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The latest movie theater news and updates
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January 18, 2015
“Introducing the UK’s first 4D cinema with shaking seats, water spray and scents” From Milton Keynes, England.
A British cinema is preparing to unveil the UK’s first 4D screen – where audiences are rocked in their seats and sprayed with water to simulate movie scenes.
Despite 3D cinema remaining a novelty for many movie-goers, the new technology takes the experience one step further and aims to make the audience feel as though they are in the film.
Set to be pioneered by the country’s biggest cinema chain Cineworld, 4DX will feature water sprays, gusts of air, and even different scents recreating explosives and coffee which will be pumped into the cinema.
Read the entire article online at mirror.co.uk
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“Unveiling Brooklyn’s magnificently restored Kings Theatre” From Brooklyn, NY.
Brooklyn legend has it that a teenage Barbra Streisand pointed to the marquee of the Loew’s Kings movie palace and said, “Someday, my name is going to be up there.”
Indeed it was for 1973’s “The Way We Were,” but the grand old theater was shuttered four years later. Now the Kings is reopening its doors to the public, reborn as a performing arts center worthy of someday hosting a Streisand concert.
After neglect, water damage, looting and threats of demolition, the Kings has undergone a spectacular $95 million restoration. A ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday will be followed by a free performance by community groups on Jan. 27, an inaugural concert by Diana Ross on Feb. 3 and an open house on Feb. 7.
“After almost four decades of heartbreak, this is next to a miracle and a very big deal for Brooklyn residents,” says borough historian Ron Schweiger. “We’re going to have a beautiful new performing arts venue right in the heart of Brooklyn that will draw people from all over and revitalize the commercial strip along Flatbush Avenue.”
Read the entire article online at nypost.com
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“OC Teen Leads Crusade to Ban Drinking at Cinema” From Aliso Viejo, CA.
A teenager is leading a crusade to prevent alcohol from being served at an Orange County cinema.
Warren Davis of Aliso Viejo has started a petition with his friends, and they have already obtained 786 signatures in their bid to stop drink being served at the Edwards Theater in their hometown.
The 16-year-old said he would not be comfortable attending the venue if the company’s drive to obtain a drinking license is successful.
“I felt that I wasn’t going to be comfortable in a dark theater with a man drinking alcohol next to me, Davis said, "So I decided to inform my friends about it and they felt the same way.”
Read the entire article online at nbclosangeles.com
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“Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre regulars believe in the joy of movies” From Santa Monica, CA.
Amelia Jordan was 13 when she and her family moved from El Paso to Santa Monica.
“I didn’t really have any friends or knew what to do around town,” said Jordan. But then one day the family was driving on Montana Avenue and saw the marquee of the vintage Aero Theatre.
“We saw that Charlie Chaplin was playing,” she noted. “We started going to the Aero, and we haven’t stopped since then. It’s more than just a theater. It’s more of a community. People who go there make bonds, friendships and relationships.”
The 19-year-old college sophomore has worked at the Aero for several years in various capacities. For the last year, Jordan has been the manager of the single-screen theater, which has been operated by the American Cinematheque — which also owns and operates the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood — for the last decade.
Read the entire article online at latimes.com
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“AMC counting on pulled-pork panini (and such) to stem moviegoing decline in Chicago” From Lombard, IL.
Would you like a side order of “Birdman” the movie with that pulled pork panini? Sound tempting?
Well, it’s entirely doable now at the AMC Yorktown 18 multiplex in west suburban Lombard. And that panini looks to be part of a growing trend to make in-theater dining just as much of a main attraction at the multiplex as the films themselves.
Though the Yorktown 18 has been around for a while, AMC has just completed converting the entire 18-theater complex into a facility where moviegoers can watch a movie on one of 18 screens while chowing down on a menu of food prepared in a kitchen inside the movie complex.
Read the entire article online at Chicago Business Journal.
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January 12, 2015
“Principals, city officials see what’s ahead in Lincoln Theater’s future” From Port Angeles, WA.
Dan Gase, the real estate agent in the process of brokering the sale of the shuttered Lincoln Theater, was in a sunny mood at a meeting with city officials.
“I thought I’d run to Swain’s and get popcorn,” Gase quipped at the movie house Thursday.
Joining him there: would-be theater buyer Scott Nagel, architect Michael Gentry, Port Angeles city building inspector Jim Lierly and city Fire Chief Ken Dubuc.
Last month, Nagel, producer of the Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival in Port Angeles and the former director of the Seattle Folklife Festival and Sequim Lavender Festival, made his move to buy the theater, which has been dark since last spring.
