Add in that the original Alamo Theatre was destroyed February 12, 1939 by fire. Just months later, an all new Alamo Theatre was built. The theatre with its equipment was offered for sale in 1974 for $13,500. It was definitely in business in the 1960s and likely into the early 1970s.
Also operated by Benitez Theater Circuit for a brief period. End of the line for the Benitez Thunderbird Drive-In Theatre was on Labor Day weekend following the September 6, 1982 showing of Cantinflas in “El Barrendero.” The venue continued as the Benitez Thunderbird Drive-In Flea Market until December of 1984.
George Holdridge opened the Pharr Theatre in 1925 in downtown Pharr. The venue scuffled in the transition to sound. In 1930, the town offered a year of free rent if the accepting operator would reopen the dormant theater with sound. Traxiana Jack took that challenge and she wired it for sound using X-Cell audio equipment in a complete refresh of the theatre. It re-emerged under her watch in 1931 as the Texas Theatre. Harry N. Britten took on the Texas Theatre and operated Teatro Espana in Pharr. He and his partner, R.O. Brewer, sold off the Texas in 1947 to M. Linn and William A Smith of Texas Theatres, Inc.
The Bayou Drive-In launched on July 26, 1949 with “Northwest Stampede” as its opening film. It reopened as the January 22, 1970 as the Bayou Twin Drive-In with two screen towers.
The Capitan was discharged dishonorably via demolition after its 75th birthday in February of 2025. Its sister, the Granada Theatre / Teatro Granada that had opened three weeks later in 1949, said una última despedida being demolished just after its 75th birthday in November of 2025. Though there’s no preservationism, at least there’s symmetry.
If you were wondering which movie venue in Denton had the longest tenure as a continuously operated movie theater, you found the right entry. The Denton Center shopping plaza was announced in late 1957 by Skillern’s Drug CEO Rae E. Skillern as a game-changing retail strip center that would be the first major challenge to the Central Business District of Downtown Denton. Skillern’s Drugs and M.E. Moses Five and Dime variety store were the first two names attached to the center; but with Sears and Penney’s signings, the retail battle was “on”. Denton Center opened in 1960 and its free parking drew throngs of shoppers. One element missing would be in the mix for the Center’s 10th year anniversary - a suburban luxury movie theater.
The Interstate Denton Cinema was announced late in 1967 with initial plans appearing in 1968. But parent company American Broadcasting Companies Inc. was beginning to morph operations to streamline its operating org chart. In 1965, its theatrical exhibition arm, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc., had assumed the name, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. In 1970, it would bring its Interstate Theatres and Trans-Texas together under the ABC Interstate nameplate. Knowing this was in the cards, architect John R. Thompson created a revised plan that changed the venue’s name from the Denton Cinema to the more corporately branded, ABC Cinema.
Located next door to the Sears anchor store, the $300,000 ABC Cinema was originally launched on May 20, 1970 with Lee Van Cleef in “Barquero” by ABC Interstate. Denton’s Mayor Finlay and ABC Interstate head William E. Mitchell were on hand. The theatre was bathed in flamingo red with all 700 seats red, the concession stand featured red vinyl walls with gold trim, and the women’s restroom was predominately red with the men’s getting a gold color palette. The Denton ABC Cinema was the start of something as ABC branded cinemas in Texas were soon to be found in Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Temple, Houston, Waco, Tyler, Wichita Falls, College Station, Bryan, Austin, Amarillo, Bryan, and El Paso.
In November of 1978, Plitt Southern took over the ABC Interstate operations with the Denton venue retaining its ABC Cinema moniker for about one year. On December 21, 1979, the main auditorium was split into two becoming the rebranded Plitt Cinema Twin 1 & 2 with “1941” and “Electric Horseman” playing along with a midnight showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” “Rocky Horror” was a long running, multi-year hit thanks to patronage from the nearby University of North Texas. Single screeners elsewhere in the State were also twinned with twins often triplexed.
As the 20th year leases were coming due for the original Denton Center anchors in 1980 including Penney’s and Sears, clever folks were building a new mall, the Golden Triangle, and would pluck both Penney’s and Sears while creating a brand new four-plex cinema for United Artists in an outparcel spot all coming online in 1980. By 1980, the film exhibition industry had transitioned away from suburban luxury singles and twins to multiplexes containing four to eight screens. The Denton Center was clearly under attack for retail and movie patrons. In 1985, the theatre - likely wanting to leave at its 15-year opt out period - was encouraged to expand - likely with incentives as Plitt was struggling against more aggressive circuits. That expansion occurred rebooting under its new name as the Plitt Cinema V… now with five screens to better compete against the UA Golden Triangle 4. Something had to give in the Denton-area screen expansion and in March of 1985, Plitt shuttered its other Denton location, the Campus Theatre, due to lack of business.
