If I ever see “Rocky Horror” in a theater, most likely it will be at the Rialto in Raleigh, the second-closest arthouse to where I live (Edgecombe County,NC)– the Colony 1 & 2 is closer. There are no arthouses east of Raleigh; the big chains in Eastern NC (Carmike-when will they leave?-UEC Premiere and Regal) and the significant non-chain theaters (New Bern, Carteret County, Elizabeth City and Tarboro) don’t show “cult” films. The Rialto has done “Rocky Horror” on Friday late nights almost forever, and they do it in a vintage neighborhood theater – better than a broom closet! I do have to give kudos to the Chelsea for good service and projection – they beat the chains any day.
Unless this is the base theater at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, this cinema apparently does not exist. The only active civilian cinema I have found in the Goldsboro area is the Premiere Theatres 12.
Carmike may have put a deed restriction on the property as they have done elsewhere in Eastern NC (Greenville, Rocky Mount and Jacksonville come to mind). According to WaldoOliverOxenfree’s comment on the Regal 6 (Wilson, NC) page, Carmike finagled a deed restriction on REGAL’S former cinema there. Reopening a dead Carmike has succeeded only three times in Eastern NC: Neuse Boulevard 3 in New Bern, Roanoke Rapids Cinema 1 & 2, and the Gateway 1 & 2 in Elizabeth City. An attempt to revive the Golden East Crossing 4 in Rocky Mount as a Cinema Grill failed miserably (it is currently a Books-a-Million). The Berkeley Cinema should either be demolished or turned into a church, given its location. The theater on the other side of town is the Premiere Theatres, which has only 12 screens; there are no 20-screen theaters east of Cary.
Going by the ad posted for this theater, it should have an AKA Blane Cinema 1 & 2. This theater was most likely opened before 1975, when Martin bought and renamed the theater after themselves.
Apparently this theater is sinking to grindhouse-level conditions, just as its predecessor the Plaza Cinema did. (The last film I saw here was, appropriately, “Grindhouse”.) It’s time to either go to second-run films at $2 admission, remodel this theater as a 16-screen all-stadium complex (something that was mentioned in the local newspaper during the construction of this theater), or shut it down and let Regal have a monopoly for a change.
The charter school chose to locate further down on Howard Avenue; the Parkhill Cinema survives for now. Its fate may ultimately be decided by the film industry’s conversion to digital-only exhibition.
What kept the Greenville Carmike 12 afloat for the first few years of Greenville Grande’s existence was the widening of Fire Tower Road (the street Carmike 12 is on, but only the portion west of the theater was affected). Back to the Wilson Regal 6: I saw only one film here, the first “Spider-Man” starring Tobey Maguire. At that point the Regal 6 was still in excellent shape and run properly; the old Parkwood Triple could not compete and was probably closed by this time. Regal probably abandoned Wilson because they (Regal) generally don’t build theaters in North Carolina; they buy them instead.Stonecrest 22 in Charlotte and Oak Hollow Mall Cinemas in High Point are the only current Regal houses in NC that I know of that were built BY Regal. All other Regal Cinemas in NC came from four chains: Litchfield (including Wilson’s sixplex), Consolidated (including Greenville Grande and most of Regal’s stadium theaters in NC), Eastern Federal (including North Hills and Brier Creek in Raleigh), and United Artists (including the now-demolished UA/Litchfield 4 in Goldsboro and College Road 6 in Wilmington).
This theater was located about one mile east of the Tower Drive-In on US Highway 64 (now US 64 Alternate) East, heading towards Tarboro. In its final years a skating rink was built next door called Sky-Vue Skateland; this still stands but I believe the skating rink has since closed.
The Park Place was operating since at least 1997 (Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” played here first-run). It originally had 12 screens and slant-floor auditoriums. It was expanded to 16 screens and converted to all-stadium-seating by 2000.
DavidDynamic: I was unsure of this theater’s original configuration, name, chain affiliation or date. I have very little info about this theater other than it was once owned by Carmike Cinemas. 1994 may have been the year Carmike unloaded the Gateway onto another owner. If the theater was originally a twin it is not as old as I thought it was; the lack of a good view of the theater made it difficult for me to determine if it was built as a twin. Going by your recollections, David, I would assume that it was a twin from the start. Interesting that it showed porn films in the right theater and regular films in the left; most chains would either not run porn at all or limit porn to downtown grindhouses.Since the Gateway was showing porn and regular films in the same complex, it sounds like a Stewart & Everett venue. S&E booked porn films occasionally at Kinston’s Mall Cinema during the 1970s; the X-rated films were shown at midnight as the Mall Cinema was a single-screen at the time. Did Gateway run porn only at night or did they have porn matinees as well?
