Buford Highway Twin Cinema
5805 Buford Highway NE,
Doraville,
GA
30340
5805 Buford Highway NE,
Doraville,
GA
30340
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Jerry Lewis Cinemas, Septum Cinemas
Previous Names: Jerry Lewis Cinemas, Septum Twin Cinemas
Nearby Theaters
Initially a Jerry Lewis theatre franchise that went belly up a short time after it opened on February 26, 1973 with “Trinity is Still My Name” & Charles Bronson in “The Mechanic”. In May 1973 it was taken over by Star Cinemas. The theatre was for a short while part of the Septum Cinemas chain from 1975 before converting one of the screens into adult movies in 1980’s. In 1981 it began screening Indian ‘Bollywood’ movies. Then returning to operate as an adult cinema until it was closed in June 2015. With its signage removed, the building stands vacant in 2020.
Contributed by
Jack Coursey
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Recent comments (view all 21 comments)
One of our favorite lines is “you know you’ve lived in Atlanta a long time if you saw a non-porn film at the Buford Twin”…which I did…Star Wars and I am sure a few others.
This theatre was the start of Septum Cinemas. Built as a Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema, ownership changed when the theatre failed. Star Wars opened 2nd run at Christmas but this theatre was the only theatre in metro Atlanta showing it so lines were long. The Weis Doraville theatre, across the street, had the first run of Star Wars. Septum’s corporate offices were upstairs, in between the projection units of the cinemas. The film Superman, opened here exclusively as the only theatre on the north side, and established Septum’s foray into first run films. Septum management did use the theatre for softcore x rated films as well and sometimes would have an x rated film in one auditorium and a PG or R film in the other. Eventually, the theatre was sold in order to focus on being an x rated theatre only and Septum’s corporate offices were moved to Holcomb Woods. Of amazement to me is that this theatre is the one and only Septum theatre to still be open, some 28 years after Septum was sold to Cineplex Odeon,.
The theatre is closed. The last show was in July 2015. It’s sad to see.
Demolished?
According to a March 2017 Google Street View the building is still standing and is for lease if I am seeing the blurry sign correctly.
This opened as a Jerry Lewis cinema on February 16th, 1973. Isn’t this in Doraville?
Clockwork Orange has shown
“touch of country in the city, Doraville, it ain’t much but it’s home”
The building is still standing. They removed the signage but looks about the same as it did when it closed.
The Treasure Village Shopping Center on Buford Highway was anchored by a new-build Jerry Lewis Cinema. By the time the venue opened, Network Cinema’s phones were disconnected and Jerry Lewis had ankled the project. Star Cinemas took on this location just three months after it had opened along the Jerry Lewis Old Dixie, Mableton, and Roswell locations in May of 1973. It was renamed as the Buford Highway Twin Cinema I & II.
In 1975, the venues were then under the Septum Twin Cinemas / Septum Cinemas banner. “Star Wars” had a record run there making over $150,000 23 weeks playing in Dolby Stereo from December 23, 1977. As competition increased, the venue used one auditorium for X-rated fare beginning in the 1980s which had an amazing ten-plus year run. In 1991, the venue began booking Indian films under Monty Hadda’s watch which proved so popular that others copied the move. The Buford would move back to full time adult cinema capping an amazing run in June of 2015. Considering that 185 out of 200 Jerry Lewis locations reportedly lost money, the Buford and the Roswell locations were easily two of the Jerry Lewis Cinema Circuit’s most profitable locations that stayed with their original screen count.