Village Theatre
3057 Freedom Drive,
Charlotte,
NC
28208
3057 Freedom Drive,
Charlotte,
NC
28208
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The Village Theatre open on Charlotte’s suburban west side in 1966 and was the last single screen cinema built in the city. It was fairly basic inside and out but had some good first run movie exclusives in its early years.
It was twinned in the 1980’s but the neighborhood declined and the theater closed. The building still stands and has been adapted inside for a variety of different uses over the years.
Contributed by
Mark Huffstetler
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Stuart & Everette Theatres from 1966 thru 1986 and then Carmike Cinemas from 1986 until it closed.
The Village was one of several theaters that were built as part of a rapid expansion of the Stewart & Everett chain in the mid-1960s. Five were built in 1966 alone. According to items in Boxoffice Magazine, the Village and at least one of the other four were designed by Charles L. Wheatley & Associates, a Charlotte architectural firm. It seems likely that the firm designed all of the S&E houses during this period, but Boxoffice fails to confirm this.
The January 10, 1966, issue of Boxoffice said that construction of the Village was about to begin and that completion of the house was expected by June 1. The theater was to have about 800 seats.
After additional research I found that this theater was not the last single screen cinema built in Charlotte. That distinction belongs to the Tryon Mall Theater which opened in 1972.
I believe the first manager was Hunter Marcengill.
Tryon Mall was twinned like so many theatres,right?ABC THEATRE.
This theatre was equipped with “Century” JJ 70/35mm projectors. 6 Track & 4 Track Magnetic Sound in addition to optical analog.
The Village Theatre was NOT the last single screen cinema to be built in Charlotte. The last single screener was the Tryon Mall Theater at Tryon Mall that opened on March 23,1972.
The Village Theater was one of two cinemas in Charlotte that was under Stewart and Everett Theatres,the other was the Capri Theater off Independence Blvd.(that opened on November 2,1964)
The premiere attraction at the VILLAGE Theater on Friday July 8, 1966 was “THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE” Starring Henry Fonda, Robert Ryan and Telly Savalas.
Even though this movie was presented in Cinerama in 1966,the movie was basically a general engagement showing in the Carolinas. It was never a roadshow. Nor it was not presented in Cinerama. The only theatre in Charlotte that had widescreen/three strip Cinerama projection was at the Carolina Theater Downtown Charlotte.
The Village remained a 800 seat single screen theater until the late-1970’s when the original auditorium was split into two sections,making for shoebox size auditoriums with smaller screens until it closed around 1988 or 1989.
This theatre got a lot of the Disney product,mainly first-run features. The Village operated as a family friendly cinema.
While it also garnered a lot of re-release films as well. It’s July 21,1978 re-release of STAR WARS brought in record crowds.
Carmike ran this theater as a 99-cent second-run house from the buyout of S&E in 1986 until its closing (by then the Capri was also a 99-cent house). AKA Village 1 & 2, Village Twin.