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Openings
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March 26, 2009
The show’s over at Ceres' drive-in movie theater
CERES, CA — After a year in limbo, it finally looks like the Ceres Drive-In won’t be opening again.
The era of the drive-in theater is over, and it’s not coming back. At least not to Ceres.
Owners of the Ceres Theatre & Flea Market — the region’s last drive-in — have confirmed that the show will not go on.
They’ve put the property up for sale, asking $2.5 million for the 14-acre “industrial” site.
Read the full story at the Merced Sun-Star.
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March 10, 2009
Couple brings classic theater downtown
GREENVILLE, AL — Two local residents are starting up a unique alternative to the local multiplexes, West End Movies.
Richard and Julia Fowler, owners of Solutience, an information technology and systems integration provider, will open West End Movies at 640 South Main St. this month.
West End Movies will screen classic movies, cartoons, documentaries, and old newsreels at its location near Falls Park.
The goal is to offer “another attraction for people visiting Greenville’s beautiful downtown,” Richard Fowler said.
Read more at Greenville Online.
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March 9, 2009
Imlay City’s Cinema III reopens as Imlay City Cinemas
IMLAY CITY, MI — The Cinema III, first opened in 1980 and closed in 2007 has reopened under new ownership as the Imlay City Cinemas. The new owner, Remo Querciagrossa, noticed the for sale sign while motorcycle riding. After buying the cinema, he replaced the roof, repainted the interior and upgraded the projection and sound equipment.
Further info from the Flint Journal.
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March 6, 2009
It’s curtains for Fremont’s last mainstream theater
FREMONT, CA — The Cinedome 8 is set to close and leave Fremont with no mainstream theater.
It was never the fanciest theater, but when it came to the latest Hollywood flicks, the Cinedome 8 was all Fremont had.
Now, after more than 30 years, it is about to exit the stage, employees said.
The Cinedome 8 is scheduled to shut its doors for good Sunday, leaving the city with more than 210,000 residents but no first-run movie theater, said employees at the theater and its sister theater, the Cinedome 7 in Newark.
Read the full story at the Argus.
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February 26, 2009
Friends of Fox to host Pomona Fox re-opening
POMONA, CA — The towering icon of Downtown Pomona’s Fox Theater will illuminate the night sky once again, as Friends of the Pomona Fox, a non-profit organization, will present “Fox First Night!", a fundraiser to be one of the first events held in the theater since its redevelopment and revival into the 21st century. The dinner event will be held Saturday, April 18th, 2009, with an opening reception to kick-off the evening at 6:00PM.
The Pomona Fox Theater has stood for over 70 years in Pomona, and served as the top choice for Hollywood’s sneak preview screenings in the early 1930’s as well as a frequent remote radio talk show location for Bob Hope, Desi Arnaz and other celebrities. The current restoration allows for great entertainment and event possibilities, in which “Fox First Night!" anticipates to showcase in the event, amongst activities celebrating its restored grandeur.
Since its glory days, the Fox has suffered damage to significant historical architectural and structural elements. The wear of time, the havoc of dance raves, and its needs to meet modern occupational standards, has all contributed to the compromise of the theater’s original features, such as the concession counter built in 1938, row seating, chandeliers, fixtures, and classic murals. This is where Friends of the Pomona Fox is requesting the help of the community in the preservation and restoration of the authentic character of the Fox Theater. Its rich history applies not only to its immediate surrounding of the Pomona Valley, but also to the beginnings of the film industry in Hollywood.
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February 24, 2009
Cinema closure brings sadness
HAMPTON, NH — Another local theater closes as Hampton residents lose the almost thirty year old Hampton Cinema Six.
Marian Lamie never thought she’d see the day come when the screens at Hampton Cinema Six went dark.
The 73-year-old lifelong Hampton woman has worked at the local theater for the last 17 years, but yesterday, the place where locals have come to catch their favorite flicks since 1980 closed its doors for good.
As she bagged popcorn, Lamie expressed sadness over the loss of the theater and the job she loved.
Read more at MSNBC.
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February 18, 2009
Capistrano moving toward reopening movie house
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Finally, movies may be coming back to a downtown theatre thanks to Regency.
After a decade of darkness, it may be show time once again at Capistrano’s downtown movie theater.
The owners of Franciscan Plaza, which evicted the previous theater operator in 2008 after years of missed promises to reopen the movie house, are nearing a deal with Regency Theatres. Family-owned Regency operates theaters throughout Southern California, along with screens in Las Vegas and Denver.
Read more at the Capistrano Disptach.
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Oakland’s restored Fox Theater “worth the trip”
OAKLAND, CA — Another positive account of the reopening of the Fox Theatre.
But if I’m part of Oakland’s problem and have played my own small role in holding back a long overdue urban renaissance in Downtown Oakland, I’m ready to make amends. Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Grand Opening of the Fox Oakland Theater, and I gotta say, I was blown away. If Oakland too frequently comes up short in head-to-head comparisons with San Francisco, its time to recognize a fundamental fact: Somehow, a profound attack of cultural amnesia allowed San Francisco’s magnificent 1929 Fox Theatre to be demolished just months after its closure in 1963. The Fox Oakland could easily have met the same fate, but Oaklanders never completely gave up on their Fox Theater, which opened the year before the San Francisco Fox and closed thee years after the closure of its sibling across the bay.
Read more at PreservationNation.
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February 13, 2009
Oakland revitalized with reopening of Fox
OAKLAND, CA — The newly reopened Fox Theatre is having a profound impact on the neighboring community.
Even with a down economy, there are signs that the theater could pump life back into the neighborhood. Months before it opened, the theater had sold out nearly all of its performances through April. Acts include B.B. King, Cake and the Moody Blues.
“We’re looking very seriously at moving into Uptown; we do have some reservations because of crime,” said Kamil Kolacek, a data analyst who works at Kaiser Permanente downtown and who wants to cut his 90-minute commute from San Jose.
Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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January 19, 2009
Montreal: Ex Centris to stop showing movies
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA — Locals are concerned over the new agenda of one of Montreal’s best cinemas.
Montreal’s Ex-Centris new media complex will stop showing films on March 20. (CBC) Film buffs in Montreal are hoping the owner of the city’s premier art house cinema, Ex-Centris, will reconsider his decision to stop showing movies as of this spring.
Ex-Centris owner, new-media guru Daniel Langlois, plans to stop showing films on March 20 in order to take the establishment in a new, experimental direction.
Read the full story in CBC News.