Westwood Cinema 6
362 Westwood Shopping Center,
Fayetteville,
NC
28314
362 Westwood Shopping Center,
Fayetteville,
NC
28314
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I was in a nostalgic mood this morning so I logged onto CinemaTreasures to once more revisit my forty years in the theatre business when I came across this page for Westwood Cinemas. Westwood will always have a special place in my heart for a childhood friend who I worked with for many years in the theatre business managed it the first dozen or so years it was open. On this website he went by “wantsomepopcorn” but his name was Robert (Bob) Johnson. Bob was extremely articulate, interesting and had a true passion for the movie theatre business. During my four decades I had the great pleasure of working with many outstanding theatre managers but with no hesitation I tell you Bob was one of the top three managers I ever knew so it is with great sorrow I post that Bob passed away in November 2021. Bob was the consummate showman and friend who I miss everyday.
I worked at this theater from 1987-89, was probably the best, happiest job ever. Sad to see it’s changed, but as wantssomepopcorn noted, nice to think back about some good people and a great industry. Wonder if this was my old boss?!
That should be “comments” not “cooments”
I believe wantsomepopcorn is correct about this theater not being demolished. I have compared aerial views of the Westwood 6 (1993) and the Carmike 12 (2012) and judging from those views the original Westwood 1-2-3 building is still standing and part of the Carmike 12. The aerial views (from Google Earth) seem to prove wantsomepopcorn’s remark that auditoriums 5 and 6 were removed and eight new auditoriums were added to the first four auditoriums. The cooments on this page therefore should be moved to the Carmike 12 Fayetteville page and that theater be given the AKAs Westwood Cinema 1-2-3, Westwood Cinema 4, and Westwood Cinema 6.
The only theatre that was under Martin Theatres that Carmike bought out was the Valley Twin Theatres off Sycamore Dairy Road that closed in 1990 as a discount movie house.
The Westwood 6,the King Triple,the Bragg,and the Carolina(Downtown),along with the Haymount were the only theatres in Fayetteville that were under Stewart and Everett.
The Bordeaux Cinemas and Eutaw Twin Theatres were owned and operated under Consolidated Theatres and later on were bought out by Carmike Cinemas. The former Cardinal Theatres at Fayetteville Mall were operated under ABC,Plitt,and later Cineplex Odeon before being taken over by Carmike Cinemas in the early-1990’s.
Cross Creek Mall and Cross Pointe were NEVER under Carmike. These two theatres were operated under General Cinema Corporation. Even though they did have strong competition from a huge 12-plex that Carmike Cinemas opened putting these two theatres under General Cinema out of business.
I was the opening manager of this theatre in September 1979 when it was a three screened facility. Stewart & Everett added three screens in the mid 1980’s. Carmike bought S&E and ran the theatre for a few years and then closed it temporarily to remodel it. They did remove screens #5 and 6 (the area now being the lobby) and added enough screens to make it a 12 plex. It was never demolished. Where my office once was is now a women’s restroom. Stewart & Everett did own the old Carolina in downtown Fayetteville. I took the projectors there to Westwood. S&E also owned the Bragg Theatre later known as the King on Bragg Blvd. and the Haymont, which is now the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. At one time, they also operated a drive in where Skibo Road intersects Ramsey Street and I believe that there is a dry cleaner there now.
I hope that this clears up some of the questions.
Looking at the aerial photo, it looks like it was expanded and renamed Carmike 12 in 1996.
I was the manager from when this theatre opened on 21 September, 1979, until I was promoted to District Manager in 1990. Lots of great memories here. I was there when we ran Star Trek and when we ran ET for 365 days. I built the theatre in Greenville that Nighthawk 1 mentions.
To address the demise of S&E, we were purchased by Carmike Cinemas (which was at one time Martin Theatres, based in Columbus, GA) and they paid top dollar for the company. They were nice people too.
When I was in Fayetteville, all of the theatre managers met once a week, usually on Tuesday, for lunch. Though our companies competed with each other, we all got along rather well and would help one another in a bind.
Browsing through this site takes me back to the most enjoyable days in my working life and seeing theatres I managed and remembering friends now long gone.
Let’s hear it for, as Norma would say, “All those wonderful people out there in the dark!”
Star Trek The Motion Picture ran here first run it’s opening weekend I know. My family and I stood in line for at least 3 hours and that line was long
Went here several times in the 1980’s as an alternative to the Cross Creek Mall or Eutaw cinemas. The last movie I saw at Westwood was the remake of THEY FLY (1986). The Westwood was nice in that it was connected to a small shopping center and there was a Big Boy restaurant in the parking lot. The theater was easy to get to from Fort Bragg as it was right off of the All American Highway.
Nighthawk1 is right:
S&E had two movie theatres in Fayetteville. The other was the Carolina Theatre Downtown Fayetteville on Hay Street that closed on October 19,1978, a year before this theatre opened. The Westwood Cinemas was the last venue in Fayetteville under Stewart and Everett before Carmike bought S&E out in 1986.
THEATRE HISTORY:
1979-1986 Stewart and Everett Corporation
1986-1995 Carmike Cinemas
Apostcardlife: Carmike demolished the old six-screen theater on the site probably late 1995 or early 1996. I’m not sure because I only spent two weeks in Fayetteville helping remodel the TJ Maxx store at Cross Pointe Center (next to GCC Cross Pointe 6 Cinemas). Also, I don’t recall Martin buying any of its theaters off of Stewart-Everett or if S&E had any theaters in Fayetteville other than the Carolina downtown; I recall that Martin and S&E tended to stay out of each other’s territories except possibly Winston-Salem.
I am confused how Carmike “acquired [Westwood] in the mid-1980s” from Martin Theatres (which Carmike actually bought from Fuqua Industries via a leveraged buyout in February 1982), the Westwood then reached its “demise” in the mid-1990s, and then was “taken over by Carmike” in 1996-? How did Carmike acquire it in 1982 and take it over in 1996? What does “demise” mean here? Did Carmike close it in the mid-1990s and then reopen it in 1996-? NighHawk1, if you were there for the ‘96 grand opening, I assume you might have some light you can shed on this, esp. if you happened to be there in the just-prior mid-1990s also—? For example, I know in Huntsville, AL, Carmike closed one of its theaters in the '90s only to reopen another theater not far from it just a few years later… Any knowledge/clarification here? Does anyone know how many seats per screen the theater had prior to its initial “demise”? I think that could potentially explain Carmike “letting” it close before reopening it…?
I was working for TJMaxx back in 1996 when they asked me to help with the remodeling of their store in Cross Pointe Center (my home store was Greenville, NC). The first week I went to Fayetteville was the same week that the Carmike 12 at Westwood had its grand opening. The night before they officially opened the 12-plex, Carmike had a 10-cent preview night featuring second-run films. (I had to work graveyard shift at TJ’s so I couldn’t go to the dime shows.) Two years later, Carmike repeated the idea when they opened their 12-plex quasi-stadium cinema in Greenville, NC (same name), except in Greenville Carmike charged a dollar for the preview night. The Fayetteville Carmike 12 was on the back side of Westwood Shopping Center, facing the All-American Freeway. I have corrected the Google photo so that the Carmike 12 is visible.
Hey Raysson,
Look under the website (http://movie-theatre.org).
The Carmike Cinemas 12 in Fayetteville did not close. However,it remains open under Carmike.
Do yourself a favor pal,and get your stats right before posting!!!!