Gaston Mall Theatre
401 Cox Road,
Gastonia,
NC
28054
401 Cox Road,
Gastonia,
NC
28054
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It was also known as the PLITT AT GASTON MALL under Plitt Southern Theatres.
Eddie Murphy’s “BEVERLY HILLS COP” played here to huge crowds upon its December 5,1984 opening.
By the 1987 it was twinned under Cineplex Odeon which closed it in 1991.
January 16th, 1971 announcement uploaded in the photo section for this cinema.
CORRECTION:
The Gaston Mall Theatre was closed under Cineplex Odeon/Plitt Theatres in 1991. This theatre was never under Carmike Cinemas. The Gaston Mall closed way before Carmike was about to take over!
not a carmike.. cancer….
The Gaston Mall Theatre was a nice showplace of great entertainment when ABC and Plitt had it(beautiful design inside and out,a huge 620 seat auditorium with a astounding 180 degree Ultravision screen)…..It was butchered by Cineplex Odeon during the late-1980’s when they twinned it.
Basically all of the James Bond-007 films played at the Gaston Mall Theatre first-run beginning with showings of back to back Sean Connery 007 double features like “Dr. No”, “From Russia With Love”, to “Goldfinger”, “Thunderball”,and “You Only Live Twice” during there re-releases.
The Bond films did big business at Gaston Mall where they’re got first-run showings to capacity crowds from Sean Connery in “Diamonds Are Forever” to all the 007 movies starring Roger Moore all the way to Timothy Dalton as 007 in “License to Kill”…….
“License to Kill” was the last Bond movie to play at the Gaston Mall Theatre.
IN FACT…This theatre got a lot of the United Artists product ranging from the James Bond-007 films to other UA features like “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot”, “The Taking of Pelham 123”, “Electric Glide In Blue”, “The Return of the Pink Panther”, “Rocky”, among others.
THEATRE HISTORY:
1971-1978 ABC Southeastern Theatres/Wilby-Kincey
1978-1986 Plitt Southern Theatres
1986-1991 Cineplex Odeon Corporation.[closed in 1991]
THE GASTON MALL ULTRAVISION THEATRE had its grand opening on January 22,1971 with the premiere attraction of WALT DISNEY’S THE WILD COUNTRY in COLOR Starring Steve Forrest and Vera Miles…..Rated G….
THE COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR THE GASTON MALL THEATRE….
Walt Disney’s classic Masterpiece “BAMBI”
“THE OUTDOORSMAN”-The Adventure Begins in ULTRAVISION
“COUGAR COUNTRY”-Breathtaking for the whole family!!!
Susan Sarandon and Peter Boyle in “JOE”
“THUNDERBALL” and “YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE”-007 Double!!!
Richard Harris in “A MAN CALLED HORSE”
I should correct a previous comment I made. I work as an usher at the Gaston Mall Theatre in early 1971. I was there for Bambi, Cougar Country, Joe and a few more. Just worked there a couple of months.
I have found the original ads from the Gastonia Gazette from January 22,1971 for the Gaston Mall Theatre’s official grand opening…If anyone needs to see the ads…I can be contacted at
We have put together a REMEMBERING PLITT THEATRE page on FACEBOOK if you ever worked at Plitt theatres.
Thanks Nick. wish it would have been a friday ad and not a weekday ad.
Problem with link above…this should work:
View link
Newspaper ad for “The Spy Who Loved Me” designed by Mike Rogers:
View link
Late Show by John Mackey,Big promotion with Flyers handed out all over Gastonia. “DEATH WISH” returns for a weekend Late show starting at 11:30 pm. Another big promotion with flyers{i have two} was the DOUBLE FEATURE “ELVIS THAT’S THE WAY IT IS” and “ELVIS ON TOUR” The shows ran close to three hours and Mackey said it was one of his highest grossing Late Shows.
Yeah,please do on the Diane 29. I have visited Kings mtn,but never caught a film there.Beautiful Drive-in with the Mountains behind the screen. Took a few pictures of Kings Mtn. Visited the old DIANE 29 site years ago, a shopping center was in part of the old Drive-in,but part of the booth/snack bar was still standing.
Didn’t even know the Belmont drive-in was still open. I thought the only still going in this area was the Kings Mtn-Bessemer City drive-in. I’ve really never heard of the story about the Diane 29 family being murdered but I’m gonna check it out.
He was a union Projectionist and like i wrote above worked on “LAST AMERICAN HERO” filmed in that area and made moonshine on the side. I was told the owner of the Diane 29 came home and found his family murdered and the next day closed the drive-in which I am told was named after a daughter. Is the BELMONT DRIVE-in going to open this summer< Iheard the lady that owned it,and I met her several times in the past when we would visit CAROWINDS and John Mackey,had died.She was a nice lady,even though I thought they should put some money in the place to fix the snack bar and restrooms.
By the way, the name Richard Hamilton sounds familiar but I can’t remember the guy in the booth at the old Gaston mall theater.
Mike, it did become a carpet outlet before they tore it down. I’ve never heard of the murder you talk about at the old Diane 29, North and South as we called them back then. However, there was a very gruesome murder not far from there in 1973 I think. The old Lincoln Academy is there at Crowders Mountain which the drive in sat next to. The girl’s name was Kathleen Smiley and I’m thinking she was from Atlanta. Very young, maybe late teens.
Yeah, John it was a great theatre.wehad nothing like it in Augusta.If you are from Gastonia go to the U.S. 29 DIANE Drive -in in Gastonia. I heard a horrible murder took place there and i have been trying to confirm it.It is one of those Theatre stories I heard years ago. Was Richard Hamilton Showing movies there when you worked there he certainly was wild guy in the booth. I think John Mackey told me the theatre became a carpet outlet.
Not really a theater buff but I worked as an usher at the Gaston Mall Theater in 1970. I think that was the first year it and the mall were open. I was 15 and worked there for 4 months. The first movie I worked was Bambi…how the heck do I remember that! The manager at that time was Leroy Russell. He was later elected sheriff of Gaston County and served in that office for many years. This theater is gone now as the mall is being renovated and actually turned into a strip mall. I’m sure that my time there was before John Mackey. Your mention of it just took me back in time for a minute.
I know most of the UA product played there.I don’t think it was open when Connery played Bond under the UA banner. I know in fact “A SPY WHO LOVED ME” played there cause John Mackey,Mgr,let me do a newspaper ad on that movie that i have even today.
Did the Gaston Mall Cinema played all United Artists features including all of the James Bond films with both Sean Connery and Roger Moore? I know some Woody Allen films made during the 1970’s released under United Artists also have played here as well as some films of various interest like family films including Disney flicks.
YEAH, I wasn’t sure on how to spell it and even tried to look it up.
wonder what happened to that old RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE trailer? Thing we did we did in the BUSINESS.