Willowdaile Cinema
1501 Horton Road,
Durham,
NC
27707
1501 Horton Road,
Durham,
NC
27707
2 people
favorited this theater
Willowdaile was the first-ever multiplex theater to open in the Raleigh-Durham area during the summer of 1985. I used to come here during my days in high school and college and check out some really awesome flicks. This was also the place where I got to see my first R-rated film (“Die Hard”) and check out a midnight showing of “Batman Returns” when it was first released.
Since then, the Willowdaile has fallen on hard times due to the increased number of newer, more sophisticated mulitplexs in Durham, changing demographics in that part of town, and the lenghty road widening project on Guess Road that has taken over five years to complete.
The Willowdaile Cinema closed in the end of May 2005 and was demolished in 2006.
Contributed by
Jimmy Storey
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
The Willowdaile Cinemas was demolished in 2006 to make way for the construction of a 48,000 square foot Harris Teeter grocery store that is scheduled to open in late September of 2008 at the intersection of Horton and Guess Roads where the Willowdaile Cinemas once stood. The only multiplex that is still in operation that serves the Northern Durham area is the Movies at Northgate 10 which is owned and operated by Phoenix Theatres/East Coast Entertainment
that is in the Northgate Shopping Center where the former Belk’s Department Store once stood. However,the theatres that served the Northern Durham area like the Willowdaile,the Carmike 7,and the Riverview Cinema are history.
The Willowdaile Cinemas was one of several Durham theatres at the time(which included The Center,Carmike 7,Yorktowne,South Square Mall Cinemas 4,and the Ram Triple)that had evening shows only and matinees only on Saturday and Sunday. They also had(under Carmike Cinemas policy)matinees available on holidays.
A lot of great movies played here at the Willowdaile.
I too remember seeing “Die Hard” here. It sold out in minutes. But seeing this on a widescreen in Dobly Stereo sound was amazing!
The Willowdaile also had first-run exclusive enagement runs of several movies…I do recall seeing Spike Lee’s “School Daze” on opening weekend here….the lines stretched all the way back toward the parking lot…it played to capacity crowds and sold out shows every night. The other also had the premiere of Tony Brown’s unseen film “The White Girl” which was filmed on location in Durham,and had its exclusive premiere showing here at the Willowdaile 8. “Jurassic Park” and “Toy Story” had to shown on 2 screens due to the capacity crowds that snaked around the theatre.
Other blockbusters that played here at the Willowdaile:
“Toy Story 2”,“Terminator 2:Judgment Day”,“A Time To Kill”,“Lethal Weapons 2,3,and 4”,“Die Hards 2 and 3”,
“Face-Off”,and “The English Patient” played to capacity crowds. The Willowdaile also showed the first-ever “NC-17” rated movie “Henry and June”,under tight security. Also played here were “Higher Learning”,
“Rosewood”,“Baby Boy”,and the remake of “Shaft”.
They also had another exclusive premiere here: When the movie “Trois” played here,it opened to capacity crowds. The premiere NC showing was a success…playing to packed houses every night. Tickets for this were sold out within minutes during every showing.
the children’s christmas movie “The Polar Express” sold out seats for weeks at the Willowdaile when it played here in 2004 to record breaking capacity crowds.
I recall seeing the lines stretched from the parking lot all the way toward Horton Road when “Home Alone” played here to record crowds. The same thing happen when “Home Alone 2” opened and broke boxoffice attendance records.
I find it hard to believe that the WILLOWDAILE was the first ever mutiplex to open in the city the size of Durham/Raliegh in 1985.That above statement about 1985 being the year the first muliplex hit that rather large area is hard to believe,but maybe this area liked single screens ,which by the way ain’t a bad thing!
The WILLOWDAILE opened in 1985 and was the second multiplex to open within the Durham area. The WILLOWDAILE replaced the Northgate Twin Theatres which closed in 1985.
The first multiplex to operate in the Durham was the South Square Mall Cinemas(which was a 4-screen multiplex cinema)that was located on the lower level of South Square Mall facing University Drive,next door to JC Penney. That theatre opened its doors in 1975,ten years before the WILLOWDAILE.
That makes sense cause in Augusta our first Twin hit in 1973 and i knew that area was larger, guess i misread it,Thanks raysson.
Mike,
The theatre was located on the Northern end of the city at the corner at Guess and Horton Roads and it was in operation from 1985 until 2005(spanning 20 years). This theatre was the first to show exclusive engagements and not to mention the first “NC-17” flick to play in the Triangle in 1990(“Henry and June”).
The theatre has been demolished. In early 2009, a super 52,000 square foot grocery store(Harris Teeter) opened where the Willowdaile once stood. I oughta know,cause I worked for the company that opened the location in North Durham.