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Openings
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June 6, 2006
Kendig Square Movies 6 Reopens
WILLOW STREET, PA — Having been taken over by a group of investors from Baltimore, MD and calling their investment Diamond Theatres, the Kendig Square 6 outside of Lancaster, PA reopened on May 26th.
The investors spent $250,000.00 upgrading the complex. According to their opening ads. they installed new “tiered” seating and added stereo sound. This complex has gone through many operators since it was first opened.
This is the groups first investment in a movie theatre. According to local newspaper articles, they are looking for theatres in smaller markets to take over.
The theatre has opened with first run attractions with a lower admission than the major national chain operating in the area has. Maybe now with more amenities such as stereo sound and new seating, it will draw bigger crowds.
Prior to this the floors in the theatres were not even sloped. Fortunately, the screens were placed higher on the wall so the sight line was good.
It would be nice to have another complex besides the Regal multiplex in the Lancaster area to choose from!
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May 23, 2006
NCG Trillium Cinemas opens in Grand Blanc, MI
GRAND BLANC, MI — The 14-screen NCG Trillium Cinemas outside Flint opened on Friday, May 19 with construction still in progress.
Four screens will initially open with the new movies “The Da Vinci Code” and “Over The Hedge”. Among the construction crew completing the megaplex is co-owner Gary Geiger along with his son Jeff.
This is the 10th location for Neighborhood Cinema Group, based in Owosso, MI, which specializes in multiple screen theaters in smaller cities. The NCG chain’s URL is http://www.ncgmovies.com and the website for this cinema is http://www.ncgmovies.com/index.asp?iTheaterID=10.
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May 19, 2006
Chicago’s Portage Theater Reopening Tonight
CHICAGO, IL — After a year of refurbishing the Portage Theater from a worn-out twin back to its original one-screen auditorium seating over 1300, the Silent Film Society of Chicago is reopening the Six Corners (Milwaukee, Irving Park, and Cicero) landmark as a showplace for Silent Films and much more.
Doors open May 19 at 7 with pre-show entertainment by the Ron Smolen Orchestra, and the opening film will be an early full-length comedies, 1914’s Tillie’s Punctured Romance, starring Charlie Chaplin with Mark Noller on the theater organ. Also on Saturday and Sunday, Chaplin’s classic Modern Times will be showing.
This weekend kicks off the Spring Silent Film Festival, featuring a different silent each Friday through June 16. Visit www.silentfilmchicago.com for more details.
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May 18, 2006
The Polk Theater’s Last Days
The Village Voice is running a report about the closing of the Polk Theater:
Harold Gussin never expected that one day he’d end up running a porn theater. When he started working at the Polk, a theater in Jackson Heights, Queens, it was the late 1950s and the Polk was just a regular movie house.
But only a decade later, it was starting to show films like charscalex98 Carmen, Babcharscalex98 y, an update on the opera that was billed as “Carmen in modern undress!” And for the next 40 years, the Polk showed nine dirty films a day. The place got increasingly run-down.
By last winter, there were only five flickering bulbs above the entrance.
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May 5, 2006
Concordia’s new movie theater opens
CONCORDIA, KS — In July of 2002, the Apollo Theatre closed and left the North Central Kansas community of 5,000 without a movie theatre until last night, when The Majestic, a four screen complex opened.
The Majestic is a joint venture with B&B Theatres of Liberty Missouri and a group of 20 local investors. The $1.4 million dollar project features wall to wall screens, a family arcade, stadum seating in all auditoriams, and DTS and Dolby surround sound in the auditoriams. The new theatre’s lobby is a 1900s-vintage design. While the theatre is completed work remains to be done on the parking area.
This project is a part of an effort to spur development in the city’s downtown. The municipality is offering property owners grants, and Citizens National Bank is offering low interest loans. B&B Theatres is the majority stockholder of the project with 20 local partners who collectively invested $640,000. B&B signed loans from Concordia’s four banks for the remainder.
The Apollo, which was a twin theatre, was located in the adjcent block from the restored Brown Grand Theatre which is used as a live production facility.
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May 4, 2006
Elks Theatre to Reopen!
MIDDLETOWN, PA — After being closed for six months, the GMEDC has found an operator months ago, purchased a new sound system, projector, and installed necessary up-to-date fire code devices, the Elks Theatre is finally ready to open!
I went to the test screening last night of “Yours, Mine, and Ours,” and the place looks fantastic.
The theatre opens to the public for the first time since October with “Scary Movie 4.” The theatre will continue to get “newer” second run films, but the price has gone up all little. I encourage as many as you can to come!
