AMC Six West 6
10000 California Street, #245 Boston Mall,
Omaha,
NE
68114
10000 California Street, #245 Boston Mall,
Omaha,
NE
68114
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article of interest with floor plan:
aka AMC Westroads 8
The Six West Theatre is listed in the trade press as the first six-plex in the history of the United States though not in the world. Its conceptualization occurred not long after the single-screen Fox Westroads Theatre became the first cinema in the Westroad Mall complex. It was located in the “Boston Mall” section of the Westroads Mall. The original floor plan of the Westroads was on a single level. The new plan - a second floor section on the northeast mall called “Boston Mall” - encompassed two neighboring theaters - an oddity - with the Fox Westroads originally opening in 1967 and the -then - forthcoming Six West Theatre.
American Royal Cinemas, the Durwood Theatres Circuit’s follow-up name and pre-cursor to American Multi-Cinema (AMC), announced a new six-plex to be opened at what was reported as 20 feet from the existing National General / Fox Midwest Fox Westroads. After much delay, American Royal opened the Six West on January 22, 1969 with “Candy” playing on four of the six screens for Stanley Durwood’s circuit. The two co-existed but the Fox flinched when new operator Mann Theatres twinned the neighboring venue in May of 1977 becoming the Mann Fox Twin.
In March of 1980, the six-plex was officially renamed as the AMC Six West 6 - redundant but true! AMC then took over the neighboring theater twin which had reverted to a name of Fox Westroads Theaters. That change took place officially on December 8, 1983 as the twin became the AMC Westroads 2. AMC then linked its AMC Six West 6 into a single 8-screen facility called the AMC Westroads 8. As a result, AMC retired both monikers of the AMC Westroads 2 and the AMC Show West 6 on February 16, 1984.
This venue then became the AMC Westroads 8 on February 17, 1984. In the mid-1990s, megaplexes were replacing aging multiplexes all over the country. AMC Westroads 8 was targeted for replacement as its lease neared terminus. And the replacement was not just an incremental upgrade; the 8-plex was replaced by a massive, 24-screen facility about five miles ways. The circuit closed AMC Westroads 8 permanently at the end of its 30-year leasing agreement on December 11, 1997. AMC then opened its AMC Oak View 24 the next day on December 12, 1997. The AMC Westroads 2 / Fox Westroads Theatres and the AMC Oak View have their own Cinema Treasures pages.
Six-West wasn’t a wonderful venue to see movies in- small theaters, and you could hear sounds from the movies playing next to you. Overpriced. But still, has a place in my teenage years, as I saw several movies there (Saturn 3, Prophecy, Cuba, among others) not to mention a midnight show here and there.
I grew up near 94th and Western Avenue, so the Westroads was where we hung out. When it opened, Westroads was billed as the eighth largest shopping center in the world. There was even a grocery store!
The Fox Twin was located outside, next to JCPenney’s. That site is now covered by Dick’s Sporting Goods. It was where I saw the first Midnight premiere screening, Batman. The theater exited around the corner, on the east, to the parking lot north of the JCPenney’s entrance.
To the west was the mall entrance, which was a long hallway with the “Boston Mall” address seen above. Since both sides of that hallway were taken by movie houses and a department store, there wasn’t much to see, aside from movie posters for the Six West theaters.
Directly north of the Six West was a small add-on store, which housed a magic store, and later a t-shirt store.
Everyone exited to the fire exits behind the screens, which shared common hallways. One exit was to the mall, next to the Waldenbooks store if memory serves.
The Six West hosted midnight screenings of “Rocky Horror”, which did not have costumed performers, just people throwing stuff at the screen.
Six West also had a movie newsletter pamphlet.
A few summers, having eight screens to choose from, I would spend entire Fridays seeing multiple blockbusters, interspersed with lunch and playing video games at either JCPenney’s or Montgomery Wards (there was an arcade, but that cost money).
Found some more info on the Sixwest Theater.
Six West 6 AKA: Westroads10200 W Dodge Rd in the Westroads Shopping Center. January 22nd, 1969-? 1985This is the first multiplex cinema (5 ormore screens) to be built in the world. Itwas built by American Royal Cinema(became American Multi-Cinema later in1969) and had 1,590 seats and costs$550,000. The Fox was also in the samemall,
Found this info in a 1970 Phone book. Sixwest Theater 245 Boston mall.
There was another theatre in this mall as well. National General built the Fox Westroads on the outside of the mall first, however someone in Los Angeles did not sign an exclusive contract for the Westroads Mall. The Fox was a single screen with AMC having 6 inside. Mann would later twin the Fox and when Dickinson bought out Mann’s interests in the Midwest they either closed the Fox or sold it to AMC. Today neither exist, Rave built a multiplex directly across the street from Westroads, and AMC has a megaplex in another part of Omaha.
Joe, you are slightly off, It opened on January 22nd, 1969. I have uploaded the grand opening ads, photo and an floor plan of the cinema. It had six bowling alley cinemas.
The Six West Theatres opened to on January 15, 1969, according to the announcement in the January 27 issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The new multiplex was featured in an article in Boxoffice’s issue of April 21, 1969. The total seating capacity of the house was given as 1,590, with the individual units seating 279, 272, 319, 218, 229, and 210 (which adds up to 1,527, so somebody probably made a typo somewhere.)
The world’s first six-screen theater, the Six West was designed by the Kansas City architectural firm Chris Ramos Associates.