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Openings
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October 7, 2010
Baltimore’s Senator Theatre set to re-open Oct. 15
BALTIMORE, MD — The new management of the Senator has set a mid-October reopening. Some renovation work has begun; a public meeting to present further plans and garner input is also planned.
On Thursday, the Cusacks will unveil their latest plans to build a bar, a crepe shop and a small-plate restaurant in the north side of the building, and to construct a new, second auditorium on the south side of the building (while keeping the large theater intact).
They hope to complete the “global renovation” a year from now, and plan to celebrate a “grand reopening” in Fall 2011.
But starting Oct. 15, the Senator will be scheduling two matinees and two evening shows a day, roughly from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a $9 general admission price and $7.50 for all shows before 6 p.m.
There is more in the Baltimore Sun.
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Cinema Planet welcomes earthlings
JACKSON, TN — You can now beam down or drive over to the ten-screen Cinema Planet. Six of the screening rooms are designated as VIP, where food service is available. The facility features both a restaurant and a typical concession stand, digital projection, and 3D capability in some of the auditoriums.
His theater offer “a prime-time movie with a prime-time dinner …” he said. “You can save time since you don’t have to rush to eat someplace.”
Cinema Planet purchased the property in September 2008. The construction of the project was delayed when the economic downturn began. The wave of new development in the Pringles Park area led to the start of construction on the cinema, which began around November last year, Keshani said.
The story, with a picture, is in the Jackson Sun.
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October 1, 2010
Clearview shutters Soundview Cinemas
PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Clearview Cinemas has closed the six-screen Soundview Cinemas in the Soundview Marketplace. Clearview had been operating the theater since acquiring it in the late 1990’s.
“It’s disconcerting,” said Rina Smith, who grew up in Port Washington. “ I like the movie theater and it’s been here a long time. Something has to be done with the landlords in Port Washington. Rents are too high.”
Her husband Peter Smith will miss it, too.
“It is one of the cleanest movie theaters in the area,” he said. “This is one of the original great movie theaters.”
There is more in the Port Washington Patch.
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September 30, 2010
Former AMC Northwoods 8 becomes Northwoods Stadium Cinemas; five more screens coming
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC — Southeast Cinemas has given the former AMC Northwoods 8 a thorough gut-rehab and will be reopening it in late October as the Northwoods Stadium Cinemas. The company is also adding five additional screening rooms which are expected to open in early 2011.
Because of the expansion in the rear, removal of load-bearing walls and stripping the insides down to the concrete walls, Snodgrass said new engineering required the updated building to meet current fire codes and be handicapped-accessible, which added to the delay.
“It wasn’t simply coming in and slapping on a new coat of paint,” he said. “Nobody is going to recognize it when they walk inside.”
There is more in the Post and Courier.
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September 29, 2010
New art cinema opening in Coral Gables
CORAL GABLES, FL — Located in the Coral Gables arts district at 260 Aragon Avenue in a city-owned building, the new 144-seat Coral Gables Art Cinema is expected to open in mid-October. It will be operated by the non-profit Coral Gables Cinemateque, Inc. under the terms of a long-term lease.
The cinema is positioned to become an important destination for film lovers in Greater Miami and beyond with the most advanced technology of any stand-alone, nonprofit movie theater in the region, 144 stadium-configured seats, and a comfortable, intimate space in the heart of Coral Gables' cultural district.
Pictures and additional detail are in the Miami Herald.
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September 24, 2010
Frank Theatres and Entertainment Centers coming to Murrells Inlet, SC in 2011
MURRELLS INLET, SC — After extensive renovations, the Inlet Square 12 is reopening this Winter under Frank Theatres.
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September 23, 2010
Studio Movie Grill fails in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, MO – Open for less than half a year since its April opening, the Studio Movie Grill which originally was called the Majestic Theater, has closed. The closure is said to have resulted from its inability to compete for newly released films. The parent company’s operations in Texas and Georgia are apparently unaffected. The story is in Kansas City.com.
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September 16, 2010
Want some caviar with your popcorn? You can have it at the Prado Cinema Café
BONITA SPRINGS, FL — It took several months longer than originally anticipated but the Prado Cinema Café has opened in the space previously housing the Regal Stadium 12 which closed in 2009. It currently has nine screening rooms and new seating with tables between groups of seats that enables patrons to enjoy items purchased from the varied café menu which, in addition to the typical snack bar fare, includes pizza, sandwiches, beer and wine, and yes – champagne and caviar.
The full story is in the News-Press.
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September 15, 2010
Toronto International Film Festival opens its new theater complex September 12
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA — Film lovers here will be celebrating the opening of the Bell Lightbox, the sparkling new headquarters of the the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The complex includes five cinemas that have capacities ranging from 80 to 550 seats; one screening room will have 70mm capability. In addition, the film center will have areas for seminars, galleries, a reference library, and administrative offices, and, later, a rooftop space. The opening on September 12 is highlighted by an open house and a “Wizard of Oz”-themed street festival.
There is more in Variety and information about the opening events is here.
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September 13, 2010
Plaza Theatre Closes; Future Unknown
CARPINTERIA, CA – The Plaza Theatre, opened in the 1940s as the Del Mar Theatre, closed on Thursday, September 9, after nearly five years of operation by the Metropolitan Theater Corporation. The theater was, according to president David Corwin, who is quoted in the Santa Barbara Independent, “not viable as a stand-alone operation.” The list of operating single screen theaters in California continues to dwindle …