Showtimes:
Friday, 7pm, 9pm…
Adults $5, Children $3Saturday, Sunday, 2pm, 7pm…
All tickets $3 for the matinee. Adults $5 and Children $3 for 7pm show. -
April 21, 2006
Fine Arts hosts “CYXORK 7” theatrical premiere
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The grandly reopened Fine Arts Theatre will host the SAG theatrical premiere of “CYXORK 7” (starring RAY WISE) Saturday, May 20th at 8 PM. Scheduled to appear: RAY WISE, SONYA SMITH, BEATA POZNIAK, JOSEPH CULP, CASSANDRA CREECH, PAGET BREWSTER and GREG PROOPS.
The dark twisted satire follows a hungry movie crew making yet one more sequel in a burned out sci-fi franchise. How hungry are they? They’re hoping for a predicted cataclysmic earthquake that they can use for free special effects. Directed by John Huff, Cyxork’s original screenplay was co-written by Huff and producer, Andreas Kossak.
This is a special showing for us,“ Kossak explained. Screen Actors Guild rules require a theatrical ticket performance before sales begin. "We wanted the technology that went into Cyxork to show to full effect in projection and sound. Then our line producer, Warren Smith, recommended Michael S. Hall and the Fine Arts Theatre.”
A side note: The Fine Arts Theatre has been brought back to life under the scrupulous eye of Michael S. Hall, third generation projection master and restorer extraordinaire. See LA TIMES article.
“We chose the Fine Arts,” Kossak said, “because Michael’s team offers state of the art, full resolution 2K HD projection from our D-5 master tape.”
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March 29, 2006
Final Act for Act 1 & 2 Cinemas
BERKELEY, CA — According to a report from the Berkeley Daily Planet, the Act 1 & 2 Cinema closed for good on March 26:
Act 1&2 Theatre at 2128 Center St., showed final screenings of C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America and Summer Storm to sparse audiences Sunday before closing down for good.
The lease for the two-screen cinema, owned by Landmark Theatres, had run out, said Vice President of Marketing Ray Price.
He refused to comment on specific reasons for the closure, but said, “In general, one of the problems with theater properties is the retail value of the square footage is higher than the value of the theater. Other retail venues can better afford to pay that.”
“It’s not uncommon,” he said.
Landmark operates 57 theaters nationwide and specializes in art-house first-run independents, foreign film classics and other nontraditional cinema. In the East Bay, the company owns the California Theatre, Shattuck Cinemas, Piedmont Theatre and the Albany Twin. It acquired Act 1&2 in 1994.
Employees who chose to stay with the company were given the option to transfer to other theaters, said Act 1&2 Manager Chris Hatfield.
Last week, a theater employee told the Daily Californian on condition of anonymity that the theater was closing because low customer turnout was exacting a toll on financial solvency. Price would not confirm that.
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February 27, 2006
Capitol Theatre Reopens in Macon
MACON, GA — The Capitol Theatre re-opened to the general public on January 18, 2006 after being closed for 31 years. Thanks to the efforts of countless volunteers, the facility will now operate as a movie house and live entertainment facility.
Friday and Saturday nights are dedicated to movies showing at 7 PM and 10 PM. Thursday nights shall feature live entertainment. Future plans call for the complete restoration of the stage with lighting and sound equipment in place to support both live music and live productions.
As a 501©3, the facility will be available free of charge to school and educational productions on Monday and Tuesday evenings. In March the marquee will again be lit thanks to the generosity of Cox Communications. The marquee is a reproduction of the 1916 original.
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January 23, 2006
Fulton Cinema moves to 8-screen building
FULTON, MO — B&B Theatres is shutting its doors on the historic downtown building and moving to a new 8-screen cinema on the south end of town in May, 2006.
The old building is currently only 2 screens. The main auditorium is located downstairs, and a steep set of stairs leads to the smaller upstairs auditorium, a renovated balcony.
“Having only two auditoriums limits the movies we can show,” says current Fulton Cinema employee Alex Dzurick. “We always have to keep a family-friendly show in, and we don’t always get the newest releases.”
The B&B Theatres chain has owned the building since 1980, and it is currently the only theatre in the city.
“I grew up in the old place,” says Dzurick. “My mom worked there before I did, and I spent my toddler years under the counter reading while she ran the box office. It’s going to be hard to leave, but it will sure be nice to have more screens.”
The new building will be an 8-screen complex, all on the same level. Some current employees are helping to build the new building, but not Dzurick.
“I’m not old enough to work in construction,” he says. At 16, Dzurick is the youngest employee at the Fulton Cinema. “It’s hard being the new kid, but a lot of them knew me before I got the job. I even work with some of my teachers and siblings of classmates.”
The project is slated for completion in May, and the theatre hopes to open for business mid-month. The old building is being turned over to the Fulton Fine Arts Council, and it will be renovated into a live stage for community productions. The upper floor and screen will be removed and the upstairs will become a balcony again. The marquee will be removed and projectors taken out.
But there will always be the faint, lingering smell of hot buttered popcorn.