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Theaters
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May 23, 2011
New Tenant Hopes to “Revive” Capitol Theatre
FLINT, MI — A downtown church group has moved into renovated space on the Harrison Street side of the historic Capitol Theatre building. Hand of God Ministries held its first service in the renovated storefronts at 600 Harrison St on Sunday, May 15. The ribbon cutting took place on May 13 with Flint mayor Dayne Walling in attendance. More details from the Flint Journal.
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May 17, 2011
AMC converts six screens at Downtown Disney to dine-and-view
ORLANDO, FL — Six screens at AMC Downtown Disney 24 have been remodeled by AMC to accommodate its dine-and-view concept. Located on the Planet Hollywood side of the megaplex, the theater-within-a-theater offers appetizers, a variety of sandwiches and other main courses, and some desserts, in addition to beer and wine.
They’ve re-purposed the six smaller theaters on the west (Planet Hollywood) side of the complex, pulled the seats out and set up seats in sets of four (except on the edges of the theater, where there are two) seated in front of a counter, with menus, ketchup and a little call button that you press for wait staff service. These 100 seat theaters offer you dinner, drinks (beer, wine) and a movie, much the way The Enzian does it (orders taken by waiter, food delivered to your table).
Read more in theOrlando Sentinel.
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May 16, 2011
Dormont’s Hollywood Theatre now operating as a not-for-profit
DORMONT, PA — The Hollywood Theater has reopened yet again, this time under the management of the not-for-profit Friends of the Hollywood Theatre. The theater most recently closed in 2009.
In its new life in the hands of the nonprofit group Friends of the Hollywood Theater, the movie house is being run in an approach used by many arts organizations and a growing number of historic single-screen movie theaters.
The Strand in Zelienople, the Valley Players in Ligonier and the three city movie theaters operated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers are all being operated by nonprofits. The nonprofit Denis Theatre Foundation is raising $4.5 million to reopen The Denis, a 1930s Mt. Lebanon theater that closed seven years ago.
The story can be read at PittsburghLive.
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May 13, 2011
Fortunes change for Egyptian
COOS BAY, OR — After recently reopening, following a grassroots effort to bring it back, the Egyptian Theatre has been shuttered and cannot open without significant repairs. This is a huge blow to downtown Coos Bay as the unique theater had brought in crowds, especially on weekends.
It’s also unsafe to occupy, according to an engineer’s report commissioned by the theater’s owner, the city of Coos Bay, and the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association. A staggering $3.7 million in estimated repairs is needed before it can be reopened. And that’s the latest blow to a theater that only five years ago found itself closed for an altogether different reason: obsolescence.
Read more in the Register-Guard.
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Indy’s College Park 14 reopens as the Movie Buff
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Closed since 2009, the former AMC/Loew’s College Park 14 was reopened May 6 by a Florida resident and renamed the Movie Buff. The new owner is contemplating offering a mix of new and old films, religious films, and special cinematic events.
Tickets are $5 on weekdays and $7 on weekends.
“I know I can build it back up,” Friedman said. “It’s going to take a little time. People need to know I am here.”
The story is in the Indianapolis Star.
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May 10, 2011
Studio Movie Grill expected to open in Scottsdale, AZ this autumn
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The newest addition to the Texas-based chain of Studio Movie Grills is expected to open here in the fall. The location is within the former UA/Regal Sonora Village 10 which closed in 2010. The conversion will result in the loss of one screen and in a reduction of over one thousand seats
Wider seats and more rise between rows will reduce the overall seating capacity to 1,165 in nine auditoriums, she said.
United Artists opened the Sonora Village theater in 1996. Regal Entertainment Group operated it after Regal merged with United Artists about a decade ago.
The full story appeared in the online AZCentral.
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Pathway cleared for demolition of Beach 4 in Cape May
CAPE MAY, NJ — The long saga of efforts to save the Beach 4 now appears to have met a sad end. The City Council has voted to overrule the determination of its own Historic Preservation Commission which had recommended against the issuance of a demolition permit and also to take the matter away from the Zoning Board which had been holding hearings on the issue. The Council’s decision essentially clears the way for the theater to be destroyed.
City Council awarded a $7.5 million contract Tuesday to a Vineland firm to construct a new convention facility on the beachfront. And City Solicitor Tony Monzo announced the settlement of a lawsuit that will allow Frank Investments to demolish the Beach Theatre across the street from the convention facility.
The company plans to construct condominiums, but a debate over whether the movie theater built in 1950 was a historic building had held up the project.
Read the full story in the Press of Atlantic City.
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May 6, 2011
A look inside the AMC Empire 25, the busiest theater in America
NEW YORK, NY — A recent article in the Hollywood Reporter provides a close-up look at how the AMC Empire 25 handles the daily crowds at its popular location just off of Times Square. The seven-level “multiplex on steroids” entertains, on average, 42,000 patrons a week and last year took in nearly $25 million in revenue. At its mammoth concession stand, 3,500 pounds of popcorn kernels are popped and 250 gallons of Coke syrup are mixed with carbonated water every week. The history of the theater, which dates back to 1912 when it was built as the Eltinge 42nd Street Theatre is also summarized.
Most multiplexes in the U.S. don’t open until noon and, if they did open earlier, would be hard-pressed to get any traffic. But early openings are all in a day’s work for the Empire, which accommodates more than 2 million moviegoers annually. It’s been the top-grossing theater in North America for years — a surprising fact, even within the film business, given that it doesn’t have bells and whistles like reserved seating or high-end dining. Not to mention that 42nd Street is best associated with the surrounding Broadway legit theaters (and, of course, the often seedy history of Times Square).
The story of how the Empire — which has gone from Broadway theater to burlesque house to shuttered operation — came to be the U.S.‘ busiest theater is emblematic of the resurgence of Times Square and New York City’s tenacious ability to reinvent itself. Beyond its singular success, the Empire offers a profile of how the modern multiplex — albeit one on steroids — operates. Individual movies are assigned screens based on their drawing power, and the number of screens can change quickly from one day to the next. To maintain cost-effectiveness, staffing is constantly adjusted based on projections about how upcoming movies are expected to perform. And even orchestrating the concession lines is a near-science.
The whole story can be read here.
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May 5, 2011
NEW THEATRE - LAEMMLE NOHO 7, NORTH HOLLYWOOD. CALIF
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — Laemmle Theatres is building a new theatre in the NoHo Arts District to open by the end of the year.
Read more in NoHo Arts District.com.
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May 3, 2011
Five new screens coming to Belleville
BELLEVILLE, IL — The owners of the entertainment complex called the Edge (Eat, Drink, Games, etc.) plan to substantially expand their complex by the end of the year by adding two theaters, one which will be a general admission triplex and the other a 21+ VIP twin cinema with plush leather seating and food and cocktail service available. The owners have received $80,000 in incentives from the City of Belleville, but now must operate for at least a decade. The new screens will place competitive pressure on the classic 1921 Lincoln Theatre in Belleville (now a triplex) and the Skyview Drive-in which is the only operating drive-in in the greater Saint Louis, MO area.
Both theaters will show mainstream, “first-run” films, and because they’ll be using digital projectors, they also plan to broadcast major sports games or concerts, and have other events, such as Xbox video game tournaments.
They hope to have the theaters open by Christmas.
The story appeared at BND.com.