“SOUTH PACIFIC” was a Reserved Seat Exclusive Engagement Showing at Charlotte’s Carolina Theatre on June 25,1959. It was the only showing of the film in the Carolinas. Other cities in the Carolinas wouldn’t get the film until Christmas of 1959.
March 13,1974…Showing at the Village Plaza Theatres,aka Plaza 3…
William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST….No Passes Accepted-Rated “R”
WARNING: Due to the frank and graphic nature of this motion picture,the management of this theatre has recommended that No One Under 17 Years of age will not be admitted without parental consent. Identification for admission to this feature will be asked.
November 21,1982…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA
Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in “48 HOURS” Rated R
Special Matinee Showings Thanksgiving Day and Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday…No Passes Accepted
December 7,1984…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA
First-Run!!! Exclusive Area Engagement Showing!!!
Eddie Murphy in “BEVERLY HILLS COP”-Rated R
Sorry,No Passes or Special Discounts Accepted!!!
Special Late Show Friday and Saturday Night ONLY!!!
December 22,1977…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA
First Run!!! It’s Rudy Ray Moore star of DOLOMITE!!!!
And Smokey Robinson(YES! The Motown Legend In His First Feature Role),and they’re going to show how to get the man “BIG TIME” with music composed and arranged by Smokey Robinson available on Motown Records and Tapes….Rated PG-Parental Guidance Suggested
October 17,1976…NOW SHOWING at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA
Exclusive Engagement Showing….“CAR WASH”-Rated PG
Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday Night!!!
Sorry, There Will Be No Passes Accepted!!!
Carmike basically had total control of all indoor moviehouses in the Durham area. This was Carmike’s decision to closed The Northgate Twin in 1985,not to mention the closing of the The Yorktowne Theatre on Chapel Hill Blvd. in 1996,and the Ram Triple in Chapel Hill in 2000.
When the Center 4 closed in 2001 only three moviehouses under Carmike Cinemas remained opened…The Carmike Cinemas 7(off Avondale Drive which closed in 2004),and the Willowdaile Cinemas 8(off Guess Road in North Durham closed in June of 2005)
In 2001,the Wynnsong Cinemas in Durham REMAINS the only Carmike operated movie theatre between Durham and Chapel Hill. And to this day is still operational.
This information was also confirmed from WRAL-TV(which also was the 10PM News Broadcast on WRAZ-FOX 50),and also NBC-17 News(WNCN-TV),and ABC11 Eyewitness News(WTVD-TV and also from the 10PM Broadcast on WLFL CW-22),and other media outlets in the greater Triangle….As of the close of business on Saturday November 10,2012,the Galaxy Cinema will close its doors permanently after more than eight years of service to the Triangle. Formerly,the Imperial Cinemas and the Madstone Cinemas,this theatre opened in 1977 and after more than 35 years it will be demolished and will be replaced by a Harris Teeter grocery store(which is moving from its former Cary Towne Center location). The Galaxy’s owners may attempt to reopen at a different location(rumor has it that it is planning to relocate to Park Place in Morrisville)but that decision at the present time has not been finalized as of yet. In the meantime, art films can be seen at the other Triangle area arthouses in the Raleigh-Durham area…..
Durham: The Carolina Theatre
Durham: Carmike Wynnsong Cinemas 15*
Chapel Hill: The Chelsea Theatres 1-2-3
Raleigh: The Raleigh Grande 16 (off Glenwood Ave.)
Raleigh: The Rialto Theatre
Raleigh: The Colony Theatres 1 & 2
As of the previous comment: No one knows for certain the fate of Bollywood movies will make a grand comeback to the Triangle area. It’s up in decisions for now.
David Dymond:
I loved and grew up going to the Center Theatre at Lakewood as a kid.
I basically don’t know how many movies I saw here,but before the perceived area became a rough neighborhood,this theatre was a showpalace of great movies which had one of the largest auditoriums in the state….It was a magical place in its heyday…..It originally opened on November 24,1966(under Wilby-Kincey) as the Lakewood Center Theatre. Was twinned in 1971(under ABC Theatres) and later was triple and quad by 1983 and 1986(under Plitt Southern and Cineplex Odeon).
The theatre really went downhill during the mid-1990’s when this theatre became a discount house where you had a high level of crime activity,and became a haven for whatever came through…..I never worked there,but I saw a lot of second run movies there…..Carmike Cinemas closed it in 2001. The building is still there BTW….but I do know about that time capsule from 1966 that is on the left side of the box-office. The reason why it closed is that the building became a surplus store for Duke University which closed in 2009. Nowadays,the building has been turned from what I heard is now a strip club…a total disgrace to a once great movie palace that became the heart of Durham.
