Regency Theater
2749 Parleys Way,
Salt Lake City,
UT
2749 Parleys Way,
Salt Lake City,
UT
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The Regency, built by Plitt Theaters around 1975, had about 800 seats and a curved screen that was at least 60 feet wide.
The auditorium was covered with dark draperies and had two voice-of-the-theater surround speakers, one in each back corner. The local Plitt offices were located above the lobby by the projection room. Because of its location at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon, inexperienced moviegoers had a difficult and often frustrating time locating the theater.
The Regency was one of the best places in Salt Lake to see a 70mm film, such as Close Encounters or Alien. When downtown Salt Lake flooded in 1983, the 70mm print of Return of the Jedi was temporarily moved from the Centre Theater to the Regency. Showings of the restored Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm were so full that many couples on dates had to be split up so they could sit in separate parts of the auditorium.
Shortly after the demolition of the Centre in 1989, Cineplex Odeon changed the Regency into a dollar theater. Sometime in 1989 or 1990, the theater closed permanently.
It was later remodeled into a three-story office building. During this process, the side and end walls of the auditorium were demolished and replaced, but the lobby and corner walls of the auditorium remained.
Contributed by
Grant Smith
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The Regency Theatre was opened by ABC Intermountain Theaters in 1971. I worked there as an assistant manager in 1977. When Close Encounters played, the projectionist and a few other employees made a big silver flying saucer out of plywood and Visqueen to display on the roof, hauled it up there, and it stayed there for a few years because no one could figure out an easy way of getting it down.
The Regency was built with an undeveloped area beneath the lobby and auditorium for use as a second theater. It had doors and windows to the outside (west side) and you could look in a see a big field of large gravel rocks. If anyone asked, they were told “that’s where the other theater will be.” It never was.
Do we remember 1975? The year that “Jaws” began what was called “the summer blockbuster” movies? One can still remember the parking lot just crammed with cars of car owners filling the Regency to see Steven Spielberg’s shark movie at this famous theatre. Yes, I saw “Close Encounters” and “TRON” at the Regency. I would drive down from E. Idaho to see many movies at the Regency.
Photos of the former Regency Theater in Salt Lake City can be seen here.
The Regency Theatre was featured in an article in the Modern Theatre section of Boxoffice Magazine, November 13, 1972. The building included second floor offices for the Salt Lake City division of ABC-Intermountain Theatres. The Technicote XR 171 screen was 22'x50'. The booth featured a 35/70mm Century projection system, and multi-channel sound was by Electro Sound.
July 19th, 1972 grand opening ad is at View link