McKnight Cinemas I & II
7217 McKnight Road,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15237
7217 McKnight Road,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15237
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Opened as a twin. Past the BoxOffice the lobby was split by a brick wall to prevent screen jumping. In the mid ‘70’s retail space next to the theater was repurposed into a third screen and the wall came down. The 3rd screen disappeared in the mid 80’s.
Looks like it opened as a twin then had one theatre split at some point.
Looks like it opened as a twin then had one theatre split at some point.
Judgung by the comments and photo above, this had 3 screens not 2 and should be changed.
Please update.
Grand opening ad:
McKnight theatres opening Wed, Aug 28, 1968 – Page 83 · The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.com
Opened on Fri, Aug. 30, 1968 with “The Graduate” showing on both screens.
I worked at this theatre during high school and my first summer of college. We had an odd assortment of movies in those years… first-runs that didn’t go to the bigger, newer Showcase Cinemas, some foreign/art house stuff, cheesy horror movies, and the “big” movie from our sister theater, the North Hills, after they got another feature. There were two good-sized screens and one “mini” in the back. There are very few of these types of theatres left.
Opening day ad:
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This was at 7217 McKnight Road
This theater went up in the late 1960s in a smallish strip mall that was anchored by Zayre’s Department store (an early version of Target type stores). The 3 theaters were always small – it was the beginning of the era of small multiplexes and the division of the grand old theaters still standing into multiple screens. This theater showed 2nd run movies after they left the downtown theaters. I remember seeing some horror films there, and BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID.
On the site now is a Panera Bread restaurant.