On the marquee in 1976…..“GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND” for the matinee showings…..
For the late night evening shows—Double Feature-Adults Only
“BLACK EMANUELLE PART 2” and “EMANUELLE’S REVENGE”
July 22,1978…Exclusive Engagement Showing at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA…First-Run Showing of “THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!”
Starring Donna Summer, and The Commodores with Lionel Richie!
Rated PG
*Sorry,No Passes Accepted for this feature
October 15,1978….Double Feature with “Welcome Back Kotter’s” Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs with Ren Woods in “YOUNGBLOOD” with a “SUPERBAD” soundtrack from WAR!-In Color-Rated R
Plus on the same program….It’s Glynn Turman star of “Cooley High” with Louis Gossett,Jr. in “J.D.’s REVENGE”-Rated R
December 23,1976….on the marquee for the Christmas attraction playing at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA….It’s Yaphet Kotto and Dolemite’s Rudy Ray Moore…they’re going to show you how to do THE MONKEY HUSTLE……Rated PG-Parental Guidance Suggested
I saw THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK opening day at this theatre on June 20,1980. It was indeed a fantastic moviegoing experience with the lines snaked around the cinema. All five showings of the film were eventually sold out that whole weekend including additional late shows too(which were sold out!)…Tickets for this went on sale in advance,and you had to lucky to get one!!! The film played on its largest screen(CENTER II) with the seating capacity of 650.
Screen 1 had John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd in THE BLUES BROTHERS that on CENTER I(which was the original auditorium with the 180 degree Ultravision screen)that had the screening capacity of 800,which was one of the largest auditoriums in the Carolinas.
December 25,1975….STARTS FRIDAY AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA..
NEVER FEAR…..PAM GRIER’S HERE…..as one bad chick in “FRIDAY FOSTER” with Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, and Antonio Fargas…Rated R
June 6, 1975….NOW SHOWING at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA….Exclusive!
It’s GONE WITH THE WIND turned HELL UPSIDE DOWN!!! The side of life that was never showed…until now….“MANDINGO” With James Mason, Ken Norton, Susan George, and Perry King….Rated R
Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday night at this theatre ONLY!!!
Sorry, There Will Be No Passes Accepted for this Attraction….,.
By the late-1980’s and throughout the early 1990’s, this movie theatre also operated as a video store selling VHS tapes as well video rentals and it also had a video arcade while at the same time continue showing second-run films at bargain prices. The RIVERVIEW TWIN CINEMA closed in 1995. The last two picture shows that played here was on Screen 1 was a Spike Lee flick “DROP SQUAD” that played first-run at reduced prices. Screen 2 was a kids flick “FREE WILLY” playing its second run,reduced admission.
In case you wanted to know…“DROP SQUAD” starred Ving Rhames, along with Vondie Curtis-Hall, Eriq LaSalle, Paula Kelly, and Penny Johnson-Jerald. Released in 1995.
“SOUTH PACIFIC” was a Reserved Seat Exclusive Engagement Showing at Charlotte’s Carolina Theatre on June 25,1959. It was the only showing of the film in the Carolinas. Other cities in the Carolinas wouldn’t get the film until Christmas of 1959.
March 13,1974…Showing at the Village Plaza Theatres,aka Plaza 3…
William Friedkin’s THE EXORCIST….No Passes Accepted-Rated “R”
WARNING: Due to the frank and graphic nature of this motion picture,the management of this theatre has recommended that No One Under 17 Years of age will not be admitted without parental consent. Identification for admission to this feature will be asked.
November,1985…LATE SHOW FRIDAY AND SATURDAY “JOY:CHAPTER TWO”-Adults Only
June,1982…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA It’s The BIG Three..TOGETHER AGAIN On One BIG Show! Richard “SHAFT” Roundtree
Jim “SLAUGHTER” Brown
Fred “HAMMER” Williamson
IN “ONE DOWN,TWO TO GO!!!”-Rated R
November 21,1982…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in “48 HOURS” Rated R Special Matinee Showings Thanksgiving Day and Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday…No Passes Accepted
December 7,1984…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA First-Run!!! Exclusive Area Engagement Showing!!! Eddie Murphy in “BEVERLY HILLS COP”-Rated R Sorry,No Passes or Special Discounts Accepted!!! Special Late Show Friday and Saturday Night ONLY!!!
