The front of this theater appeared in “Magnum P.I.” in 1983. About 14 minutes into the Season 4 episode “Distant Relative,” Magnum drives the Ferrari 308 past it and the neighboring Waikiki Beachcomber hotel.
The sign “Waikiki” was preserved or at least mimicked in a smaller version that sits atop the little shopping center box that replaced the theater.
Bama Six was the premiere theater in Tuscaloosa in the late ‘80s and early '90s. For example, Bama Six hosted Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghostbusters II, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Die Hard 2, Home Alone, Backdraft, City Slickers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Terminator 2, Batman Returns.
Throughout the decade, both the Bama and the Fox at McFarland Mall evenly had the big releases, but never the same movies.
The Bama 6 had a spacious lobby with an arcade featuring games like Tron and Centipede well into the mid-'90s.
The theater expanded to Fox 10 in the summer of 1990. When this happened, the box office was moved from the wall on the east side (right, in the picture) to the chamber in the mall’s hallway. The floor of the entrance to the new side ramped upward, to then ramp downward in the theaters. It then expanded to Fox 12 in 1994, with the two new theaters taking over the space of the popular Cinnamon Shoppe on the “new side” where the other four screens had been added.
It would be interesting to see these theaters now in a time when we have become spoiled with the modern stadium seating and sound. Several of them were relatively small and seemed tucked away with varying seating arrangements. Looking at overhead images of McFarland Mall, the roofs of only two theaters can really be outlined. I would really like to see the floor plans because it is hard to imagine so many theaters in that space. During the time of the expansion, McFarland Mall was renovated.
This theater has an annual summer movie series of selected older films. “The Godfather,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and “Easy Rider” are a few examples. The movies are or were preceded by old cartoons and ads for concessions. It is simply a nostalgic experience. The sound echos, so had I not been familiar with the movies I saw there, I would have not been able to understand exactly what was being said.
While this building was used as a club called The Crown at the turn of the 21st century, before renaming itself as Atlantis, there was an adult theater accessible from the parking lot in the back. I don’t know the size of the screen and room, as I only heard about it, but it could not have been too large because the dance club occupied a significant amount of space.
This theater was open in the mid ‘80s, as I saw Gremlins there. I did not see anything there when visiting in later years, so it may have closed by the end of the decade. By 1988, a new ten screen theater was opened in the Mobile Festival Centre nearby.
Despite announcing on its Facebook page that it would close this past Spring due to low attendance, the Thomasville Theater is still open in July 2011 and showing first-run films. While I don’t know if it has 3D capabilities because I have not been there, it has been showing “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”. The theater gets films and shows them for a couple of days, like a weekend, and then ships them back.
It’s nice to find this information and thanks for those pictures posted. I remember when the Plaza expanded to a four-plex and seeing “Jaws 3-D” in the newer theater. After the theater closed, it was converted into a family entertainment center called Beyond Imagination. They turned the theaters into surreal rooms for laser tag, miniature golf and an arcade, while retaining one theater as a movie hall for showing second-run movies. These pictures are from November 2007: View link View link View link View link
When I visited, I was told the other projectors were still there and used for spare parts. A stage was built in front of the movie screen for bands: View link
They also operated the concession stand with a popcorn machine and soda fountain. View link
Sadly, Beyond Imagination apparently did not last long, as Google Street View images from 2008 show the location vacant and the sign without a marquee.
Also of note, there was a theater in Mobile, Alabama called the Dauphin Street Cinemas that was built exactly like Plaza in Anniston. That building was demolished in the early 2000s.
The front of this theater appeared in “Magnum P.I.” in 1983. About 14 minutes into the Season 4 episode “Distant Relative,” Magnum drives the Ferrari 308 past it and the neighboring Waikiki Beachcomber hotel. The sign “Waikiki” was preserved or at least mimicked in a smaller version that sits atop the little shopping center box that replaced the theater.
By the way, the picture I uploaded was from 1998 when the theater had already closed and was being renovated. It would then become a church.
Bama Six was the premiere theater in Tuscaloosa in the late ‘80s and early '90s. For example, Bama Six hosted Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Ghostbusters II, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Die Hard 2, Home Alone, Backdraft, City Slickers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Terminator 2, Batman Returns. Throughout the decade, both the Bama and the Fox at McFarland Mall evenly had the big releases, but never the same movies. The Bama 6 had a spacious lobby with an arcade featuring games like Tron and Centipede well into the mid-'90s.
This theater is not only closed, but the entire building and adjoining shopping center were demolished.
I remember seeing the posters for “Class” and “Porky’s II” in that lobby. I also saw “WarGames” and “Superman III” there.
The 2011 tornado did not strike near this building.
The theater expanded to Fox 10 in the summer of 1990. When this happened, the box office was moved from the wall on the east side (right, in the picture) to the chamber in the mall’s hallway. The floor of the entrance to the new side ramped upward, to then ramp downward in the theaters. It then expanded to Fox 12 in 1994, with the two new theaters taking over the space of the popular Cinnamon Shoppe on the “new side” where the other four screens had been added. It would be interesting to see these theaters now in a time when we have become spoiled with the modern stadium seating and sound. Several of them were relatively small and seemed tucked away with varying seating arrangements. Looking at overhead images of McFarland Mall, the roofs of only two theaters can really be outlined. I would really like to see the floor plans because it is hard to imagine so many theaters in that space. During the time of the expansion, McFarland Mall was renovated.
This theater has an annual summer movie series of selected older films. “The Godfather,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and “Easy Rider” are a few examples. The movies are or were preceded by old cartoons and ads for concessions. It is simply a nostalgic experience. The sound echos, so had I not been familiar with the movies I saw there, I would have not been able to understand exactly what was being said.
While this building was used as a club called The Crown at the turn of the 21st century, before renaming itself as Atlantis, there was an adult theater accessible from the parking lot in the back. I don’t know the size of the screen and room, as I only heard about it, but it could not have been too large because the dance club occupied a significant amount of space.
This theater was open in the mid ‘80s, as I saw Gremlins there. I did not see anything there when visiting in later years, so it may have closed by the end of the decade. By 1988, a new ten screen theater was opened in the Mobile Festival Centre nearby.
Yes, this theater closed in 2012. They even removed their Facebook page.
I fondly recall newspaper movie listings being so big and taking up a couple of pages.
Thanks for the link. I’m glad the building is still there.
Despite announcing on its Facebook page that it would close this past Spring due to low attendance, the Thomasville Theater is still open in July 2011 and showing first-run films. While I don’t know if it has 3D capabilities because I have not been there, it has been showing “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”. The theater gets films and shows them for a couple of days, like a weekend, and then ships them back.
It’s nice to find this information and thanks for those pictures posted. I remember when the Plaza expanded to a four-plex and seeing “Jaws 3-D” in the newer theater. After the theater closed, it was converted into a family entertainment center called Beyond Imagination. They turned the theaters into surreal rooms for laser tag, miniature golf and an arcade, while retaining one theater as a movie hall for showing second-run movies. These pictures are from November 2007:
View link
View link
View link
View link
When I visited, I was told the other projectors were still there and used for spare parts. A stage was built in front of the movie screen for bands:
View link
They also operated the concession stand with a popcorn machine and soda fountain.
View link
Sadly, Beyond Imagination apparently did not last long, as Google Street View images from 2008 show the location vacant and the sign without a marquee.
Also of note, there was a theater in Mobile, Alabama called the Dauphin Street Cinemas that was built exactly like Plaza in Anniston. That building was demolished in the early 2000s.