In November of 1985, Cineplex Odeon bought out Plitt Southern with the Denton venue retaining its Plitt branding. Cinemark took on the majority of Plitt Southern locations in 1987 but Carmike became the operator of the, now, Carmike Cinema 5 - assuming under a new leasing agreement. In 1995, UA decided to open a second multiplex - the UA Golden Triangle V - inside of the Mall which further challenged the Carmike operation. In 1997, the Cinema 5 got good news in the presence of a high-tech neighbor that improved foot traffic temporarily. Knightstar Laser Tag opened a prototype venue that resonated short-term with moviegoing age audiences and increased foot traffic to the aging theater.
Carmike appears to have operated through a 15-year leasing commitment leaving the venue behind as aging multiplexes were no longer in favor. 32 years was a good ride for the ABC Cinema turned Plitt turned Carmike Cinema 5. But the ride wasn’t over just yet for the venue. Jeff Benson, the CEO of Texas Movie Company and UNT alum, didn’t want his favorite cinema to go away quietly. So he totally revamped the location as the fourth Movie Tavern location in the fledgling chain of dine-in cinemas featuring expanded in-theater food options and liquor. It opened May 27, 2005 with four screens running. The venue would expand its footprint increasing to 9 screens. In so doing, it survived in the milieu of the megaplex era with the Cinemark Denton 14 which had opened in 2005, the Rave Motion Picture turned Carmike turned AMC Hickory Creek 16 in nearby Hickory Creek which opened in 2000, and a lot of megaplex activity in Lewisville.
Marcus Theatres circuit bought out Movie Tavern on November 2, 2018 and decided to keep the former ABC Cinema location churning despite being challenged by a new Alamo Drafthouse opening in 2019. It operated for a period under the gangling name of the Movie Tavern by Marcus Denton. Not good. The MTBMD closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020 along with other hardtop theatres worldwide. The venue reopened two weeks after Cinemark 14’s relaunch and three days after the Alamo Drafthouse on August 28, 2000. The venue was still chugging along in 2026 - more than 55 years after it first launched in the Denton Center. And by 2026, thanks to a simplified rebranding by Greg Marcus and team, the venue had somehow returned to its originally proposed name of the Denton Cinema.
Interstate Circuit’s venerable Arcadia Theatre burned down in downtown Harlingen on June 2, 1970. On September 28, 1970, Interstate Circuit joined its sister chain, Texas Consolidated - both part of the mothership ABC network - which combined to form ABC Interstate Theatres, Inc. And ABC Interstate announced the replacement to the Arcadia in 1971 with groundbreaking taking place on November 11, 1971. It would be the first hardtop venue built in the Rio Grande Valley in some 25 years. Its design called for a large tilt-up one piece wall brought in on a crane. (And 55 years later, that element was still in place and looking identical to its original installation.)
The ABC Cinema 1 & 2 continued Interstate’s suburban luxury business plan that constructed theaters built away from central business districts. This new breed of theaters featured large parking lots offering patrons free parking, wider aisle seating and wide format projection. This ABC duplex cost around $500,000 with 944-seats - a 398 seat auditorium and a larger 546 seat auditorium. The venue launched on May 24, 1972 with “The Godfather” and “The Groundstar Conspiracy.” The same interior plans were used to create the ABC Cinema 1 & 2 in Brownsville opening the next year, according to its developer, Fausto Yturria Jr. The building’s exterior was supposedly a tip of the hat to the Spanish Colonial architecture common in the Valley but, to most eyes, comes off as a more commonly used roughcast pebbledash not quit sticking the SC landing.
To celebrate the venue’s fifth anniversary in May of 1977, the second auditorium was split into two theaters creating the ABC Cinema Triple. In November of 1978, Plitt Southern took over the ABC Interstate operations rebranding here as the Plitt Cinema Triple. In 1979, Plitt would add a triplex at the new Sunrise Mall in Brownsville. Plitt also took over United Artists’ Harlingen and Brownsville locations effective October 5, 1985 to get a stronghold in the Valley. Just two months later, Cineplex Odeon took over the Plitt Southern operations in December of 1985 with the Valley-area venues all still marketed under the Plitt nameplate.
