Plaza Twin Theatre

2905 Riverside Drive,
Danville, VA 24541

Unfavorite No one has favorited this theater yet

Showing 11 comments

rivest266
rivest266 on June 23, 2023 at 8:26 pm

Grand opening ad posted.

Trolleyguy
Trolleyguy on February 28, 2022 at 3:16 pm

Current function should be: Church

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on February 28, 2022 at 2:52 pm

The Plaza Cinema Theatre had a very strange start at first. Opening as a single-screener on Christmas Day 1970 with “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, the Cinecom operated Cinema Plaza Theatre was constructed by the Delco Development Company of New York and contains the following: a capacity of 599 seats, RCA sound system, and Xenon lamp projection. A red, gold, and black interior decor has been used, and the drapes were flameproof burlop fabric.

After just 11 MONTHS of operation as a Cinecom theater, the Plaza Cinema ceased operations and closed its doors for a few months beginning on November 30, 1971 with “Going Home”. Exactly a few months later, the Plaza Cinema Theatre reopened under new local management by Wayne Petty, reopening with “The Godfather” on May 24, 1972. Wayne Petty is a 12-year veteran at the theater business who formerly worked as the manager of the popular Capitol Theatre for three years, and also worked at the North, Riverside, Lea, and Schoolfield Theatres. He was assisted by Dallas Riggan, a former disc jockey at Martinsville, Virginia radio station (now defunct since January 28, 2019) 1450 AM WMVA.

William West would later take over operations of the Plaza. It remained as a single-screener throughout the rest of the 1970s, with the only twin theater in Danville being the ABC Southeastern operated Riverside I & II which operated as a twin since Christmas Day 1974. The Plaza would later twinned in 1979.

cc44
cc44 on December 30, 2013 at 7:05 am

raysson, why not list it if it is not listed already?

raysson
raysson on December 30, 2013 at 6:08 am

BY THE WAY….There was also a six screen cinema too that was located near Danville’s Piedmont Mall that is NOT listed on this site!!!

raysson
raysson on December 6, 2013 at 9:04 pm

It opened in 1979 as the PLAZA CINEMA 1 & 2 under Charlotte-based Stewart and Everett Theatres. Carmike Cinemas took over in 1986 until its closing in 2004.

THEATRE HISTORY:

1979-1986 Stewart and Everett Theatres, Inc.

1986-2004 Carmike Cinemas

raysson
raysson on May 18, 2012 at 6:48 pm

Wasn’t there another movie theater by the Danville-Piedmont Mall that was a six-screen multiplex that was not far from this theater just up the street from Riverside Drive.

Coate
Coate on May 17, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Rivest’s movie-theatre.org…ugh!

wsasser
wsasser on May 17, 2012 at 4:50 pm

Found the following on another movie theater site

Plaza 2905 Riverside Dr ? 1975-2004 2 cinemas in the early 1980’s. Owners: 1975 Cinecom Theatres Southern States, Inc. & Stewart & Everett Theatres, Inc. partnership 1980-1985 Stewart & Everett Theatres, Inc. 1985-2004 Carmike Cinemas

Coate
Coate on May 17, 2012 at 3:39 pm

When did this become a twin?