Sounds like illegal collusion between two “competitors”. Regal now owns the Greenville Grande 14, which I thought would lay waste to Carmike’s old and oddly configured 12-screen theater in Greenville (still only FOUR stadium seating auditoriums!). The Regal 6 was a nice theater; it would have made a teriffic discount house. Maybe Carmike is suppressing all attempts to open discount cinemas east of Raleigh (Smithfield’s Howell excepted)?
Disregard the comment about the Emerald Plantation 4 being Carteret County’s only cinema; Atlantic Station 4 in Atlantic Beach is still there (thanks CSWalczak for pointing this out!).
CSWalczak: Thanks for the info! I had found nothing on this theater on the web ( haven’t been down there in years). Glad to hear this theater is still in business! This is the one and only Atlantic Station Cinema 4 in Atlantic Beach, NC.
This is truly a forgotten theater. I lived in the Kinston area in the mid-1970s and never heard of a Center Theatre. The Paramount was the only downtown theater operating in 1975, with the Park Theatre operating just north of downtown. The only other downtown theaters I am aware of Kinston having were the Oasis and the Carolina, which may have been the same theater (the Oasis was operating during the silent era, while the Carolina operated during Hollywood’s “Golden Age”). The Center could have been a third name for the Oasis/Carolina, a third downtown (white) theater, or possibly an African-American theater; least likely possibility would be the original name of the Kinston Plaza Cinema. Does anybody know anything about this theater?
This theater was known briefly in the early 1970s as the Six Forks Cinema (not to be confused with the Six Forks Station 6, which opened in 1986). This first Six Forks Cinema was a single-screen theater, basically the Jerry Lewis Cinema without the Jerry Lewis name. This incarnation also failed, and it subsequently became the Terrace Twin.
I went to the Chelsea in 2001 to see “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. The service and projection was good; unfortunately, the movie was being shown in a very tiny auditorium-about the size of a broom closet. I had to see “Hedwig” again at a real movie theater (Raleigh’s Colony 1 & 2). I’m amazed this screening room has outlasted the downtown Carolina and Ram theaters – not to mention that it is very close to Regal’s Timberlyne 6 (although the two theaters have different audiences).
This bit about Carmike leaving Wilson Mall (for the second time!) leads me to believe that they were prevented from building at Heritage Crossing by the threat of a lawsuit by Wilson Mall’s owners. Carmike closed the old Parkwood Triple while under bankruptcy protection, which enabled them to break their lease.
Looks like Regal stole some of Carmike’s dirty tricks; Carmike put deed restrictions in most of the theater buildings they abandoned in Eastern North Carolina (Neuse Blvd. Cinema 3 in New Bern and the Roanoke Rapids Cinema 1&2 being the only exceptions).
Apostcardlife: Carmike demolished the old six-screen theater on the site probably late 1995 or early 1996. I’m not sure because I only spent two weeks in Fayetteville helping remodel the TJ Maxx store at Cross Pointe Center (next to GCC Cross Pointe 6 Cinemas). Also, I don’t recall Martin buying any of its theaters off of Stewart-Everett or if S&E had any theaters in Fayetteville other than the Carolina downtown; I recall that Martin and S&E tended to stay out of each other’s territories except possibly Winston-Salem.
This theater was operating in 1996 as Regal Cinemas Omni 8. Consolidated left Fayetteville in 1989 after their sellout to Carmike; if they had built a new theater in Fayetteville in 1998 it would have been a stadium design. Judging from the marquee could this have originally been a Litchfield Theatre?
The Bordeaux Cinema was still operating in 1996, as it was listed in Carmike’s newspaper ad under the newly opened Carmike Cinemas 12 (formerly the Westwood 6). An article in the Fayetteville Observer regarding the Carmike 12’s opening mentioned that the Bordeaux Cinema was to be replaced by a seven-screen theater; appparently the Wynnsong 7 replaced the Bordeaux.
Theater name should be Chalet Triple; Carmike was running this theater with three screens since at least 1988 (and possibly earlier). Carmike abandoned Boone after Litchfield Theatres opened a seven-screen multiplex in the mid-1990s. The Litchfield 7, now known as the Regal Boone Cinema 7 (not yet listed on CT), is currently the only operating theater in Boone.
This theater was operated by Carmike Cinemas from 1985 until it was sold to Neighborhood Theatres (1987?). Carmike closed the Beechmont Twin in Newport News about the same time they sold the Riverdale Twin to Neighborhood. Carmike chose to concentrate their business in Tidewater Virginia at Williamsburg.