December 22,1977…NOW SHOWING AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA First Run!!! It’s Rudy Ray Moore star of DOLOMITE!!!! And Smokey Robinson(YES! The Motown Legend In His First Feature Role),and they’re going to show how to get the man “BIG TIME” with music composed and arranged by Smokey Robinson available on Motown Records and Tapes….Rated PG-Parental Guidance Suggested
October 17,1976…NOW SHOWING at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA Exclusive Engagement Showing….“CAR WASH”-Rated PG Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday Night!!! Sorry, There Will Be No Passes Accepted!!!
David Dymond:
Carmike basically had total control of all indoor moviehouses in the Durham area. This was Carmike’s decision to closed The Northgate Twin in 1985,not to mention the closing of the The Yorktowne Theatre on Chapel Hill Blvd. in 1996,and the Ram Triple in Chapel Hill in 2000.
When the Center 4 closed in 2001 only three moviehouses under Carmike Cinemas remained opened…The Carmike Cinemas 7(off Avondale Drive which closed in 2004),and the Willowdaile Cinemas 8(off Guess Road in North Durham closed in June of 2005)
In 2001,the Wynnsong Cinemas in Durham REMAINS the only Carmike operated movie theatre between Durham and Chapel Hill. And to this day is still operational.
This information was also confirmed from WRAL-TV(which also was the 10PM News Broadcast on WRAZ-FOX 50),and also NBC-17 News(WNCN-TV),and ABC11 Eyewitness News(WTVD-TV and also from the 10PM Broadcast on WLFL CW-22),and other media outlets in the greater Triangle….As of the close of business on Saturday November 10,2012,the Galaxy Cinema will close its doors permanently after more than eight years of service to the Triangle. Formerly,the Imperial Cinemas and the Madstone Cinemas,this theatre opened in 1977 and after more than 35 years it will be demolished and will be replaced by a Harris Teeter grocery store(which is moving from its former Cary Towne Center location). The Galaxy’s owners may attempt to reopen at a different location(rumor has it that it is planning to relocate to Park Place in Morrisville)but that decision at the present time has not been finalized as of yet. In the meantime, art films can be seen at the other Triangle area arthouses in the Raleigh-Durham area…..
Durham: The Carolina Theatre
Durham: Carmike Wynnsong Cinemas 15*
Chapel Hill: The Chelsea Theatres 1-2-3
Raleigh: The Raleigh Grande 16 (off Glenwood Ave.)
Raleigh: The Rialto Theatre
Raleigh: The Colony Theatres 1 & 2
As of the previous comment: No one knows for certain the fate of Bollywood movies will make a grand comeback to the Triangle area. It’s up in decisions for now.
On The Marquee around Christmas 1980….. Screen III-“Raging Bull”-with Robert DeNiro-®
Screen II-“Walt Disney’s Cinderella”–(G)
Screen IV-“Flash Gordon”-with Sam Jones and Max Von Sydow-(PG)
Screen I-“Hardly Working”-with Jerry Lewis-(PG)
David Dymond: I loved and grew up going to the Center Theatre at Lakewood as a kid. I basically don’t know how many movies I saw here,but before the perceived area became a rough neighborhood,this theatre was a showpalace of great movies which had one of the largest auditoriums in the state….It was a magical place in its heyday…..It originally opened on November 24,1966(under Wilby-Kincey) as the Lakewood Center Theatre. Was twinned in 1971(under ABC Theatres) and later was triple and quad by 1983 and 1986(under Plitt Southern and Cineplex Odeon).
The theatre really went downhill during the mid-1990’s when this theatre became a discount house where you had a high level of crime activity,and became a haven for whatever came through…..I never worked there,but I saw a lot of second run movies there…..Carmike Cinemas closed it in 2001. The building is still there BTW….but I do know about that time capsule from 1966 that is on the left side of the box-office. The reason why it closed is that the building became a surplus store for Duke University which closed in 2009. Nowadays,the building has been turned from what I heard is now a strip club…a total disgrace to a once great movie palace that became the heart of Durham.
October 23,1978….EXCLUSIVE showing at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA… First-Run Showing of Charles Burnett’s “KILLER OF SHEEP”-Rated R
NEXT ATTRACTION:
Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield in “A HERO AIN’T NOTHING BUT A SANDWICH”-Exclusive Engagement Showing only at this theatre!!!
