Southfield City 12
23275 Greenfield Road,
Southfield,
MI
48075
23275 Greenfield Road,
Southfield,
MI
48075
3 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres
Architects: Louis Wiltse
Firms: Samson Associates
Previous Names: Americana Theatre, Americana 1 2 3, Americana I, II, III, IV
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News About This Theater
- May 23, 2012 — Celebrating the Original STAR WARS on its 35th Anniversary
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 21, 2010 — Happy 30th, "Empire"
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
- Aug 21, 2009 — "Alien" 30th Anniversary
- May 25, 2007 — Happy 30th, Star Wars!
The Americana Theatre opened June 18, 1967, for Nicholas George, designed by Samson Associates, and seating around 1,750 in its ultra-modern auditorium. Its vast screen, 30' by 60' was one of the largest ever seen in Michigan before the era of Imax theaters. The Americana Theatre’s opening-night film was Otto Preminger’s “Hurry Sundown”.
The Americana Theatre quickly became known as a roadshow house, with 70mm projection equipment, along with the nearby Northland Theatre, though the Northland Theatre originally ended up screening superior films than the Americana Theatre in those first few years. Early roadshows included “Finian’s Rainbow” (1968), “Song of Norway” (1970) and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” (1970).
Two additional auditoriums, each seating 760, were added on in early-1972, and designed by noted theater architect Louis Wiltse. Later the same year, a fourth, similarly sized auditorium was added by Wiltse, and the theatre became known as the Americana I, II, III, IV.
During the mid-1970-s to early-1980-s, the Americana I, II, III & IV was best known for its highly successful runs of blockbuster films like the original “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” trilogies, especially in its large main auditorium, which became one of the only ones in the area after the Northland Theatre was twinned in the mid-1970’s.
In 1986, Nicholas George sold the Americana to AMC Theatres, just months after three more screens were added. Within a couple years of AMC taking over the Americana, the number of screens had been increased to eight, but the original large auditorium had not been divided – yet.
When crime began to rise during the late-1980’s at the theatre, including a set of shootings, the chain took the unusual step of adding metal detectors.
AMC spent $2.5 million remodeling the Americana in 1990, which finally included the gutting of the original auditorium, and loss of its huge screen, carving the space into five more smallish screens. The theatre also lost its original name as well, becoming the AMC Southfield City 12 on August 3, 1990.
In 2001, AMC closed the aging multiplex down, unable to compete with the nearby even larger, flashier and cutting-edge Star Theatres Southfield 20. The former Americana was demolished not long after it was closed to make way for new development.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
The Americana was among the theatres included in the original limited-market launch of “Star Wars.” The Americana’s 5/25/77 opening-day gross, as reported in Daily Variety, was a house record $11,532.
The Southfield City was also near my house, and I remember my mom really not letting me go up there when I was a kid because of the metal detectors and wild behavior of the kids up there.
I remember seeing Tommy here too. Was the first movie they charged $4. The theater was so packed we had to sit in the 1st few rows.
I also worked as an usher at this theater in 1978-79. I started when “The Wiz” was playing. They often showed premieres of new movies with local celebrities attending. We literally rolled out the red carpet and the ushers wore white gloves. We had jackets with braids on the shoulder signifying our role (white for ticket takers/doormen and the coveted gold braid for head usher – which I was when I left)
Was a great job compared to dishwashing (my first job) and got to see every movie there for free for 2 yrs.
June 18th, 1967 grand opening ad in photo section
March 22nd, 1972 grand opening ad as Americana Complex in photo section.
August 3rd, 1990 grand opening ad as AMC Southfield 12 in photo section.
I saw Superman here back in 1978 I believe and also Star Wars I believe in 1977.
Fifty years ago today THE EXORCIST opened here. Americana was among only two-dozen cinemas in twenty-one North American markets to play the film at release launch.
Once known as AMC Americana 8.
Shortly before midnight on October 24, 1988, a massive brawl sparked near the box office when a group involving 10 people got into an argument with a group of three men from Detroit after watching “Halloween 4”. One man in his 20s pulled out a pistol and shot two of the three men. A 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen while a 27-year-old man was shot in the right ankle. The third man, also a 27-year-old man, broke his leg while scrambling from the gunfire.
On November 17, 1989, a 21-year-old Detroit man was shot in the chest inside one of the auditoriums after another man paraded up an aisle brandishing a gun during the opening weekend of Eddie Murphy’s “Harlem Nights” at approximately 9:55 PM ET. While everyone evacuated from the theater, a 22-year-old Detroit woman ran into traffic and was hit by a car, surviving the injury. Less than an hour after the shooting, a 24-year-old Detroit man shot at a police officer in the parking lot and was wounded when the officer returned fire. The 24-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital where he also faced charges of attempted murder and three weapon-related charges.