AMC Orleans 8
2247 Bleigh Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19152
2247 Bleigh Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19152
10 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Budco Inc., William Goldman Theaters Inc.
Previous Names: Orleans Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Feb 27, 2008 — They demolished the Orleans 8!
- Jan 17, 2008 — Orleans 8 farewell
- Sep 7, 2007 — TV news story on AMC Orleans closure & nearby Philadelphia cinemas
The Orleans Theatre was opened as a 2,000-seat, single screen theatre on May 15, 1963 with Jack Lemmon in “The Days of Wine and Roses”. It was operated by local movie operator William Goldman.
Budco acquired Goldman Theatres in 1972, and they twinned the Orleans Theatre on May 24, 1972. Two smaller screens were added to the original building on July 22, 1977, and four screens were added in the back of a Pathmark Supermarket in December 1983.
AMC Theatres acquired the Budco theater chain in 1986. It was closed on Labor Day, 2007 and was demolished.
Contributed by
Michael R. Rambo Jr.
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Recent comments (view all 156 comments)
The Orleans was a prefabbed monstrosity. The Fox (2,423 seats), Stanley (2,916 seats), Boyd (2,450 seats), Oxford, 1,964 seats), Erlanger (1,890 seats), Uptown (2,040 seats) are only a few of Philadelphia’s grand movie palaces of the past. Comparing the Orleans is contemptible! Any quality Orleans might have possessed was destroyed when Budco split it in two. And adding four screens to the back of a grocery store never seemed to fit. There are great memories associated with the Orleans but certainly not for the building itself. Rest in peace you pile of rubble.
Tiny grand opening ad in the photo section as well as from its source at http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2023/Philadelphia%20PA%20Inquirer/Philadelphia%20PA%20Inquirer%201963/Philadelphia%20PA%20Inquirer%201963%20-%208807.pdf
rivest266 is Mike Rivest from Montreal, Canada who has created his own website of theaters in the United States and Canada which is available on a down loadable spreadsheet at movie-theatre.org. He has amassed some very interesting material on US theaters figuring he lives in a different country.
The Cottman-Bustleton Center is on Cottman Avenue (2139), not Bleigh Avenue!
I remember Mom dropping us kids off for an afternoon at the movies. We each got one dollar. It was 50 cents to get in, and then we had 50 cents to spend on a candy and a drink. Those were the days!
2 screens on May 24th, 1972, 4 on July 22nd, 1977 and eight on December 1983.
A few weeks from now will be 10 years since the orleans closed (Labor Day 2007).
This was 1 of 2 theatres in the Philadelphia area that opened “The Godfather Part II” on Christmas Day 1974, the other being General Cinema’s Cinema Cherry Hill I & II. Don’t know which Center City theatre had this film.
It played the Budco Regency downtown.
Opened on May 15, 1963 with Jack Lemmon in “Day Of Wine And Roses” as a 2,000-seat single-screener.