Nagel offered Sun Basin Theatres, the Lincoln’s owner, $235,000, and now “he’s the buyer in first position,” Gase said.
But Nagel has no plans to buy the Lincoln with his own money.
He intends to instead find large donors who share his vision: restoring the Lincoln building at 132 E. First St. into a 500-seat film and performing arts center.
Read the entire article online at peninsuladailynews.com
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“Varsity Theatre closing in on digital fundraising drive” From Chapel Hill, NC
The Varsity Theatre, a downtown survivor that has lured generations of college students and townies across its sticky floors for mainstream movies, obscure art-house flicks and recent second-run film offerings, faces a do-or-die transformation again.
The independent theater on Franklin Street has joined other small-town cinemas in the scramble to “go digital” so it won’t have “to go dark.”
Most major studios no longer deliver film prints to movie theaters, replacing them with cheaper digital hard drives.
Paul Shareshian, who bought the Varsity in 2009, hopes to move moviegoers to help him raise nearly $50,000 to preserve a hometown theater that is a holdover from a bygone era. In a town where GATES Construction broke ground at University Mall last fall on a 67,000-square-foot luxury theater that will house 13 screens, 1,500 lush leather seats, a restaurant and a lounge with a full bar, Shareshian has a much humbler goal.
Read the entire article online at thestate.com
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“Wawa + movie theater = up to 70 new jobs for Riverview, Gibsonton” From Gibsonton, FL.
Movie fans and hoagie lovers, rejoice, your day is coming.
A new Wawa convenience store, famous in the Northeast for their subs, is due to open in Riverview this month, and a high-tech movie theater is also on schedule to open in Gibsonton later this year.
Wawa, 9617 U.S. 301 S., is set to hold its grand opening Thursday, Jan. 15. The 14-screen Goodrich Quality Theaters multiplex at Gibsonton Drive and I-75 is due to open in November.
The new theater and convenience store are expected to bring more than 30 full-time jobs as well as more than 40 part-time positions.
“Progress can be a beautiful thing,” said Tanya Doran, executive director of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce. “Having these companies come in and invest in our community will help provide jobs in our area, which is also great for local businesses, especially if they turn around [and] buy homes in the area, go out to local restaurants and shop in the community. It’s an economic benefit that will help boost the community.”
South Shore movie lovers now have a choice of navigating the third circle of Hades, otherwise known as Brandon traffic, to watch a film at the AMC Regency in Brandon or heading south to Bradenton or into Tampa to catch a film. Or they can watch an outdoor movie at the Ruskin Family Drive-In.
“Having a movie theater in our area is going to be great,” said Daryl Clark, a longtime Riverview resident. “Brandon, for us, normally takes about 25 to 30 minutes to get to, and then you have the traffic and the crowds, so having a movie house closer to our area will just make things a little more convenient.”
Clark expects other businesses to ride the coattails of the megaplex. “I know with big-time movie theaters such as this, it will also bring other goods and services to the area. My whole family is excited,” he said.
The 14-screen state-of-the-art 80,000-square-foot theater features one large-format auditorium, and a bar and grill with theaters featuring recliner seating. The new facility is being developed by Anthony Properties of Dallas, Texas, and designed by Paradigm Design of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Read the entire article online at observernews.net
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January 8, 2015
“Bow Tie Cinemas Permanently Closes Bedford Playhouse” From Bedford, NY.
Mention of the location, which is in Bedford Village, had been removed from the company’s website by Monday. The location and details were displayed on the website as recently as Sunday, which was also the last date for scheduled show times.
People at the Playhouse site also confirmed that the movie theater closed on Sunday. Workers were busy coming out of the theater’s bottom level, with several items being moved out.
Read the entire article online at chappaqua.dailyvoice.com
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“‘Show House’ Offers Big Movies At Small Town Prices” From Elroy, WI.
Elroy and its surrounding communities are delighted that its classic, old movie theatre has been rescued by Kari Preuss and her children, Paige and Dane, just when screens all over the country are going black due to the rise of the digital cinema experience.
Since Preuss purchased the theater in 2005, she has been renovating the interior and upgrading the projection system, including the digital improvement.
Preuss initially invested in updating the building, including a new roof, updated electrical system, replacing all the theater seats, repairing the marquee, insulating the building, and installing new lobby carpeting, and air conditioning.
At that time, she also purchased new theatre equipment, including a new sound system, projection lenses, movie screen and, perhaps most importantly, a new popcorn maker.
Read the entire article at swnews4u.com.