If anyone comes across any pictures from these theaters in (what I consider) their hey day in the early 90’s, please post them. I can remember how beautiful the center atrium was, when it was open into it’s full length, and there were banners hanging from the rafters for movie premieres that had taken place there. I used to see multiple movies there almost every week of the year. Sadly, even still living just a few miles away, that’s slowed to almost never with the theater now forcing you to pick specific seats, and pre-selling said seats. I used to just show up early, buy a ticket, and sit where I wanted. Now everything is sold out weeks in advance in the areas of the theaters that I like, and I can’t even get a ticket. But AMC Pleasure Island (as is used to be called) was my 2nd home for several decades.
I had a very surreal experience at these theaters in the summer of 1993. My sister was considering attending Western, and while she and my parents spent the day touring campus, I asked to just be dropped off at the movies all day. I remember it vividly. At the time, the mall itself I believe was out of business, but the theaters were still open. I walked through what was essentially the abandoned mall, that looked a lot like it was partially trapped in the 1970’s look. Very strange to walk through an empty mall like like that that seemed trapped in time. I can remember most of the lights were even off. At the theater, I saw Homeward Bound The Incredible Journey, Alive, and Groundhog Day. One right after the other and getting refills on my popcorn and drink. The first two movies of those two were in typical boxy slightly small multiplex theaters. However, I can remember the theater that I saw Groundhog Day in being pretty massive, and had some ornate details throughout. For all of these movies, I think I was the only person in each theater. Again, adding the surreal feeling. As for the big theater, I could imagine how it used to be in it’s early days and how great it must have been. It was a really fun little ride spending the whole day movie-watching in the theaters, despite their not being the greatest venues. I wish I could find pictures of their interiors somewhere, or a few better old pics of the mall’s. Again, I’ll never forget it just because of how strange of an experience it all was.
I also remember this theater from having been used as a shooting location in the movie “Parenthood” with Steve Martin. Shortly after I moved to the Orlando area in 1998, I won free tickets on the radio for an advance showing of “The Mummy” that we saw in this theater. It was a very typical boxy multiplex, but the type that I saw SO many great movies in in the 80’s and 90’s. Despite it’s “grit” so to speak and lack of character, theaters that I used to go to of this type have special memories for me.
If anyone has any pictures of this theater from it’s very early days, I’d be very curious to see them. Despite the vastness of the internet, I’ve yet to find more than 2 or 3 after a long time spent searching. In the early 90’s it was a real gem. One of the very very best in the whole country, but the whole complex surrounding it by Pleasure Island and Planet Hollywood was so open and new. The place is still great, but has gotten so developed and is always so crowded, that I really miss those early days.
I can remember this theater in the 90’s. It was a true gem. Premieres (I think just for the U.S.) were held here for Dick Tracy and The Rocketeer in the early few years of the 90’s. It’s theaters 19 and 20 were two of the only THX certified theaters in the whole state of Florida. I’ve lived right near them now for a good 13 years, but in the years before then I used to come down to Orlando on vacation and marvel at how first class AMC Pleasure Island was. It had 3 separate concession stands (one at each end and one in the center), a specifically made round customer service desk in the center, great video game areas, and a small room near the south entrance that held self-serve ticket kiosks. It also kept right up to date with all of the projection and sound format technologies in all of it’s theaters big and small. Sadly now in recent years, I have very seldom gone back to AMC Pleasure Island. The center concession stand and customer service desk have been completely removed, the small specialty room with it’s kiosks is closed up, most of it’s video games have been removed and the few remaining are pretty horrible, and the theater in general doesn’t have the “premiere” feel that it used to. Most disappointing, the technologies and physical layouts in the theaters have had little update. A good 6 of it’s theaters (17, 18, and 21-24) do not even have stadium seating, but rather a more bowl-shaped array of seats rising slightly in the front and back with a trough-like feel in the center. Most of it’s theaters have no digital projection and a very small array of surround speakers. In some theaters these surrounds only number around 4 (2 on each side). It has made some improvements to it’s biggest theaters. Screens 1 and 2 as I understand have had screen, sound, and projection changes and are now labeled under AMC’s EXT name. Theaters 19 and 20 (the two old THX theaters) lost their THX certification several years ago now, I believe for the added financial cost of THX’s rigorous regular testing, but are still 2 of the 4 biggest screens. These two have had digital projectors off and on in the past several years, but I’ve never been able to figure out when they utilize that technology and when they do not. I believe they each have both traditional film projectors as well as DLP, but depending on the film, do not use the DLP. In a time where some theater complexes such as Rave have ALL digital projection and are uniform throughout, I’ve never been able to understand why AMC has not kept up AMC Pleasure Island 24 with it being in such a premiere location. I have written AMC corporate several letters over the years explaining this, but the only response has been a “thanks for your comments” and being thrown the bone of a free movie ticket. However nothing much as been done to address the concerns. I long for the good ‘ol days of this theater in the 90’s when it truly was world-class.
