityPlace retail center has been approved to give a jolt to the Mid-Market district but to be built, the St. Francis Theatre will be destroyed and possibly also the Pantages.
Construction plans call for the developer to raze three boarded-up buildings, including the old St. Francis Theater, and replace them with a five-level, 90-foot-high, glass-fronted building. The two-level underground garage will be accessible from Stevenson Street, behind the development.
“We want to put something on that block of Market Street that would activate the street,” Rhoades said. “We want to attract tenants who will sell more affordable goods, electronics, sporting goods and other things not generally found downtown.”
Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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Old 16 and 35 MM Films
We have about eighty old 16 MM and 35 MM films that we need to unload. We apparently cannot sell the 35 MM films (I am not sure how these were obtained) but we need to get them to what ever is the proper place so we can develop the storage space for a balcony concession stand. We are putting a list together of the film titles. Contact me if interested.
John Guidinger, Michigan Theatre, Jackson, Michigan 517-783-0962
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July 12, 2010
Regal Champlain Center theater closing for upgrades
PLATTSBURGH, NY — The Regal Champlain Center 8 will close on July 12, and is scheduled to reopen in the fall. Stadium seating and digital projection will be installed. The theater originally opened in 1987.
The brief story is at WPTZ.
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Prince Music Theater announces summer movie series
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Prince Music Theater which has a long history as a former movie theater dating back to 1921, has announced that it will be screening movies all summer, including “Toy Story 3”. The theater’s management thinks that regular film showings will help the theater, which has been struggling financially, in keeping its books in balance.
The Summer Cinema Series is part of the Prince’s strategy to keep the theater self-supporting, to fulfill its mission, and to serve a broad constituency from all segments of the community. In addition to first-run features, the Prince will offer a rich mix of live musical performances interwoven with independent premieres, film festival favorites, documentaries, and special interactive events, both on the Alter Mainstage and in the Independence Foundation Black Box. Plans for live musical performances and additional film programming will be announced in the weeks ahead.
The Summer Cinema series is one part of a three-year Prince Renaissance Plan aiming to rebuild and restore the Prince to full operations and return to full production, with a new business model and multiple revenue streams. Screenings of ‘Toy Story 3’ will continue on a regular full movie schedule. Other first-run features will be opening at the Prince throughout the summer months.
The full story is inBroadway World.
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Marquee Letters for sale
Large collection of marquee letters for sale. Brands such as Wagner, Snap-lok and Gemini. Various colors and sizes including the no longer produced 17 inch Wagner slotted red letters. for a complete listing.
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July 9, 2010
Former AMC Star Taylor reopens as the Spotlight Taylor
TAYLOR, MI — The father and son team of Ken and Jake Stocker have reopened the ten-screen former AMC Star Taylor which opened in 1989 as one of Jack Loeks' Star Theaters. Now called the Spotlight Taylor the Stockers plan to put the Spotlight name on the Silverdome Drive-in which they reopened in April. They hope to add or acquire other theaters in Michigan as well.
“Most of the time in movie theaters, people feel like they’re getting ripped off,” Jake Stocker told me Monday, as he and his father directed workers putting the finishing touches on renovations at the 10-screen Taylor cinema across Eureka Road from Southland Mall.
Stocker plans to graduate in December from U-M with a sports marketing degree. He studied Southwest Airlines' business model in a class he took and was taken by the parallels between movies and airlines. As with airlines, where mergers keep collapsing one brand into another, the original Star Theatre in Taylor was swallowed up in Loews and AMC megadeals, and then neglected as the giant parent chose to focus on upscale multiplexes.
The full story is at Freep.com.
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Fox theaters in three CA cities were once Hollywood’s proving grounds
POMONA, CA — During Hollywood’s golden age, studio executives would rely on local audiences in three cities of California’s Inland Empire to provide insight into how the rest of America would react to their productions. Very hush-hush sneak previews were held regularly at the Fox San Bernardino, the Fox Pomona and the Fox Riverside. The audience feedback would influence the final cuts that were made to many now-classic films, including “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz. Why these three places?
Read the answer in this article from the L.A. Times.
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Drive-In Theater documentary segment on YouTube
In 1995, WHYY produced a documentary titled Remember When? It included a segment on drive-in theaters.