while the lack of foot traffic in the kendall park shopping center certainly did not help, a big factor in the closing of kendall park cinemas was competition. after kpc opened in the spring of 1991, it had a few years of no real direct competitors until loews new brunswick opened in november 1996.
then regal north brunswick opened just a few miles away on route 1 in march 1999. these 2 high-profile major corporation movie theaters with stadium seating (a new offering at the time) put a real dent in profitability for the small independent.
plus, during this time frame, montgomery cinemas (another independent), which while it did not directly compete with kpc as it showed mainly art house and independent films, refurbished and expanded its theater.
i think all this competition was just too much for owners, bernie goldberg and bruce silverstein, to withstand. plus, it never helped that south brunswick township did not allow the owners to have a marquee at the road or even on the building.
NOTE: the theater name is actually “kendall park cinemas”.
there were actually only 7 screens – two large (around 300 seat), 1 just over 180, and 4 around 120 seats. it did open in 1991, one of the first movies playing there was hudson hawk, which came out in may 1991. and later robin hood: prince of thieves, which came out in june 1991.
oh, and the controversy was not about using automated equipment, it was about using non-unionized projectionists – namely me! ;–)
while the lack of foot traffic in the kendall park shopping center certainly did not help, a big factor in the closing of kendall park cinemas was competition. after kpc opened in the spring of 1991, it had a few years of no real direct competitors until loews new brunswick opened in november 1996.
then regal north brunswick opened just a few miles away on route 1 in march 1999. these 2 high-profile major corporation movie theaters with stadium seating (a new offering at the time) put a real dent in profitability for the small independent.
plus, during this time frame, montgomery cinemas (another independent), which while it did not directly compete with kpc as it showed mainly art house and independent films, refurbished and expanded its theater.
i think all this competition was just too much for owners, bernie goldberg and bruce silverstein, to withstand. plus, it never helped that south brunswick township did not allow the owners to have a marquee at the road or even on the building.
NOTE: the theater name is actually “kendall park cinemas”.
there were actually only 7 screens – two large (around 300 seat), 1 just over 180, and 4 around 120 seats. it did open in 1991, one of the first movies playing there was hudson hawk, which came out in may 1991. and later robin hood: prince of thieves, which came out in june 1991.
oh, and the controversy was not about using automated equipment, it was about using non-unionized projectionists – namely me! ;–)