AMC Classic Lorna Ridge 10
2131 Lorna Ridge Lane,
Hoover,
AL
35216
2131 Lorna Ridge Lane,
Hoover,
AL
35216
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Grand opening ad posted. Its opening ended the first-run monopoly enjoyed by Cobb Theatres.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Lorna Ridge 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
I managed this theater in 1990-91. I had a great staff, a few of which I still have contact with.
Just wondering what the current status is of this old by-gone theater? Pricing, decorum, concessions? Is it up to scratch in this cutthroat cinematic economy?
AMC sign installed by the time the Googlemobile passed it by last September.
Rayman29 yeah that was what happened here. They renegotiated the lease and were supposed to start renovations in the fall and now even the sign change to AMC is on hold.
I was born a few weeks after this theater opened.
The manager of my Carmike/AMC said they are in the process of negotiating their lease so the can start remodeling in a few months. That was a few weeks ago so plans may have changed. They also just reduced the hours, but it only affects show times after 7:30 on Sundays and weekdays.
JOvieBuff AMC is still operating this location as a seconds run theatre. I assume it will eventually be converted to first run or AMC will close it altogether. AMC seems to be converting second run theatres to first run, but still less expensive than most theatres, for now. I don’t think AMC has any interest in second run theatres. In this day and age, they’re just not profitable.
I spoke with AMC this week and they took a major loss after purchasing the Carmike chain to the point that most theaters have no weekday shows before 4pm. Word is no renovations at former Carmike theaters may not happen until last 2018 or early 2019. It really sucks
Since its integration into AMC, does this theater remain a second run “discount” theater? If so, what is the pricing? Has AMC undertaken any major upgrades to the building and/or the movie-going experience?
I have some fond memories of this theater. I was very young when it opened circa 1982-83. Originally opened as the Riverchase 6 operated by now defunct Consolidated Theaters circuit, later Carmike, now AMC. Carmike Cinemas assumed ownership, circa 1990, they began the expansion into its 10 screen configuration, whence it was rechristened Carmike Riverchase 10…“Carmike 10” in the vernacular. I acquiesce that I have not stepped foot inside this theater since the 1990’s.
The theater was downgraded to second run “discount” status sometime in later 1990’s to early 2000’s with bargain pricing.
In its glory day, The first features I recall was the louvered/brick façade still more or less visible today minus the red stripe (see image above). Title marquees dominated the front roof.
-At the time of its opening, this first run theater featured 6 screens. The lobby area was spacious, though minimalistic, with adjoining videogame alcoves (in truth, these alcoves were really just darkened corners) leading up to the box office window. -Behind the box office, was the U-shaped concession stand. Standard movie concession fair: popcorn, candy, sodas. The auditoriums were/are arranged in dual (symmetrical) corridors (each with their own restrooms (2 sets). The original building configuration (including its exterior louvered-concrete façade was also used on the Bama 6 theater in Tuscaloosa which opened around the same time and remained as such until its closure. -By 1990, the building had been expanded to 10 screens, though I am not certain if it required building out new structures or retrofitting some of the older/older auditoriums into additional, albeit smaller auditoriums. This 10 screen configuration remains to this day. -During this building expansion, the aforementioned spacious lobby was downsized, videogame alcoves were eliminated and the front entrance, with box office, was opened to the outside with a skylight (visible in the google photo). -Each auditorium (pre building expansion) featured gently sloping floors, burgundy red curtains, and were arranged in 3-column, two-aisle seating configurations with the center column containing double # of seats as the two outer columns. Each auditorium sat approximately 150-200 people. -The expansion auditoriums, excluding those that were not altered, featured only single column seating configurations and seat less than 100.
I recall seeing many movies here at the currently designated AMC Classic Lorna Ridge 10: eg Back to the Future, Dragnet, Snow White and 7 Dwarfs (rerelease), Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home, Santa Clause: the Movie, Benji the Hunted, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and Mac & Me (arguably one of the corniest movies of all time). After it was expanded to 10 screens, I remember seeing The Naked Gun 2 and a half, The Fugitive, The Firm, and The Mask. Alas, I cannot recall with any certainty that last movie I saw in this theater, as I left Hoover for good in 1998. Anecdotally, I heard the general condition of this theater remained relatively unchanged from its expansion to ten screens, downgrade to discount status, and eventual integration into the AMC theater circuit.