If I ever see “Rocky Horror” in a theater, most likely it will be at the Rialto in Raleigh, the second-closest arthouse to where I live (Edgecombe County,NC)– the Colony 1 & 2 is closer. There are no arthouses east of Raleigh; the big chains in Eastern NC (Carmike-when will they leave?-UEC Premiere and Regal) and the significant non-chain theaters (New Bern, Carteret County, Elizabeth City and Tarboro) don’t show “cult” films. The Rialto has done “Rocky Horror” on Friday late nights almost forever, and they do it in a vintage neighborhood theater – better than a broom closet! I do have to give kudos to the Chelsea for good service and projection – they beat the chains any day.
Unless this is the base theater at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, this cinema apparently does not exist. The only active civilian cinema I have found in the Goldsboro area is the Premiere Theatres 12.
Carmike may have put a deed restriction on the property as they have done elsewhere in Eastern NC (Greenville, Rocky Mount and Jacksonville come to mind). According to WaldoOliverOxenfree’s comment on the Regal 6 (Wilson, NC) page, Carmike finagled a deed restriction on REGAL’S former cinema there. Reopening a dead Carmike has succeeded only three times in Eastern NC: Neuse Boulevard 3 in New Bern, Roanoke Rapids Cinema 1 & 2, and the Gateway 1 & 2 in Elizabeth City. An attempt to revive the Golden East Crossing 4 in Rocky Mount as a Cinema Grill failed miserably (it is currently a Books-a-Million). The Berkeley Cinema should either be demolished or turned into a church, given its location. The theater on the other side of town is the Premiere Theatres, which has only 12 screens; there are no 20-screen theaters east of Cary.
Going by the ad posted for this theater, it should have an AKA Blane Cinema 1 & 2. This theater was most likely opened before 1975, when Martin bought and renamed the theater after themselves.
Apparently this theater is sinking to grindhouse-level conditions, just as its predecessor the Plaza Cinema did. (The last film I saw here was, appropriately, “Grindhouse”.) It’s time to either go to second-run films at $2 admission, remodel this theater as a 16-screen all-stadium complex (something that was mentioned in the local newspaper during the construction of this theater), or shut it down and let Regal have a monopoly for a change.
The charter school chose to locate further down on Howard Avenue; the Parkhill Cinema survives for now. Its fate may ultimately be decided by the film industry’s conversion to digital-only exhibition.
What kept the Greenville Carmike 12 afloat for the first few years of Greenville Grande’s existence was the widening of Fire Tower Road (the street Carmike 12 is on, but only the portion west of the theater was affected). Back to the Wilson Regal 6: I saw only one film here, the first “Spider-Man” starring Tobey Maguire. At that point the Regal 6 was still in excellent shape and run properly; the old Parkwood Triple could not compete and was probably closed by this time. Regal probably abandoned Wilson because they (Regal) generally don’t build theaters in North Carolina; they buy them instead.Stonecrest 22 in Charlotte and Oak Hollow Mall Cinemas in High Point are the only current Regal houses in NC that I know of that were built BY Regal. All other Regal Cinemas in NC came from four chains: Litchfield (including Wilson’s sixplex), Consolidated (including Greenville Grande and most of Regal’s stadium theaters in NC), Eastern Federal (including North Hills and Brier Creek in Raleigh), and United Artists (including the now-demolished UA/Litchfield 4 in Goldsboro and College Road 6 in Wilmington).
This theater was located about one mile east of the Tower Drive-In on US Highway 64 (now US 64 Alternate) East, heading towards Tarboro. In its final years a skating rink was built next door called Sky-Vue Skateland; this still stands but I believe the skating rink has since closed.
The Park Place was operating since at least 1997 (Howard Stern’s “Private Parts” played here first-run). It originally had 12 screens and slant-floor auditoriums. It was expanded to 16 screens and converted to all-stadium-seating by 2000.
What better way to shut down a theater than to run a Troma film!
DavidDynamic: I was unsure of this theater’s original configuration, name, chain affiliation or date. I have very little info about this theater other than it was once owned by Carmike Cinemas. 1994 may have been the year Carmike unloaded the Gateway onto another owner. If the theater was originally a twin it is not as old as I thought it was; the lack of a good view of the theater made it difficult for me to determine if it was built as a twin. Going by your recollections, David, I would assume that it was a twin from the start. Interesting that it showed porn films in the right theater and regular films in the left; most chains would either not run porn at all or limit porn to downtown grindhouses.Since the Gateway was showing porn and regular films in the same complex, it sounds like a Stewart & Everett venue. S&E booked porn films occasionally at Kinston’s Mall Cinema during the 1970s; the X-rated films were shown at midnight as the Mall Cinema was a single-screen at the time. Did Gateway run porn only at night or did they have porn matinees as well?
