AMC Loews Stroud Mall 7

Originally opened as a triplex sometime in the late 70's. The original owner was a small chain called Music Makers. When a restaurant in another part of the mall closed, Music Makers took over the lease and built cinemas 4 and 5. A few years after that they added 2 more cinemas next to the original triplex for a total of 7 cinemas, 5 in the original location and 2 near JC Penney.

The only reason this theatre does well is because its in a mall, I remember going here a few years ago and it was the worst Loews I've ever been to. I was in the 5 screen part of the building, seeing Pirates of the Caribian (opening weekened, so I have to assume I was in one of the largest screens in the house). The sidelines were okay, they had high raked style seating (sort of like a primative form of Stadium Seating, but uncomfortable cup-holder-less seats.

The walls were made of some sort of blasted rock- I can imagine this is a retro delight for many but it was a shocker for me, even Loews has standards, this one was dirty, small, cramped. Maybe its been remodled? I don't know. Music Makers sure knew how to build them- small and ugly. It had style, I will say that- it was the ugliest movie theatre I had ever been to.

Lord knows I'm not a Cinema Treasure puriest who belives only classic pallaces ought to be added to the list but Loews Stroud Mall is both a Treasure and a curse- would I be interested in taking an online tour of the theatre at cinematour.com, sure, would I be interested seeing a movie there first run, probably not. An experience, I will say that. (And the smallest bathrooms this side of the tragic set up at Island 16).

This theatre still does well because it is the only theatre in town. The Pocono Cinema in East Stroudsburg is an "art" cinema that shows movies not at the Stroud Mall. The Foxmoor Cinemas in Marshalls Creek is too far away for people from Stroudsburg and points west. Hoyts had plans a few years ago to build a 12 screen stadium seating complex in the same shopping center as Home Depot. That fell through when Hoyts decided to leave the US and sell all their theatres to Regal. When I lived in the area, many of us saw movies at the Regal in Easton are the Cinemark 20 in Moosic.

Hoyts built ugly theatres too (Enfield Mall in CT a good example). National Amusements ought to change the game up in Eastern PA and put in a Cinema De Lux, that'd be a nice culture shock coming from this rundown house to high end luxery. Stroud Mall itself has a retro feel to it, the whole place seems trapped in the 60's except for those kids dressed in black hanging around Hot Topic.

Maybe the entire mall ought to be persurved as a musem or 60's themed shopping and entertainment destination. Too bad they remodled it a few years ago.

any changes since amc took over?

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060204/NEWS/602040314/0/news16
pretty soon this theater will soon close due to a new mall project that will also include a 14-screener in Bartonsville.

This area badly needs a multiplex!

i agree...for those who live in stroudsburg, the closest thing to a multiplex would be down in the easton/allentown/bethlehem area. Thanks for the web link, chuckc.

My dad knows one of the managers of the Cinemark at Moosic. He says Cinemark is looking to build in the Poconos. They are just looking for the right spot.

If they build it, then people from across the Delaware in NJ (specifically the Blairstown area) will have a bigger multiplex go to other than the small Mansfield theater that has state-of-the art picture and sound in half of its screens (ever since Rockaway opened I rarely go to the older theaters anymore). Plus, it will be the closest Cinemark theater in the NY Metro area. I've never been to a Cinemark theater (only AMC and Regal come to mind, with AMC my favorite chain). Is it as good as the other big two?

I go to the stroudmall every weekend to review a film for my radio spot. The thought of me seeing the Dark Knight there isn't to appealing. Im writing a column for my movie blog website about the change in the way we see movies at theaters in the last 30 yrs. It will be posted within the next day or so! I usually post on the ziegfeld page. I didn't know till today that there was one for the Stroud 7. Cool!

Will this theater be upgraded for Sony 4k? And what's the latest on the Cinemark project at the Poconos?