Meadowbrook Cinema 6

dallasmovietheaters on June 14, 2026 at 1:01 pm

In the grand scheme of things, accuracy on these entries isn’t that important. But to start out with “The Meadowbrook Cinemas were built on the site of the 51 Drive-In which also included the Northside Shopping Center.” I’m not sure what that means but it is probably clearer than what happened.

So what actually transpired is that Jackson’s Northsiders received a lot of post-War retail shopping options. Further, developers used land buys to put up drive-ins as place holders in case the land value increased. That’s what happened here as the 51 Drive-In occupied this spot for 15 years opting out at the half-way point of a 30-year lease due to the land value increases. There may have been “The Northside Shopping Center” in Jackson but the 51 Drive-In was on the western side of the Northwood Shopping Center anchored by an Anthony’s Department Store. To the South of the Drive-In, the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center was created and opened across the street on March 14, 1954 anchored by a Black & White Store, a Kroger and a Ben Franklin.

The 51 Drive-In was purchased in 1964 and demolished in August of 1964 for Miller’s Mart Shopping Center to be anchored by a Miller’s Discount Store and a Sunflower grocery store #41. The center’s name didn’t hold long and renamed the Meadowbrook Shopping Center - which had to confuse folks with the Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center right across the street.

Miller Discount Stores' parent, Daylin Inc., announced a bankruptcy reorganization shutters all the Millers. In 1976, after Millers' fixture sale, a spot opened up for the Meadowbrook Theatre. And that’s how it ended up in the Meadowbook Shopping Center. Gulf State Theatres contracted with architect William J. Hughes, Jr. of Baton Rouge to use half of the Miller’s Discount Store anchor for the tight six screen venue. It had 1,372 seats. The large Audi #1 had 392 seats. Audi #2, #3, and #4 had 210 each. Audi #5 and #6 had 196 and 154, respectively.

On December 22, 1976, Gulf States Theatres opened the Meadwbrook 6 Cinemas playing six films as a fund raiser for Toys for Tots. In 1986, United Artists bought Gulf States Theatres and on June 26, 1987, this became the UA Meadowbrook 6. The Center ran into chop when Sunflower #41 ankled the store at its lease expiry in late summer of 1991. UA left the building on January 16, 1992 citing end of lease and increased crime rates in the area. The re-emerged Gulf State Theatres of New Orleans took the venue back on as a sub-run discount house on April 10, 1992 with six films and a tagline of, “Security provided by the Jackson Police Department.” Future ads listed showtimes with “Police Security!” as a tagline. Gulf States' sequel operation ended on August 23, 1993.

On September 3, 1993, Cobb Theatres picked up the six-plex continuing the dollar fifty run. Cobb ran here until June 6, 1996 closing with films including the rationale given for its closure, “Executive Decision.” The spot may have been subsumed by the Piggly Wiggly. And as a post-script, the Meadowbrook and Northwood shopping centers continued. But in 2022, the greyfield status Meadowbrook Mart Shopping Center across the street was razed to end any confusion between the two closely-named shopping centers.

Kenneth Johnson on August 29, 2013 at 10:19 am

Meadowbrook Cinema 6 closed in 2000 under the United Artists Theatres banner.