Singing River Cinema 4
2300 Highway 90,
Gautier,
MS
39553
2300 Highway 90,
Gautier,
MS
39553
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cineplex Odeon, Gulf States Theatres, Plitt Theatres, United Artists Theater Circuit Inc., Village Theatres
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This 4-screen theatre was located outside Singing River Mall in a stand alone building in the back of the mall. It was opened by Plitt Theatres on October 30, 1980. In November 1985 it was taken over by Cineplex Odeon and on June 28, 1986 Gulf States Theatres took over. It was the first of the two theatres operated at the mall by United Artists. Regal took over in 1999. In 2005 it suffered damage from Hurricane Katrina and was never reopened.
For a time the Singing River Cinema 4 was used for employee training for oil spill clean-up crews for the BP Oil Spill in 2010. It was demolished in summer of 2014 together with the rest of the mall and its Singing River Cinema 5-9 located inside the mall.
Contributed by
Scott Levy
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The theatre opened in 1981 by Plitt Theatres. It was a four screen theatre that was in the back of the mall on the ring road. In 1985 Gulf States Theatres purchased several theatres from then owner Cineplex-Odean including this one. In November of 1986 GST was sold to United Artists. UA then added another five screen in the mall and had two operations. UA allowed both theatres to get very run down and this 4 plex had so many roof leaks that it was unsafe. Regal Theatres which merged with UA in 1999 and then allowed the leases of both theatres to lapse in 2004 and this one has sat empty since. It needs to be buldozed if it hasn’t already.
Thanks Allen.
The 5-9 would be the theatre inside the mall, which to my understanding is still operating. The 1-4 would be the building referred to above.
The $18 million Singing River Mall was announced in 1976. In 1978, McRae’s signed on as the first anchor store and the venue opened March 5, 1980 then with J.C. Penney’s and Wilson’s ready to go. And though there was no theatre at its launch, Dallas-based Plitt Southern had signed on to build a four-plex with a late summer launch.
Plitt launched the Cinema IV Theatres next to Penney’s with a special showing of “Hopscotch” at a preview event on Oct. 30, 1980. How late 1970s was the color palette? Blue and ivory vinyl wall coverings in burlap patterning were matched by blue foam-padded chairs in the auditorium. Century Projectors with xenon lamps were in the booth. The opening was the next day, Halloween, with “Ordinary People,” “Borderline,” “Loving Couples” and “Hopscotch.” The theatre had its own entry on the Mall’s backside allowing for after mall hours showtimes and easier parking.
Cineplex Odeon took on Plitt Southern in May of 1985 effective November of that year. Gulf States acquired the venue on June 28, 1986 changing it to the Gulf States Singing River 4 Cinemas. United Artists then acquired Gulf States with the venue becoming the UA Gulf States Singing River 4 Theatres. They renamed the venue as the UA Singing River 4 Theatres dropping Gulf State.
Announced in 1987, UA then opened a second theater in the Mall known as the UA Singing River 5-9 Theatres on November 4, 1988. UA continuing to operate its exterior quadplex which was renamed from the UA Singing River 4 Theatres to the UA Singing River 1-4 Theatres (and its final name).
Regal Theatres and UA merged in 1999. The Singing River’s 25-year lease expiry was coming up in the 2000s and UA began to close gaining twins, quads and five-plexes in the megaplex era. Regal / UA moved on from both the 1-4 and 5-9 on April 30, 2003. The five-screen continued under three different independent - closing for a short period due to damage from Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005 - until the Mall’s closure in 2013. The entire Singing River’s swan song was its 2014 demolition.