The Atlantic Station Cinema 4 most likely has operated continuously since it first opened back in the 1980s.
Sounds like illegal collusion between two “competitors”. Regal now owns the Greenville Grande 14, which I thought would lay waste to Carmike’s old and oddly configured 12-screen theater in Greenville (still only FOUR stadium seating auditoriums!). The Regal 6 was a nice theater; it would have made a teriffic discount house. Maybe Carmike is suppressing all attempts to open discount cinemas east of Raleigh (Smithfield’s Howell excepted)?
Disregard the comment about the Emerald Plantation 4 being Carteret County’s only cinema; Atlantic Station 4 in Atlantic Beach is still there (thanks CSWalczak for pointing this out!).
CSWalczak: Thanks for the info! I had found nothing on this theater on the web ( haven’t been down there in years). Glad to hear this theater is still in business! This is the one and only Atlantic Station Cinema 4 in Atlantic Beach, NC.
This is truly a forgotten theater. I lived in the Kinston area in the mid-1970s and never heard of a Center Theatre. The Paramount was the only downtown theater operating in 1975, with the Park Theatre operating just north of downtown. The only other downtown theaters I am aware of Kinston having were the Oasis and the Carolina, which may have been the same theater (the Oasis was operating during the silent era, while the Carolina operated during Hollywood’s “Golden Age”). The Center could have been a third name for the Oasis/Carolina, a third downtown (white) theater, or possibly an African-American theater; least likely possibility would be the original name of the Kinston Plaza Cinema. Does anybody know anything about this theater?
This theater was known briefly in the early 1970s as the Six Forks Cinema (not to be confused with the Six Forks Station 6, which opened in 1986). This first Six Forks Cinema was a single-screen theater, basically the Jerry Lewis Cinema without the Jerry Lewis name. This incarnation also failed, and it subsequently became the Terrace Twin.
I went to the Chelsea in 2001 to see “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”. The service and projection was good; unfortunately, the movie was being shown in a very tiny auditorium-about the size of a broom closet. I had to see “Hedwig” again at a real movie theater (Raleigh’s Colony 1 & 2). I’m amazed this screening room has outlasted the downtown Carolina and Ram theaters – not to mention that it is very close to Regal’s Timberlyne 6 (although the two theaters have different audiences).
This bit about Carmike leaving Wilson Mall (for the second time!) leads me to believe that they were prevented from building at Heritage Crossing by the threat of a lawsuit by Wilson Mall’s owners. Carmike closed the old Parkwood Triple while under bankruptcy protection, which enabled them to break their lease.
Looks like Regal stole some of Carmike’s dirty tricks; Carmike put deed restrictions in most of the theater buildings they abandoned in Eastern North Carolina (Neuse Blvd. Cinema 3 in New Bern and the Roanoke Rapids Cinema 1&2 being the only exceptions).
Apostcardlife: Carmike demolished the old six-screen theater on the site probably late 1995 or early 1996. I’m not sure because I only spent two weeks in Fayetteville helping remodel the TJ Maxx store at Cross Pointe Center (next to GCC Cross Pointe 6 Cinemas). Also, I don’t recall Martin buying any of its theaters off of Stewart-Everett or if S&E had any theaters in Fayetteville other than the Carolina downtown; I recall that Martin and S&E tended to stay out of each other’s territories except possibly Winston-Salem.
This theater was operating in 1996 as Regal Cinemas Omni 8. Consolidated left Fayetteville in 1989 after their sellout to Carmike; if they had built a new theater in Fayetteville in 1998 it would have been a stadium design. Judging from the marquee could this have originally been a Litchfield Theatre?
The Bordeaux Cinema was still operating in 1996, as it was listed in Carmike’s newspaper ad under the newly opened Carmike Cinemas 12 (formerly the Westwood 6). An article in the Fayetteville Observer regarding the Carmike 12’s opening mentioned that the Bordeaux Cinema was to be replaced by a seven-screen theater; appparently the Wynnsong 7 replaced the Bordeaux.
Theater name should be Chalet Triple; Carmike was running this theater with three screens since at least 1988 (and possibly earlier). Carmike abandoned Boone after Litchfield Theatres opened a seven-screen multiplex in the mid-1990s. The Litchfield 7, now known as the Regal Boone Cinema 7 (not yet listed on CT), is currently the only operating theater in Boone.
This theater was operated by Carmike Cinemas from 1985 until it was sold to Neighborhood Theatres (1987?). Carmike closed the Beechmont Twin in Newport News about the same time they sold the Riverdale Twin to Neighborhood. Carmike chose to concentrate their business in Tidewater Virginia at Williamsburg.