Cinemark took on the Plitt Southern locations in 1987 including the Morgan Plaza Triple. Cinemark opened its Cinema 10 megaplex theatre as a first run house on September 18, 1992. Cinemark announced its new–build Cinemark 16 screen theatre to open in the fourth quarter of 1999. That plan would lead to the downgrading of Movies 10 to discount sub-run. Cinemark continued to operate here as the first run Cinemark Cinema Triple all the way November 30, 1999 with the Cinemark 16 closed behind, launching on December 17, 1999.
Reopened as the Phoenix Theatres Columbia Snowden 14 + Screen X on May 9, 2025 - three weeks after Cinemark left the building. It operated just to January 5, 2026 when it closed permanently with demolition to follow.
This venue opened as a silent era theatre likely as the Electric Theatre in 1914. That venue was then advertised as the Mercedes Moving Picture Theatre in 1915 and turned Western Queen Theatre in 1916. It is presumed, though perhaps incorrectly, that it then became the Empire Theatre. Its first ad under that name is February 5, 1917 with “The Thunderbolt.” (The ad cadence suggests that timing is correct from 1914 to 1917; but it is unclear if this is the same building. However, because the Empire received significant an interior upgrade in 1921, it is likely the same facility.)
Paramount/Publix took on the Empire Theatre and refreshed it with sound at a relaunch as the Capitol Theatre on August 29, 1930 with the Marx Brothers in “Animal Crackers.” Publix entered into financial chicanery and gamesmanship with the theater sold to Paschall-Texas Theatres Circuit. In 1937, the Capitol was given a major streamline moderne makeover and renamed as the State Theatre on March 27, 1937 with Joe E. Brown in “When’s Your Birthday.” The State Theatre closed July 29, 1964 with a double feature of “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” and “Hatari.”
The Eagle has crash landed - all 3 locations closed permanently January 4, 2026 including this locale
The Eagle has crash landed - all 3 locations closed permanently January 4, 2026 including this locale
The Eagle has crash landed - all 3 locations closed permanently January 4, 2026 including the Streator 6
The Pruneyard Cinemas’s last day will be on Jan. 25, 2026.
Final day January 8, 2026 as Regal runs out the 25-year lease
Add in that the original Alamo Theatre was destroyed February 12, 1939 by fire. Just months later, an all new Alamo Theatre was built. The theatre with its equipment was offered for sale in 1974 for $13,500. It was definitely in business in the 1960s and likely into the early 1970s.
Also operated by Benitez Theater Circuit for a brief period. End of the line for the Benitez Thunderbird Drive-In Theatre was on Labor Day weekend following the September 6, 1982 showing of Cantinflas in “El Barrendero.” The venue continued as the Benitez Thunderbird Drive-In Flea Market until December of 1984.
Also known as the Benitez Drive-In
Operated at the latter stages by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
Operated by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
Teatro Juarez was operated by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
Once operated by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
George Holdridge opened the Pharr Theatre in 1925 in downtown Pharr. The venue scuffled in the transition to sound. In 1930, the town offered a year of free rent if the accepting operator would reopen the dormant theater with sound. Traxiana Jack took that challenge and she wired it for sound using X-Cell audio equipment in a complete refresh of the theatre. It re-emerged under her watch in 1931 as the Texas Theatre. Harry N. Britten took on the Texas Theatre and operated Teatro Espana in Pharr. He and his partner, R.O. Brewer, sold off the Texas in 1947 to M. Linn and William A Smith of Texas Theatres, Inc.
Once operated by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
Once operated by the Benitez Theatre Circuit
The Bayou Drive-In launched on July 26, 1949 with “Northwest Stampede” as its opening film. It reopened as the January 22, 1970 as the Bayou Twin Drive-In with two screen towers.
The Capitan was discharged dishonorably via demolition after its 75th birthday in February of 2025. Its sister, the Granada Theatre / Teatro Granada that had opened three weeks later in 1949, said una última despedida being demolished just after its 75th birthday in November of 2025. Though there’s no preservationism, at least there’s symmetry.
Teatro Granada was demolished on November 14, 2025 after a spirited battle to preserve it failed.
Demolished in December of 2025 in favor of a new shopping mall.