“SOUNDER CHAPTER 2”
Laura Gemser is back for a double bill with “SISTER EMANUELLE” and “EMANUELLE IN AMERICA”-Both features are adults only! Rated X
On the marquee in 1976…..“GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND” for the matinee showings….. For the late night evening shows—Double Feature-Adults Only “BLACK EMANUELLE PART 2” and “EMANUELLE’S REVENGE”
July 22,1978…Exclusive Engagement Showing at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA…First-Run Showing of “THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!” Starring Donna Summer, and The Commodores with Lionel Richie! Rated PG *Sorry,No Passes Accepted for this feature
October 15,1978….Double Feature with “Welcome Back Kotter’s” Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs with Ren Woods in “YOUNGBLOOD” with a “SUPERBAD” soundtrack from WAR!-In Color-Rated R
Plus on the same program….It’s Glynn Turman star of “Cooley High” with Louis Gossett,Jr. in “J.D.’s REVENGE”-Rated R
December 23,1976….on the marquee for the Christmas attraction playing at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA….It’s Yaphet Kotto and Dolemite’s Rudy Ray Moore…they’re going to show you how to do THE MONKEY HUSTLE……Rated PG-Parental Guidance Suggested
I saw THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK opening day at this theatre on June 20,1980. It was indeed a fantastic moviegoing experience with the lines snaked around the cinema. All five showings of the film were eventually sold out that whole weekend including additional late shows too(which were sold out!)…Tickets for this went on sale in advance,and you had to lucky to get one!!! The film played on its largest screen(CENTER II) with the seating capacity of 650.
Screen 1 had John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd in THE BLUES BROTHERS that on CENTER I(which was the original auditorium with the 180 degree Ultravision screen)that had the screening capacity of 800,which was one of the largest auditoriums in the Carolinas.
I heard Steven Spielburg’s LINCOLN will be playing at this theatre. Will this get the 70MM treatment?
there was also a Reidsville Drive-In that was located off Highways 29 and 158 that is not listed on this site.
As of this writing,the ROCKINGHAM THEATRE remains the only movie theatre in Reidsville and all of Rockingham County,North Carolina.
I remember seeing Clint Eastwood’s THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES playing here first-run at this theatre in 1976.
Also played here “ROCKY” (1976) and “ROCKY II”(1979) as well as “ROCKY III”(1982) got first-run at the Valley.
Francis Coppula’s “THE GODFATHER” played at the Valley Twin Theatres first-run on March 16,1972 as a general release.
In fact a lot of the Paramount product got first billing here including a lot of the venue…. “THE GREAT GATSBY”
“CHINATOWN”
“HAROLD AND MAUDE”
“NASHVILLE”
“CHARLOTTE’S WEB”-animated feature
“JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL”
“THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDLEY KRAVITZ”
“THE CONVERSATION”
“LADY SINGS THE BLUES”
“MAHOGANY”
“THE GODFATHER: PART II”
“THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR”-Robert Redford
“SERPICO”-Al Pacino
and many more!
December 25,1975….STARTS FRIDAY AT THE RIVERVIEW CINEMA.. NEVER FEAR…..PAM GRIER’S HERE…..as one bad chick in “FRIDAY FOSTER” with Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, and Antonio Fargas…Rated R
June 6, 1975….NOW SHOWING at the RIVERVIEW CINEMA….Exclusive! It’s GONE WITH THE WIND turned HELL UPSIDE DOWN!!! The side of life that was never showed…until now….“MANDINGO” With James Mason, Ken Norton, Susan George, and Perry King….Rated R Special Late Shows Friday and Saturday night at this theatre ONLY!!! Sorry, There Will Be No Passes Accepted for this Attraction….,.
By the late-1980’s and throughout the early 1990’s, this movie theatre also operated as a video store selling VHS tapes as well video rentals and it also had a video arcade while at the same time continue showing second-run films at bargain prices. The RIVERVIEW TWIN CINEMA closed in 1995. The last two picture shows that played here was on Screen 1 was a Spike Lee flick “DROP SQUAD” that played first-run at reduced prices. Screen 2 was a kids flick “FREE WILLY” playing its second run,reduced admission.
In case you wanted to know…“DROP SQUAD” starred Ving Rhames, along with Vondie Curtis-Hall, Eriq LaSalle, Paula Kelly, and Penny Johnson-Jerald. Released in 1995.