Riverview Twin Cinema

THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA during its tenture opened in 1972 as a 550-seat single screen cinema…and it was the ONLY indoor movie theatre in all of Durham County that catered a variety of films,mostly “B” movies, kung-fu,and blaxploitation genre of films. When this was a single screen cinema,the adult movies would be shown on certain days when it was part of the “Businessmen’s Lunch Special” of Rated XXX films on certain days and during special late shows. That would change hands by 1986 when the cinema was split into two sections making it into a discount movie house under THE RIVERVIEW TWIN CINEMA until its closing in 1995. The last movie that played at this theatre(and I fondly remember it)was a Spike Lee flick called “Drop Squad”

December 23 1975: NOW PLAYING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA Pam Grier and Yaphet Kotto in “FRIDAY FOSTER”

Coming Soon:
Fred “Hammer” Williamson in “MEAN JOHNNY BURROWS”
Sonny Chiba in “REVENGE OF THE STREET FIGHTER”

CORRECTION: This theatre did not open in 1970. In fact,THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA at Riverview Shopping Center in North Durham originally opened on April 26,1972 as a 550-seat single screen theatre. The premiere attraction for the grand opening of the RIVERVIEW CINEMA was “The French Connection” starring Gene Hackman. The coming attractions to the RIVERVIEW CINEMA prior to its opening in 1972 were basically a Sidney Poitier double feature with “They Called Me Mister Tibbs!”,and “The Organization”..other coming attractions to the RIVERVIEW CINEMA…“Hammer!” with Fred Williamson, “Cotton Comes To Harlem” with Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques and “The Chinese Connection” starring Bruce Lee. This was be reposted on the Cinema Treasures site.

A lot of blaxploitation films played here during the 1970’s and early 1980’s when the Riverview Cinema was still a single screen theatre. I remember seeing a lot of movies that played here “MANDINGO”,“FOXY BROWN” &
“COFFY”(basically all of the Pam Grier flicks played here including “FRIDAY FOSTER”,and “SHEBA BABY”),not to mention all of the Fred Williamson flicks also played at capacity crowds. I remember them showing the 1979 Leon Issac Kennedy flick “PENTITENTARY” and its three sequels. For those who may not remember coming to this theatre back in the day..who remembers them playing their all-night marathon of classic blaxploitation films including “SHAFT”,“SUPER FLY”,and
“THE MACK”,& “WILLIE DYNAMITE” all on the same bill.
Not to mention their marathon of martial-arts movies too that were shown during their all-night sessions.
They would played ANYTHING starring Bruce Lee,Bruce Li,
and Sonny Chiba(“THE REVENGE OF THE STREET FIGHTER”)to name a few. Who remembers the Riverview Cinema?

“Beverly Hills Cop” and “Purple Rain” played at the Riverview Cinema to record crowds when it was a single screen theatre back in the early-to-mid 1980’s. The seating capacity was around 545.

The Riverview Cinema showed adult films/blaxploitation/and kung-fu flicks as a single screen theatre until 1986 when the original auditorium was split down the middle,thanks to the technique that made it into a twin cinema by 1986. By 1986,in Durham County if you wanted to see adult films in a theatre,you had no choice but go to the local drive-in theatres that catered it.

The name was changed to the Riverview Twin,which catered to showing second-run films and independent features not to mention exclusive enagements at discount prices that lasted until 1995. While in operation as a twin cinema,the Riverview showed first-run exclusives of several films in the Triangle,the last feature to play at The Riverview Twin Cinema was the Spike Lee flick “Drop Squad” starring Eric LaSalle.

A lot has really changed over the years.

In its heyday,you had the movie theatre,Riverview Furniture Store,
G.C. Murphy’s Department Store,Upchurch Drugs,and Big Star Food Store.

Upchurch Drugs and Riverview Furniture are the only two stores that has been in the same area since the Riverview Shopping Center opened in the early 1970’s. And are still in operation,anchored by a huge Kroger Supermarket and Drugs,which sits in the middle of the shopping center.

The G.C. Murphy’s and the Big Star Grocery are gone. And so is also the Riverview Cinema.

A Lot of special celebrities came to promoted there films during the heyday of the Riverview Cinema which was the first to do so in North Carolina,especially during the era of the blaxploitation movement of the 1970’s. Fred Williamson made several stops to his visit in the Durham area…He was here at the Riverview Cinema to show the world premiere of his Western “Adios Amigo: in 1976. Other celebrities that came for movie premieres here were Muhammad Ali, Rudy Ray Moore,
Jim Kelly, Richard Pryor, Ken Norton, Max Julian, and Pam Grier. Even Richard Roundtree of "Shaft” fame made a stop here in Durham’s most prestigous theatre once. Not to mention Max Baer Jr.,(better known to audiences as Jethro on TV’s The Beverly Hillbillies)made a stop at the Riverview Cinema to promoted his film “Macon County Line”,which played to capacity crowds when it came out.

Located at 5200 North Roxboro Road at the Riverview Shopping Center in the Northern section of Durham.
It was across the street from the Eno River State Park(the shopping center and the cinema)and near the Eno River. The shopping center was anchored at one time by a Big Star grocery store,G.C. Murphy’s Discount Department Store,Upchurch Drugs,and Riverview Furniture. The Big Star store,and Murphy’s are gone.
But the Riverview Furniture and Upchurch Drugs are still there,but the Riverview Cinema has been demolished and a restaurant has been replaced where the theatre once stood.

These days,the Riverview Shopping Center is anchored by a Kroger grocery store(which replaced the Big Star store),Upchurch Discount Drugs,and Riverview Furniture