Cortez Plaza Twin I & II
701 Cortez Road W,
Bradenton,
FL
34205
701 Cortez Road W,
Bradenton,
FL
34205
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cobb Theatres, Floyd Theaters, Jerry Lewis Cinemas, Plitt Theatres
Functions: Retail
Previous Names: Jerry Lewis Cortez Plaza Twin Cinema
Nearby Theaters
The Jerry Lewis Plaza Twin Cinema was located at the far end of the old Woolco (later Wal-Mart) shopping center on Cortez Road across from DeSoto Square Mall. It was opened by Jerry Lewis Cinemas on December 23, 1971. On March 17, 1973 it taken over by Suncoast Cinemas Inc. and was renamed Cortz Plaza Twin I & II. I went on my first "date" (age seven) there to see "Pete’s Dragon" in 1977. By the late-1980’s/early-1990’s it was showing second run movies and closed on June 30, 1993. It was reopened and finally closed on April 17, 1997. The building was left vacant. was left vacant and is now in retail use.
Contributed by
Tim Fankell
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Tim,“Pete’s Dragon” was a Disney Christmas release in 1977.
Cinematour shows the address as 4425 14th St W
PLEASE ADD ADDREESS:
4425 14TH STREET WEST
AKA
JERRY LEWIS CINEMA
Open 1971-1997?
Owners:
1973-1978 Suncoast Cinemas?
1978-1980 Cobb?
1980-1988 Plitt Theaters?
1990 Floyd Theaters of Haines City, Fla.? In 1967 Carl Floyd was President and had 40 theaters all in Florida.
Anyone have more info or photos?
The address Cinematour gives is not accurate. That address is indeed for PetSmart, but that’s not where the theater used to be. PetSmart is in the Cortez Plaza, an entirely different shopping center. The correct address for the Cortez Twin is 3633 Cortez Rd.
That right, In the Cortez Plaza EAST. It opened as Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema on Christmas day, 1971 and renamed in 1973 when the Jerry Lewis franchise fell apart.
An article in the April 12, 1997 edition of the Bradenton Herald reported that the final night of business would be the 17th. The article cited the address as 701 Cortez Rd. The final filmes were Star Wars and Fargo.
The Cortez Plaza was built in 1958 as a mall for Eastern Shopping Centers of Yonkers, New York and designed by architect Edward Dean Wyke. It was one of many suburban mall/centers being developed by Eastern all across Southern Florida. The Cortez Plaza would serve as an anchor spot for Belk-Lindsey Stores. Featuring Kresge’s and Grand Union Grocers, it opened theatre-less on February 16, 1959.
In 1968, a major expansion took place which would eventually bring a cinema to the location. A franchisee of Network Cinemas' Jerry Lewis Circuit built here. The Jerry Lewis Cortez Plaza Twin Cinema launched on December 23, 1971 with “Peter Rabbit” and “Tales of Beatrix Potter” on Screen 1 and “An Elephant Called Slowly” and “Darling Lili” on Screen 2 next to Woolworth’s big box Woolco store.
The Plaza’s expansion led the Woolco/Lewis Cinema to be part of Cortez Plaza “East”. The Lewis chain beat Woolco to dissolution with Lewis leaving the chain in 1972 and Network Cinemas disconnecting the phones in bankruptcy in 1973. So franchisee Suncoast Cinemas Inc. rebranded the venue here as the Cortez Plaza Twin I & II on March 17, 1973.
Florida West Amusements took on the venue. It was sued by Warner Brothers over a $25,000 clearance to play “Barry Lyndon” in 1975. Florida West sold it to Cobb Theatres on July 15, 1976. As for the Cortez Plaza, Woolco went bankrupt in early 1983 with Wal-Mart moving in. Retaining the Cortez Plaza East namesake, formally, it was marketed as the Wal-Mart Plaza. As further expansions were taking place - though I’m no expert - it appears that there weren’t enough addresses doled out to the center so the 3633 Cortez Road was placed in its proper locale and a new set of numbers created within the Plaza. The theater, for example, was now listed at 701 Cortez Road West which it remains to this day (and looking unchanged externally into the mid 2020s).
In the meantime, Plitt Theatres took on the cinema venue followed by Floyd Theatres. Wal-Mart bolted for newer Supercenter with self-standing digs while Carmike Cinemas took over the Cinema for its final stretch on March 17, 1995. Carmike started up with deep discount, 99-cent double-features. Not a ringing endorsement but - in the age of megaplexes - not surprising. Carmike dropped back to just single-title discount sub-runs before closing permanently on April 17, 1997 with “Star Wars” and “Fargo.” In 2023, the vacant storefront still had its box office that looked to be the same as the 1971 cinema. The storefront became a kids trampolining activity center after a major re-design.