Regal Knoxville Center Stadium 10

Originally opened by United Artists as the UA 7 on August 10, 1984. It was later taken over by Regal Cinemas and they added three more screens on December 9, 1997. To be an extensively remodeled facility this theatre still looks quite good for its age. It has changed owners, changed names, had screens added, stadium seats added, lost its street signs and been the subject of a major redecoration effort. All this the result of intense competition with the East Town Crossing multi-plex (razed) and Carmike’s Millertown Pike 10.

The mall in which this theatre stands was re-named from East Town Mall, to Knoxville Center Mall in an effort to overcome the perceived prejudice Knoxvillians have against anything associated with the unfashionable east side of town.

Through all the changes this building has seen one interesting little decorative touch remains from the original design: hanging from the lobby ceiling is a neon sculpture. The intent is to portray a motion picture projector casting the owner’s corporate Logo on the far lobby wall. It is interesting and fairly effective. However, the machine represented in the sculpture is not a 35mm movie projector, but rather shows a movie camera with its supply and take-up reels both mounted on top of the box.

I get a smile out of it every time I stand in the lobby - wondering if it was meant to be a camera, or if the designer didn’t know the difference.

The Regal Knoxville Center was closed on October 31, 2019. The entire mall closed in January 2020 and was demolished in June 2021.

Recent comments (view all 19 comments)

rivest266 on September 4, 2018 at 10:20 pm

Better quality grand opening ads posted.

Fotomac on June 7, 2019 at 1:15 am

I don’t think UA became part of Regal until 2002. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say UA sold this and the Capri theatres to Regal around 1991.

CinemaHolic on May 21, 2020 at 1:31 am

What were the last movies played there?, can somebody tell me?

knoxploration on August 21, 2020 at 7:25 am

Admittedly rather late, CinemaHolic, but I can answer your question.

When they closed with not even one day’s notice — the closing was announced the day after the last customers left the building — they were screening the following eight films: Joker, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, IT Chapter Two, The Addams Family, Hustlers, Gemini Man, Abominable and Zombieland: Double Tap.

You can see the marquee with Regal’s name blanked out in a photo shot the morning that the closure was announced, and published in an article by local TV station WBIR here:

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knoxville-center-mall-to-announce-it-will-close-at-the-end-of-january/51-ca6d04ae-5a18-436e-adeb-ce2531b1c7a8

tntim on August 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm

The final movies were shown on Oct 31, 2019. A picture of the marquee with the final movies is in the photo section.

knoxploration on September 1, 2020 at 8:38 am

Yep, as the link I provided a day before you already said. Also, that’s WBIR’s copyrighted image which you haven’t obtained permission to use, and not a Creative Commons-licensed image as you claimed when uploading it, which is why I didn’t upload it myself.

Will Dunklin on July 10, 2021 at 9:38 pm

And it’s gone.

The entire mall has been torn down and the theatre has vanished. Of the three theatres that were within a couple minutes driver here, this was my favorite. (Carmike on Millertown Pike is operating, the East Town Crossing long gone.)

Another idle thought, wonder what ever happened to Mr. Fuji, for so many years the ticket taker?

In its last days, I went to see the animated Addams Family and afterwards, a friend and I walked around the mall one last time. The writing was on the wall as it were. There were maybe 6 stores still operating. It was a little poignant to see the pet shop, the camera store, Spencer Gifts, Penny’s, Sears, the food court, the shoe shops, the lingerie shops, even the last ditch dollar stores, all boarded over, no attempt at pretending there was any hope the crowds would come back.

On that last visit, the theatre staff were up-beat and working in top form as always. Everything was clean and looking good. the popcorn was hot, the picture crisp, the masking was “right,” the sound as good as ever. Sure it was just another almost anonymous mall multiplex, not the Paradise or Roxy, but still sad to see it gone.

Maybe someone saved the neon lobby sculpture.

Fotomac on July 14, 2022 at 6:21 am

Was 7/10 the only auditorium with THX, or did 2 also have the THX certification?

greenth1ng on October 25, 2022 at 5:53 pm

Yes, 7/10 was the only THX-certified auditorium there.

rivest266 on April 6, 2023 at 1:34 pm

Video of the abandoned cinema starts at 12:38.