Towne Twin Theater
2300 N. Main Street,
High Point,
NC
27262
2300 N. Main Street,
High Point,
NC
27262
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Carmike Cinemas, Martin Theatres
Previous Names: Towne Theater
Nearby Theaters
The Towne Theatre became High Point’s first-ever ‘Lounging Chair Seating’ cinema, not to mention the town’s first suburban theatre. Located behind the K-Mart Shopping Center at the intersection of N. Main Street and E. Parris Avenue. The Towne Theatre was High Point’s most modern ultra design in architecture throughout. The Towne Theatre featured full stereophonic sound along with an ultra modern concession stand not to mention huge widescreen projection capable of showing both 35mm and 70mm films. As for the lounging chair seating, it was the only one of its kind when it opened, and all of High Point and surrounding areas of Guilford County loved it.
Owned and operated under Schneider-Merl Theatres, the Towne Theatre opened on February 5, 1968 with James Coburn in “The President’s Analyst”. The Towne Theatre remained a single screen cinema until the mid-1970’s when the original auditorium was split down the middle making it a twin cinema, under the new ownership of Martin Theatres.
By the time Carmike took over operations of the Towne Twin Thetaer in the mid-1980’s, the cinema went from screening first-run movies to second-run movies, becoming a discount house until it was closed in the late-1990’s.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre, raysson
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
This was part of the Schneider-Merl chain in the early eighties.
According to Bowers' “Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments” page 551, there was a “American” theatre in High Point equipped with a Reproduco organ made by the Operators Piano Co. I could not find a page for the American, so I am putting this here for the time being.
A February 1976 article in the High Point Enterprise stated that in the early and mid 1970s the Towne ran heavily edited versions of adult films such as “Deep Throat” and “Devil in Miss Jones”.
kencmcintyre: The Towne Theatre ran adult films? I did my extensive research on this theatre,and to my knowledge it must have been running soft-porn films as late show entries long before Martin Theatres took over in the mid-1970’s. I’m from Durham,and I know one theatre in my area,the Yorktowne showed in its entirely the explicit “XXX” rated version of “Caligula”.
Opened on February 5,1968 with James Coburn in THE PRESIDENT’S ANALYST under Schneider-Merl Theatres. (1968-1975)
Was twinned in 1976 and renamed the Towne Twin Theatres under Martin Theatres.
Carmike Cinemas took over this theatre in 1982. And it was Carmike that closed it in 1994 as a second-run dollar house.
The Towne Theatre opened on February 5,1968 as High Point’s first-ever suburban cinema with a seating capacity of 748 under Schneider-Merl Theatres.
Martin Theatres took over the operations of this theatre in 1975 and by 1976 it was twinned by splitting the original auditorium into two sections that seated 374 each in both auditoriums renaming it The Towne Twin Theatres.
Carmike Cinemas acquired this theatre in 1982 and it was Carmike that closed it in 1994 as a second-run dollar house cinema.
THEATRE HISTORY:
1968-1975 Schneider-Merl Corporation
1975-1982 Martin Theatres [theatre was twinned by 1976]
1982-1994 Carmike Cinemas [closed in 1994]
The Towne Theatre opened in the late-1960’s as High Point’s first-ever suburban theatre with a seating capacity of 748. A lot of blockbuster movies got first-run billing at the Towne Theatre including it’s general engagement showing of THE GODFATHER on March 22,1972.
Other movies played here were CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND…..and more…..
Should be renamed the TOWNE TWIN THEATRES.
Closed in 1994 by Carmike Cinemas as a second-run cinema.