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The latest movie theater news and updates
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December 10, 2014
“Movies once a featured attraction at 125-year-old Auditorium Theater” From Chicago, IL.
Opera buff Ferdinand Wythe Peck built the Auditorium Theatre with an uplift agenda: offering affordable culture to the common man. In 1889 he could not see movies coming. Yet his illustrious theater at Congress and Michigan, which celebrates its 125th anniversary with a star-studded gala Tuesday, turned into the largest venue in the Loop for photo plays and moving pictures.
Peck — called “Commodore” by his yachting pals — inherited a wealth of city property and turned civic philanthropist. “Mr. Peck was very democratic in his ideas and very sympathetic towards the man who could not afford to indulge his propensities in the direction of culture without pecuniary aid from such public-spirited altruists as Mr. Peck,” observed a contemporary. Auditorium architect Louis Sullivan cited Peck’s “firm belief in democracy — whatever he meant by that.”
Read the entire article at the Sun-Times.
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“Bow Tie Cinemas to Renovate Sono Regent Cineplex in SoNo” From South Norwalk, CT.
The year 2015 marks the year in which Bow Tie Cinemas will proudly celebrate its 115th anniversary. As part of its ongoing mission to deliver the best possible customer experience, Bow Tie Cinemas today announced large-scale renovation plans for its Sono Regent Cinema in South Norwalk, CT.
Starting in early 2015, Bow Tie Cinemas will begin a top to bottom renovation of the Regent Cinema. Planned upgrades include:
Luxury recliner stadium seating in all eight auditoriums and reserved seating in all eight auditoriums,brand new lobby and restrooms, new concession stands, a new menu of upscale full meal and beverage offerings, and new auditorium décor.
Read the entire release from Bow Tie Cinemas at the Norwalk Patch.
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December 9, 2014
Cinema Treasures and THS Announce New Strategic Partnership
It is with great excitement that Cinema Treasures (CT) and the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) announce a new strategic partnership effective today. Janine Pixley, Development & Marketing Director for THS, will begin contributing daily to the Cinema Treasures blog in our collective effort to introduce CT users to THS and THS members to CT.
All of us at Cinema Treasures are thrilled to be working with Janine, Executive Director Richard Fosbrink, and other members of the THS staff. “It’s going to be a great opportunity to connect movie theatre news and notes from around the globe to a group of people who are hungry for it,” Pixley notes. “We’re very excited about this new partnership with Cinema Treasures and can’t wait to introduce the Theatre Historical Society of America to this community as a whole.”
Cinema Treasures was founded in 1999 and inspired by two books: Great American Movie Theaters by David Naylor (1987) and Best Remaining Seats by Ben Hall (1962). Hall was not only the author of a foundational work on film exhibition history but he was also the co-founder of the incomparable Theatre Historical Society of America. Since its founding in 1969, THS has documented and celebrated the architectural, cultural and social history of America’s theaters. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and it many events including Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.
As an inspiration for our own site, it’s an honor to be working with THS today.
The blog, of course, is in excellent hands. Like all of us, Janine isn’t just an important player at THS, she’s also a movie theater fan: “My earliest memory seeing a movie (which will probably date me) is sneaking into the balcony during Terminator 2 at Edmund Town Hall in Connecticut. You had to have a parent with you if you were under 17, but there’s nothing like watching a movie in a balcony — except when you "accidentally” drop popcorn to the main floor."
Today’s announcement provides us with one more opportunity to thank our longtime blog editor Michael Zoldessy for his years of heroic service. Our delay in rebooting the blog was to make sure that its next iteration lived up to Michael’s standards and pushed us further in a new direction. With today’s announcement, we have accomplished both and we’re thrilled to be working with Janine and THS.
(Below: Janine Pixley, left)
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November 5, 2014
A Tribute to Our Former Blog Editor Michael Zoldessy
If you’re like me, you visit the Cinema Treasures site for new cinemas, theater updates, and the latest news on classic cinemas and the contemporary moviegoing scene. If you’ve done the latter over the past decade, you have Michael Zoldessy to thank for making the CT blog a must-read.
This site owes an enormous and incomparable debt to Michael for his tireless work and dedication to bringing the latest news to the site every week for nearly a decade. It’s hard to think of Cinema Treasures without him but I’m grateful that he’ll still be around as a visitor and I’m even more grateful to have his friendship.
On behalf of Patrick, Ken, and myself, please help me thank Michael for everything he’s done for classic cinemas in Los Angeles and for his work on this site. Thank you Michael — we will miss you!
P.S. The blog is on hiatus for the moment but we are happily seeking volunteers to work on the future of the blog.
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October 31, 2014
Eric Lochtefeld writes a blueprint for saving historic theaters
REDWOOD CITY and MONTEREY, CA — Despite all of today’s challenges, an owner/operator of historic theaters in Northern California is showcasing one success story after another with his work on the Fox and Golden State theatres. Eric and Lori Lochtefeld have not only rejuvenated these properties but the areas surrounding them due to a popular slate of live entertainment.
“If you have a stage capable of live entertainment your future as a historic theatre owner is still bright,” says Eric Lochtefeld, “you just have to learn how to operate it efficiently and productively.”
To read more about their accomplishments, go to the Almanac News, Examiner and Mercury News.
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In Defense of the Movie Theatre
A blog post in We Got This Covered touches on the foundation of many members' love for this site, the joy of seeing a movie on the big screen. The brief read is worth your time as it really illuminates not so much the actual theatre but the components of experiencing a film with others. Enjoy!
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Matt Lambros Lecture in Chicago
CHICAGO, IL — Renowned photographer Matt Lambros will be giving a lecture at the Portage Theater entitled “The Fall of the American Movie Palace.”
The free event will be at 7pm on Thursday November 13.
Go to the Portage website for further details.
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October 30, 2014
Agawam cinema to reopen
AGAWAM, MA — The Agawam Family Cinemas is set to reopen after six months of darkness due to the efforts of new Kimberly Wheeler. She still needs $10K more to revitalize the theatre and install new projection.
Read more at WWLP and go to their Kickstarter page for more info on their campaign.
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“A Haunting on Washington Avenue” to play at the Temple Theatre about the haunted theater
SAGINAW, MI — Is the historic Temple Theatre haunted? That is the subject of a movie about that theater which will play on November 7 and 8 at the Temple Theatre.
Details, including video, can be found at WJRT.
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October 29, 2014
Bohm restoration almost complete
ALBION, MI — The Bohm Theatre could be returning earlier than expected with a possible November opening. The final touches are currently being made on a lovingly-crafted restoration that will respect the design of the gem but still bring it up to today’s standards.
Get all the plans and more in Crain’s Detroit Business.
(Thanks to Chris1982 for providing the photo.)