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The latest movie theater news and updates
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November 27, 2002
Happy Thanksgiving!
In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, Cinema Treasures will be closed for the remainder of the week.
While the site will remain online, we will not be publishing news or adding new theaters until Monday, December 2nd.
Thanks to all of you for continuing to share your time and energy with everyone in the Cinema Treasures community, and we hope you have a terrific holiday.
See you on Monday!
Ross Melnick & Patrick Crowley
Cinema Treasures0 comments -
Add-A-Photo! Changes
Beginning today, we are temporarily not accepting any additional photo submissions, which means you will not be able to use our Add-a-Photo! feature.
Esssentially, we’ve become victims of our own success! Since launching our site, we’ve received over 1800 photo submissions, with literally thousands and thousands of images. Given our current photo system, it has become virtually impossible for us to accept any additional photos.
Thus, we are now working on developing a new photo system; one that will not only allow us to handle more images, but one that will also offer additional features (multiple images per theater, improved browsing tools, etc.).
While we are not accepting photos submissions at this time, our Add-A-Theater section will continue to operate without interruption, so feel free to add your favorite theaters, and we’ll post them as they come in.
As well, thanks to everyone who has submitted a photo to Cinema Treasures during the past two years! This site would not be what it is today without your help.
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Upcoming Cinema Treasures Hiatus
We also want to let everyone know that Cinema Treasures will be on hiatus during the upcoming holiday season.
Beginning December 16th, we will not be publishing our daily theater preservation news. Of course, if any major preservation alerts occur, we will post them, but otherwise, there will be no news during this time.
Additionally, we’ll continue to add any new theater submissions, though updates may be less frequent than usual.
This will be Cinema Treasures' first official vacation since we began work on our site over 3 years ago, so you can probably imagine we’re relishing a little time off. :)
Worry not, though, Cinema Treasures fans! The site will return in its fully glory during the first full week of the new year, on Monday, January 6th.
Meanwhile, have a terrific holiday and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
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New Photos: New images from Arizona, California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Idaho!
We’ve added another 13 theater photos, with shots from five different states around the US.
Highlights include the colorful Cine Capri in Phoenix, AZ; a recent shot of the Loop in Chicago, IL; a vintage postcard view of the California Theatre in San Jose, CA; and a great shot of the famous marquee of the Weirs Drive-In Theater in Weirs Beach, NH.
Thanks to Bryan Krefft, Roger Katz, John Elwood, Ron Pierce, and Dave for submitting this latest batch of images.
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November 26, 2002
Bidders Vying For Control Of The Chicago Theatre
The Chicago Tribune recently took an in-depth look at the Chicago Theatre and the companies who have applied with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to take over the theater and manage it on an ongoing basis.
Because each of the bidders (Chicago Theatre Alliance, TheatreDreams Chicago LLC, and The Entertaiment Group Fund Inc.) have radically different concepts for the future direction of the Chicago, there is great debate about which proposal will bring the most cultural and economic impact to the city of Chicago.
Definitely worth a read, if you have a spare moment. (Note: registration is required to view this article.)
Read the Chicago Tribune piece
(Thanks to Cinema Treasures regular Bryan Krefft for this story!)
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Glenwood Arts Theatre Reopens
The Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park, Kansas opened to packed houses last weekend. The Fine Arts Group restored the former Metcalf Theatre with items salvaged from the original Glenwood Theatre, including seats and the 40 foot tall marquee sign. The theater will eventually house two more screens and a soda shop.
(Special thanks to Keith LeBrun for keeping us in the loop on this one.)
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November 25, 2002
New Photos: Super-size batch!
Today, we’ve added over 50 new theater photos to Cinema Treasures, with some truly outstanding images from all around the US!
Highlights include a 1940s postcard view of Purcell, OK’s Canadian Theater; a neon nighttime view of San Francisco’s 4-Star; a recent exterior view of the Willimantic, CT’s Capitol Theater; a stunning matinee view of the Del Mar Theater in Santa Cruz, CA; a recent view of the aptly-named Little Theatre in New Haven, CT; a new view of Dallas, TX’s Majestic Theater; a detail marquee view of the Shores Performing Arts Theater in Miami Shores, FL; and recent views of two Idaho theaters, the Rio theater in Idaho Falls and the Sun Valley Opera House in Sun Valley.
We’ve also added recent and vintage views of several Los Angeles, CA theaters; including the Orpheum Theater, the Pantages Theater, and the elegant Liberty Theatre.
Thanks to the following contributors for today’s photos: John Elwood, Bryan Krefft, Gary Parks, Roger Katz, Jean, Wes Reeves, redbean, Ron Pierce, Ross Melnick, Chuck Parker, Greg Kacir/Detroit Pix, Jack Tillmany, Steve Anderson, Pete Christy, Mark Wolodarsky, Martin Trainer, Jayson Wall, Rich Simone, and Mark Gulbrandsen.
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November 22, 2002
Waikiki 1, 2, 3 Closes
HONOLULU, HI — Consolidated Amusmements, which had operated the historic Waikiki 1, 2, 3 theaters, has announced their abrupt closure. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, the company has cited dwindling attendance in closing the triplex and said plans to close the theater have been discussed since 1990.
The Waikiki 3 theater is actually the original Waikiki Theatre which opened in 1936 and was later joined by the Waikiki 1 & 2. Consolidated Amusements opened a nearby megaplex a few years ago which has been slowly killing their one-time flagship cinema, the Waikiki.
With the busy holiday season, the company decided to close the older theater and switch its employees to the megaplex in order to avoid having to hire seasonal help.
Along with the shuttering of the Hawaii Cinerama Theater, the passing of the Waikiki is a major blow to movie theater enthusiasts on the island. No further word is available on the fate of these three theaters.
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More New Theaters!
We’ve just added over a dozen new theaters thanks to Philip Goldberg, Bryan Krefft, Steve Smith, Salvatore Salonia, Bruce Talanian, and Ron Pierce. We currently have over 2,500 U.S. theaters, over 200 each from Canada and the U.K., and hundreds more from another 28 countries.
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Today’s Newsreel
JACKSONVILLE, FL — Another 1960s movie house has taken its final bow with news that the St. Johns 8 has been closed and sold to a real estate developer with plans to demolish the old movie house. According to the Times-Union, StarNet Cinemas has already begun removing all of the theater’s equipment.
The St. Johns Theatre originally opened in 1969 as a single-screen movie house and has slowly expanded to eight during its more than three-decade run.
BRANFORD, CT — The former Branford Theatre appears headed for the pages of history after the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conversion to retail and apartment space.
According to the New Haven Register, the vote came down yesterday approving the conversion of the theater space into 20 apartments. The Branford Theatre Building retail space will remain largely unaltered. The old Branford closed in 1999.
NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — The gold dome of the Richey Suncoast Theatre has been restored as part of an $18,000 makeover which will also add a new coat paint to the exterior as well as new signs and carpeting.
According to the Tampa Tribune, the Mediterranean Revival theater originally opened in 1926 as a silent movie theater and currently hosts live theater and performances.