Yorktowne Twin
2500 Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard,
Durham,
NC
27707
2500 Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard,
Durham,
NC
27707
1 person
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The Yorktowne Theatre opened its doors on May 28, 1969 with James Coburn in “Hard Contract”. It was Durham’s premiere showplace for first-run features. Located off Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard in Durham, North Carolina, the theatre operated as a 780-seat single screen auditorium that had great widescreen projection for 70MM films.
It remained a single screen theater until June 20, 1975, when “French Connection II” opened in a second 625-seat auditorium that was added, and it became a twin cinema. The Yorktowne Theatre did great business until 1987, when it changed its format from first-run features to second-run features and it remained that way until 1996, when the theater closed its doors, making way for rival Wynnsong Cinemas to muscle the competition.
The Yorktowne Theatre remained vacant and there was talk of restoring this grand cinema and turning it into Durham’s second arthouse cinema or in future talks into a AFI theatre for showing classic films.
It never happened and the Yorktowne Theatre was demolished in November 2008.
Contributed by
Raymond Caple
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW was a late night treat at the Yorktowne as part of its Halloween midnight screenings during the early 80’s when it was a twin cinema.
The cinema was demolished in November of 2008. The council board for the City of Durham should have did something to preserve this classic theatre by saving it from the wrecking ball. It could have been a second arthouse cinema if those friends of the Carolina Theatre step in and save it from being destroyed.
The longest-running bookings that played at the Yorktowne Theatre were the showing of STAR WARS(05/23/1977)which played at this theatre until November of 1977 to record-breaking crowds,and was re-released again in the summer of 1978.
The other longest-running booking for a showing at the Yorktowne? Steven Spielburg’s JAWS,which opened in June of 1975 to record-breaking crowds which stretch from the at one time E.F. Hutton on Bedford Street extending all the way down Chapel Hill Boulevard. It stayed until December of 1975.
I recall seeing in 1975 “Jaws” on the marquee along at the time when the Yorktowne was becoming a twin cinema. The other movie on the marquee at the time was “The French Connection II”. The lines for “Jaws” were record breaking with sold-out shows and the lines stretching from the entrance to the theatre all the way toward the E.F. Hutton Building Parking Lot facing Bedford Street and Chapel Hill Boulevard.
The Yorktowne Theatre was operated by Scheinder-Merl Theatres from 1968 until 1976.
Martin operated it from 1976 until 1982. Carmike cinemas acquired it from 1982 until 1996.
< The longest-running bookings that played at the Yorktowne Theatre were the showing of STAR WARS(05/23/1977)which played at this theatre until November of 1977 >
The Yorktowne’s run of “Star Wars” opened July 1, 1977, not May 23. It ran for five months, not seven.
(The Memorial Day weekend opening of “Star Wars” was only in a handful of markets, none of which were in The South.)
“Jaws” was one of two Triangle area theatres that booked the film’s original opening on June 20,1975.
The Yorktowne was still a single screen theatre when “Jaws” officially opened. The original auditorium where it played had a seating capacity of over 800 that included a super widescreen that was capable of showing both 35mm and 70mm films. However,the opening weekend showings brought in record capacity crowds which had it showing at the Yorktowne for 26 weeks.
At the time “Jaws” opened,the second auditorium was under construction and basically almost completed for its 325 seat auditorium for the Yorktowne II’s official opening in late June of 1975 for the opening of “French Connection II”. The only problem the Yorktowne had was the availability for parking which was limited for the cinema’s lot and around back but for additional parking you had to go across to used the parking lot over at the Hutton Building and from there had to walk across the street to the theatre.
Great movie theatre,but had a serious problem with parking there
I saw “Jaws” here in 1975. I remember running out of the screening room to the concession area when I got too scared to watch the movie.
Francis Ford Coppula’s THE GODFATHER was one of two Triangle area theatres that booked the film’s original opening on March 22,1972 when the Yorktowne Theatre was a 780 seat single screen cinema.
“THE GODFATHER PART II” also played here as well as “CHINATOWN”, “LADY SINGS THE BLUES”, “LENNY”
The Yorktowne Theatre also played first-run on July 1, 1977 the original STAR WARS movie not to mention had the privilege to booked on December 7, 1979 the original STAR TREK movie.
Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH played at the Yorktowne Theatre on July 2, 1969. It was one of a handful of Triangle theatres that booked the film’s original “X” rating to capacity crowds.