If anyone comes across any pictures from these theaters in (what I consider) their hey day in the early 90’s, please post them. I can remember how beautiful the center atrium was, when it was open into it’s full length, and there were banners hanging from the rafters for movie premieres that had taken place there. I used to see multiple movies there almost every week of the year. Sadly, even still living just a few miles away, that’s slowed to almost never with the theater now forcing you to pick specific seats, and pre-selling said seats. I used to just show up early, buy a ticket, and sit where I wanted. Now everything is sold out weeks in advance in the areas of the theaters that I like, and I can’t even get a ticket. But AMC Pleasure Island (as is used to be called) was my 2nd home for several decades.
I had a very surreal experience at these theaters in the summer of 1993. My sister was considering attending Western, and while she and my parents spent the day touring campus, I asked to just be dropped off at the movies all day. I remember it vividly. At the time, the mall itself I believe was out of business, but the theaters were still open. I walked through what was essentially the abandoned mall, that looked a lot like it was partially trapped in the 1970’s look. Very strange to walk through an empty mall like like that that seemed trapped in time. I can remember most of the lights were even off. At the theater, I saw Homeward Bound The Incredible Journey, Alive, and Groundhog Day. One right after the other and getting refills on my popcorn and drink. The first two movies of those two were in typical boxy slightly small multiplex theaters. However, I can remember the theater that I saw Groundhog Day in being pretty massive, and had some ornate details throughout. For all of these movies, I think I was the only person in each theater. Again, adding the surreal feeling. As for the big theater, I could imagine how it used to be in it’s early days and how great it must have been. It was a really fun little ride spending the whole day movie-watching in the theaters, despite their not being the greatest venues. I wish I could find pictures of their interiors somewhere, or a few better old pics of the mall’s. Again, I’ll never forget it just because of how strange of an experience it all was.
I also remember this theater from having been used as a shooting location in the movie “Parenthood” with Steve Martin. Shortly after I moved to the Orlando area in 1998, I won free tickets on the radio for an advance showing of “The Mummy” that we saw in this theater. It was a very typical boxy multiplex, but the type that I saw SO many great movies in in the 80’s and 90’s. Despite it’s “grit” so to speak and lack of character, theaters that I used to go to of this type have special memories for me.
If anyone has any pictures of this theater from it’s very early days, I’d be very curious to see them. Despite the vastness of the internet, I’ve yet to find more than 2 or 3 after a long time spent searching. In the early 90’s it was a real gem. One of the very very best in the whole country, but the whole complex surrounding it by Pleasure Island and Planet Hollywood was so open and new. The place is still great, but has gotten so developed and is always so crowded, that I really miss those early days.
I can remember this theater in the 90’s. It was a true gem. Premieres (I think just for the U.S.) were held here for Dick Tracy and The Rocketeer in the early few years of the 90’s. It’s theaters 19 and 20 were two of the only THX certified theaters in the whole state of Florida. I’ve lived right near them now for a good 13 years, but in the years before then I used to come down to Orlando on vacation and marvel at how first class AMC Pleasure Island was. It had 3 separate concession stands (one at each end and one in the center), a specifically made round customer service desk in the center, great video game areas, and a small room near the south entrance that held self-serve ticket kiosks. It also kept right up to date with all of the projection and sound format technologies in all of it’s theaters big and small. Sadly now in recent years, I have very seldom gone back to AMC Pleasure Island. The center concession stand and customer service desk have been completely removed, the small specialty room with it’s kiosks is closed up, most of it’s video games have been removed and the few remaining are pretty horrible, and the theater in general doesn’t have the “premiere” feel that it used to. Most disappointing, the technologies and physical layouts in the theaters have had little update. A good 6 of it’s theaters (17, 18, and 21-24) do not even have stadium seating, but rather a more bowl-shaped array of seats rising slightly in the front and back with a trough-like feel in the center. Most of it’s theaters have no digital projection and a very small array of surround speakers. In some theaters these surrounds only number around 4 (2 on each side). It has made some improvements to it’s biggest theaters. Screens 1 and 2 as I understand have had screen, sound, and projection changes and are now labeled under AMC’s EXT name. Theaters 19 and 20 (the two old THX theaters) lost their THX certification several years ago now, I believe for the added financial cost of THX’s rigorous regular testing, but are still 2 of the 4 biggest screens. These two have had digital projectors off and on in the past several years, but I’ve never been able to figure out when they utilize that technology and when they do not. I believe they each have both traditional film projectors as well as DLP, but depending on the film, do not use the DLP. In a time where some theater complexes such as Rave have ALL digital projection and are uniform throughout, I’ve never been able to understand why AMC has not kept up AMC Pleasure Island 24 with it being in such a premiere location. I have written AMC corporate several letters over the years explaining this, but the only response has been a “thanks for your comments” and being thrown the bone of a free movie ticket. However nothing much as been done to address the concerns. I long for the good ‘ol days of this theater in the 90’s when it truly was world-class.