If you were wondering which movie venue in Denton had the longest tenure as a continuously operated movie theater, you found the right entry. The Denton Center shopping plaza was announced in late 1957 by Skillern’s Drug CEO Rae E. Skillern as a game-changing retail strip center that would be the first major challenge to the Central Business District of Downtown Denton. Skillern’s Drugs and M.E. Moses Five and Dime variety store were the first two names attached to the center; but with Sears and Penney’s signings, the retail battle was “on”. Denton Center opened in 1960 and its free parking drew throngs of shoppers. One element missing would be in the mix for the Center’s 10th year anniversary - a suburban luxury movie theater.
The Interstate Denton Cinema was announced late in 1967 with initial plans appearing in 1968. But parent company American Broadcasting Companies Inc. was beginning to morph operations to streamline its operating org chart. In 1965, its theatrical exhibition arm, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc., had assumed the name, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. In 1970, it would bring its Interstate Theatres and Trans-Texas together under the ABC Interstate nameplate. Knowing this was in the cards, architect John R. Thompson created a revised plan that changed the venue’s name from the Denton Cinema to the more corporately branded, ABC Cinema.
Located next door to the Sears anchor store, the $300,000 ABC Cinema was originally launched on May 20, 1970 with Lee Van Cleef in “Barquero” by ABC Interstate. Denton’s Mayor Finlay and ABC Interstate head William E. Mitchell were on hand. The theatre was bathed in flamingo red with all 700 seats red, the concession stand featured red vinyl walls with gold trim, and the women’s restroom was predominately red with the men’s getting a gold color palette. The Denton ABC Cinema was the start of something as ABC branded cinemas in Texas were soon to be found in Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Temple, Houston, Waco, Tyler, Wichita Falls, College Station, Bryan, Austin, Amarillo, Bryan, and El Paso.
In November of 1978, Plitt Southern took over the ABC Interstate operations with the Denton venue retaining its ABC Cinema moniker for about one year. On December 21, 1979, the main auditorium was split into two becoming the rebranded Plitt Cinema Twin 1 & 2 with “1941” and “Electric Horseman” playing along with a midnight showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” “Rocky Horror” was a long running, multi-year hit thanks to patronage from the nearby University of North Texas. Single screeners elsewhere in the State were also twinned with twins often triplexed.
As the 20th year leases were coming due for the original Denton Center anchors in 1980 including Penney’s and Sears, clever folks were building a new mall, the Golden Triangle, and would pluck both Penney’s and Sears while creating a brand new four-plex cinema for United Artists in an outparcel spot all coming online in 1980. By 1980, the film exhibition industry had transitioned away from suburban luxury singles and twins to multiplexes containing four to eight screens. The Denton Center was clearly under attack for retail and movie patrons. In 1985, the theatre - likely wanting to leave at its 15-year opt out period - was encouraged to expand - likely with incentives as Plitt was struggling against more aggressive circuits. That expansion occurred rebooting under its new name as the Plitt Cinema V… now with five screens to better compete against the UA Golden Triangle 4. Something had to give in the Denton-area screen expansion and in March of 1985, Plitt shuttered its other Denton location, the Campus Theatre, due to lack of business.
In November of 1985, Cineplex Odeon bought out Plitt Southern with the Denton venue retaining its Plitt branding. Cinemark took on the majority of Plitt Southern locations in 1987 but Carmike became the operator of the, now, Carmike Cinema 5 - assuming under a new leasing agreement. In 1995, UA decided to open a second multiplex - the UA Golden Triangle V - inside of the Mall which further challenged the Carmike operation. In 1997, the Cinema 5 got good news in the presence of a high-tech neighbor that improved foot traffic temporarily. Knightstar Laser Tag opened a prototype venue that resonated short-term with moviegoing age audiences and increased foot traffic to the aging theater.
Carmike appears to have operated through a 15-year leasing commitment leaving the venue behind as aging multiplexes were no longer in favor. 32 years was a good ride for the ABC Cinema turned Plitt turned Carmike Cinema 5. But the ride wasn’t over just yet for the venue. Jeff Benson, the CEO of Texas Movie Company and UNT alum, didn’t want his favorite cinema to go away quietly. So he totally revamped the location as the fourth Movie Tavern location in the fledgling chain of dine-in cinemas featuring expanded in-theater food options and liquor. It opened May 27, 2005 with four screens running. The venue would expand its footprint increasing to 9 screens. In so doing, it survived in the milieu of the megaplex era with the Cinemark Denton 14 which had opened in 2005, the Rave Motion Picture turned Carmike turned AMC Hickory Creek 16 in nearby Hickory Creek which opened in 2000, and a lot of megaplex activity in Lewisville.
