Southgate Cinema
1631 Gordon Highway,
Augusta,
GA
30906
1631 Gordon Highway,
Augusta,
GA
30906
2 people
favorited this theater
Southgate Cinemas was located in Augusta, in Southgate Shopping Center. It was a nice single screen theatre with great seats, a large marquee, and a dual projection booth.
Any Southgate moviegoer will tell you that the screen and theatre were both fine, but the concession stand was the pits. In fact, as lobbies go, one of the worst ever. And the restrooms were very tiny.
It opened on Friday, December 18, 1970 with the classic "Love Story" starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. This film played at Southgate Cinema for several months.
A story floated in movie theater world that Southgate was quickly built to keep Jerry Lewis Twin Theatres out of town. That’s right, Jerry Lewis was actually in the theatre business during the late-1960’s and early-1970’s! Augusta was on the map for one of his theatres until Southgate was quickly built.
Southgate played a lot of United Artists movies — almost all the 007’s played there along with the first X-rated movie to play in a suburban theatre, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls". Southgate also played "Hello Dolly" and "Soylent Green" had a long run there.
The theater seated I guess close to 500 people, and it stayed open until the late-1990’s when it was reduced to a dollar cinema. Today it’s a church.
While playing golf in Augusta, Christopher Lee attended the 1st Augusta showing of "Man With A Golden Gun". He writes in his bio that he drove down I-20 from Atlanta to Augusta. Most stars fly into Augusta – Christopher Lee took a limo. I should’ve gotten down there but at the time I wasn’t yet driving!
Southgate Theatre was a Georgia Theatre, and did switch to United Artists for awhile until Georgia Theatres (in reorganization) got back in the Augusta market. And like all Georgia Theatre Co. theatres, they never played late shows!
Ellen Carter managed Southgate Cinema for 19 years. She was there during the first run films, and sadly closed the theatre with "Supercop" – all seats one dollar.
I believe all projection equipment is still in the theatre, and I assume the screen is still up. However, Georgia Theatres has a history of butchering a theatre once they move out. So the screen could be gone since it’s now a church. Guess I could drive over and check it out. I think there would be a market on that side of town for a theatre, but I also think the people that would attend would quickly tear it up.
Contributed by
Mike Rogers
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Recent comments (view all 29 comments)
For 99 cents you can see “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK” rated PG.It had a successful run at WEIS CINEMAS.
Had a friend visit the church that now uses SOUTHGATE CINEMA for a home and he went up to the booth and all the equipment was still there to show movies. I had a feeling it was still up there. It was one of the few booths in this city i never put a foot in. It was Union house for a long time. Local 518.Only one living member still around.
Southgate picks up a very good first run Sci-fi “SOYLENT GREEN” rated PG. 4-18-73.
SOUTHGATE gets a classy picture “CABARET” opens 02-14-73. Rated PG. Plays awhile there.
DEc 17, 1974 and Southgate is playing Dyan Cannon in “CHILD UNDER A LEAF” Rated R.
Two Georgia theatre locations with three screens,Daniel Village Twin and Southgate are now dollar theatres. Playing at Southgate the perfect movie for that location,“BREAKIN'2” rated R. Feb.27 1985.
007 leaves MASTERS 4 after a long summer run to play at Southgate on August 1 1977.“SPY WHO LOVES ME” shows at 7:20 and 9:45.
After a horrible run at the Imperial,Southgate picks up “TRIAL OF BILLY JACK” on August 30 1975 months after it left town.
A few of the movies that ran here:
“10” playing at 99 cents on Dec.28 79.
Sept. 15 1978 “HIGH ANIXETY” 99 cents,
Nov.5 1976 sometimes trash would play here, “SEX MACHINE”.
July 2 1982 has “HANKY PANKY” all seats a dollar.
DEc.25 1970 the longest running First run movie to play Southgate,“LOVE STORY”.
Dec 18 1970 “BURN”
July 15 1971 has “RED SKY AT MORNING”.
April 6 1979 “SUPERMAN” 99 cents.
August 31 1979 one showing in the evening “THE DEER HUNTER”
Sept.11 1970 the X rated “BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS” is here.
June 20 1975 First run “RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER”.
Just a small selection of movies.
Rodney Dangerfield would have LOVED Southgate Cinema. Movies playing here were not all B-Pictures.A few good ones would make it over here.
June8 1971 “MAKING IT”
Sept.24 1971 “MRS.POLLIFAX-SPY”
March 15 1974 “A TOUCH OF CLASS” [A, film.}
Oct.4 1974 “DEVIL’S TRIANGLE”
Dec 25 1974 “MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN” {A,Film}
August 15 1975 “LOVE and DEATH” {A,Film}
August 29 1976 “SWASHBUCKLER”
Sept 26 1976 “I WILL,IWILL,FOR NOW” picked up from National Hills Theatre.
Nov 24 1976 “GOOD IDEA”
Sept 1976 “MISSOURI BREAKS”
June 17 1977 “EMPIRE OF THE ANTS”
June 30 1979 all seats 99 cents “HALLOWEEN”.