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The latest movie theater news and updates
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June 23, 2005
Raymond Theatre Update
PASADENA, CA — The following email was sent by the Friends of the Raymond Theatre:
“Dear Friends of the Raymond Theatre:
We kindly ask all our supporters to take a second to read this e-mail. A rumor has been going around that we have lost our battle to save the Raymond Theatre. To make sure our supporters are clear on the issues…
The Raymond Theatre has NOT been lost.
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Kerrville, Texas Getting New Theaters
KERRVILLE, TX — It was recently announced that Rio Entertainment, which already leases the Plaza 6 theater here, has started construction on a new state of the art 10 screen cinema with all stadium seating and digital sound. The target is December 2005 with a Christmas opening date.
Word is that the Plaza 6 would remain open once the new location opens and instead of showing first run films the Plaza, it would then run art films instead.
Texas Cinemas, out of San Marcos, Texas, which has two theaters there (The Showplace 3 and Starplex 12) also said they would begin construction on a new 12 screen theater to be called GateWay 12 with all staduim seating and digital sound. It will be located at the corner of Ih10 & Sidneybaker in a new shopping center project.
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Niagara Falls' Cinema 180 Advanture Dome Closed
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO, CANADA — The Cinema 180 Adventure Dome closed its doors forever on May 1, 2005 to make way for a new attraction called The Lego Bricks Adventure. Inside the classic movie dome you will find a 10,000 square feet Lego Land. This cinema was the very last of the Cinerama theatres in Canada. It will be missed by everyone who visited Niagara Falls, Ontario.
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June 22, 2005
Midnight Movies - Then And Now
Recently, a New York Times article,), focusing in part on the IFC Center and Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema, took a look at the cult of midnight movies and the way the cult has both evolved and remained true to its roots over the years.
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June 21, 2005
AMC, Loews Cineplex To Merge!
According to this story from Yahoo News, the long-discussed merger between AMC Theatres and Loews Cineplex is about to become official.
What this means in terms of theatre divestment or zones with competing AMC and Loews properties (the AMC Empire 25 and Loews 42nd Street E-Walk in Times Square and the 600 N. Michigan, Esquire, and AMC River East 21 sites in Chicago, among other examples) remains to be seen.
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Alameda Planning Board Votes To Keep Central Cinema
ALAMEDA, CA —– In a unaminous vote at its June 13 meeting, the Alameda Planning Board granted the Central Cinema a use permit, eliminating the possiblity for closure for the popular yet controversial boutique theater, to the applause of the vast majority of those attending.
There were several conditions for approval made, such as a minimum 15-minute increment between movies before 6 p.m. and a minimum 20-minute increment between movies after 6 p.m.; the cinema will also be required to offer a bike rack. The cinema’s compliance with various requirements will be reviewed in a year.
At the same meeting, the board also unanimously recommended approval of a related item: a zoning text amendment that will allow boutique theaters (theaters with audiences of 49 persons or less for live performances or for the screening of motion pictures where there is only one screen) to operate in a C-1 zoning district (neighborhood business district), and discussed a controversial plan to attatch a multiplex to the historic Alameda Theatre in hopes of revitalizing the long-closed landmark (which is not being further plexed in the project).
For a detailed story by Dmitry Kiper, read this.
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June 20, 2005
English Cinemas
I invite everyone to visit my new website and contact me for a chat about cinemas in detail at:
http://picturepalacespastandpresent.co.uk
I am an ex-Chief Projectionist (Retired). Please swop a few “Tales from The Box” with me…
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June 17, 2005
Rialto Theater Update
ARANSAS PASS, TX — The Rialto Fine Arts Center is now operating in this old movie theater from 1937. A fine arts gallery is housed in what was the ticket and concession areas and a new exhibit gallery and six artist studios are under construction in part of the old auditorium and will be complete by July, 2005.
The Rialto Actors Theatre, a new community theatre group, will occupy the remaining auditorium space with 95 seats. This lively group, led by Artistic Director Trisha Sugarek, is busy designing the new stage and construction will start next week. Their first season opens with “Artichoke” on September 30, 2005.
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Ritz Cinema Demolished
WIGAN, ENGLAND — The Ritz Cinema, opened in 1938 and built in the Art Deco style of the period is being demolished. After a new multiplex opened it finally closed on 31 May 1998. As I only moved to the area recently, I never went there but many local people have fond memories of it. The cinema is currently being demolished in the town centre, today atop a hill, I could see the yellow curtains still hanging around the giant main screen.
Visit this site for a whole gallery of photographs taken inside the building last year. They even left the pepsi cans in the fridge!!! I think this is extremely sad.
The cinema is being demolished to build yet another shopping centre.
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June 16, 2005
McHenry Outdoor Theatre Going Dark?
McHENRY, IL — The McHenry Outdoor Theatre, which has been entertaining McHenry County residents since 1955, and is one of only three operating drive-ins in Chicagoland, may be having its last season this year, according to the Chicago Tribune. The still very popular theater located between the village of Lakemoor and the city of McHenry is surrounded by ever-encroaching development, and for a couple years now, there has been the rumor of the McHenry Outdoor’s demise.
The theater’s manager, Danielle Munnich, does acknowledge that the owner of the McHenry, Tom Rhyan, doesn’t have a buyer but is in fact considering selling the property. “So far no one has made the right offer.” says Munnich. Just last week, Gary Castaldo, a DJ on STAR-105 FM, made news by having himself chained to a tree on the drive-in property to raise awareness of the drive-in’s potential closure, saying he’d remain there until he got 5,000 signatures on his petition to save the theater (which he did in six hours).