Marcus Theatres circuit bought out Movie Tavern on November 2, 2018 and decided to keep the former ABC Cinema location churning despite being challenged by a new Alamo Drafthouse opening in 2019. It operated for a period under the gangling name of the Movie Tavern by Marcus Denton. Not good. The MTBMD closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020 along with other hardtop theatres worldwide. The venue reopened two weeks after Cinemark 14’s relaunch and three days after the Alamo Drafthouse on August 28, 2000. The venue was still chugging along in 2026 - more than 55 years after it first launched in the Denton Center. And by 2026, thanks to a simplified rebranding by Greg Marcus and team, the venue had somehow returned to its originally proposed name of the Denton Cinema.
Also operated by Cinemark Theatres
Also operated by Cinemark
Interstate Circuit’s venerable Arcadia Theatre burned down in downtown Harlingen on June 2, 1970. On September 28, 1970, Interstate Circuit joined its sister chain, Texas Consolidated - both part of the mothership ABC network - which combined to form ABC Interstate Theatres, Inc. And ABC Interstate announced the replacement to the Arcadia in 1971 with groundbreaking taking place on November 11, 1971. It would be the first hardtop venue built in the Rio Grande Valley in some 25 years. Its design called for a large tilt-up one piece wall brought in on a crane. (And 55 years later, that element was still in place and looking identical to its original installation.)
The ABC Cinema 1 & 2 continued Interstate’s suburban luxury business plan that constructed theaters built away from central business districts. This new breed of theaters featured large parking lots offering patrons free parking, wider aisle seating and wide format projection. This ABC duplex cost around $500,000 with 944-seats - a 398 seat auditorium and a larger 546 seat auditorium. The venue launched on May 24, 1972 with “The Godfather” and “The Groundstar Conspiracy.” The same interior plans were used to create the ABC Cinema 1 & 2 in Brownsville opening the next year, according to its developer, Fausto Yturria Jr. The building’s exterior was supposedly a tip of the hat to the Spanish Colonial architecture common in the Valley but, to most eyes, comes off as a more commonly used roughcast pebbledash not quit sticking the SC landing.
To celebrate the venue’s fifth anniversary in May of 1977, the second auditorium was split into two theaters creating the ABC Cinema Triple. In November of 1978, Plitt Southern took over the ABC Interstate operations rebranding here as the Plitt Cinema Triple. In 1979, Plitt would add a triplex at the new Sunrise Mall in Brownsville. Plitt also took over United Artists’ Harlingen and Brownsville locations effective October 5, 1985 to get a stronghold in the Valley. Just two months later, Cineplex Odeon took over the Plitt Southern operations in December of 1985 with the Valley-area venues all still marketed under the Plitt nameplate.
Cinemark took on the Plitt Southern locations in 1987 including the Morgan Plaza Triple. Cinemark opened its Cinema 10 megaplex theatre as a first run house on September 18, 1992. Cinemark announced its new–build Cinemark 16 screen theatre to open in the fourth quarter of 1999. That plan would lead to the downgrading of Movies 10 to discount sub-run. Cinemark continued to operate here as the first run Cinemark Cinema Triple all the way November 30, 1999 with the Cinemark 16 closed behind, launching on December 17, 1999.
Reopened as the Phoenix Theatres Columbia Snowden 14 + Screen X on May 9, 2025 - three weeks after Cinemark left the building. It operated just to January 5, 2026 when it closed permanently with demolition to follow.
This venue opened as a silent era theatre likely as the Electric Theatre in 1914. That venue was then advertised as the Mercedes Moving Picture Theatre in 1915 and turned Western Queen Theatre in 1916. It is presumed, though perhaps incorrectly, that it then became the Empire Theatre. Its first ad under that name is February 5, 1917 with “The Thunderbolt.” (The ad cadence suggests that timing is correct from 1914 to 1917; but it is unclear if this is the same building. However, because the Empire received significant an interior upgrade in 1921, it is likely the same facility.)
Paramount/Publix took on the Empire Theatre and refreshed it with sound at a relaunch as the Capitol Theatre on August 29, 1930 with the Marx Brothers in “Animal Crackers.” Publix entered into financial chicanery and gamesmanship with the theater sold to Paschall-Texas Theatres Circuit. In 1937, the Capitol was given a major streamline moderne makeover and renamed as the State Theatre on March 27, 1937 with Joe E. Brown in “When’s Your Birthday.” The State Theatre closed July 29, 1964 with a double feature of “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” and “Hatari.”