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Theaters
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May 12, 2010
Rave Motion Pictures takes over Showcase Cinemas Flint West from National Amusements
FLINT, MI — Rave Motion Pictures has taken over management of the Showcase Cinemas Flint West which is being renamed Rave Cinemas Flint West. It is one of 32 National Amusements theaters sold to Rave in December. The changeover is gradual. The refreshment stand now sells Coke instead of Pepsi as an example. Rave is expected to make several improvements including adding all digital projection equipment. The indoor signs are being changed, but the outdoor signs bearing the Rave name are not expected to appear until around June.
“We are beginning to change the internal signage in the theater, but slowly,” Devine said. “The outside signage won’t appear until June or so.”
The company, which markets itself as the nation’s fifth largest theater exhibition chain, has two other Michigan locations, the RMP Cityplace 14 in Kalamazoo and RC Ann Arbor 20 in Ypsilanti.
Additional details from the Flint Journal.
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May 11, 2010
Cinema Plaza in Flemington may not have a future
FLEMINGTON, NJ – The Cinema Plaza may be in the last part of its life. Although plans were announced some time ago to replace it with a modern, state-of-the-art multiplex, the current operator wants now to build at a new location. The building that houses the cinema started out as a dairy barn in 1921, and later became an automobile dealership. It became a a five-screen theater 1981; a sixth was later added in what was the originally a hayloft.
Cinema Plaza at 240 Route 202-31 could be demolished to make room for a retail complex to be called Shoppes at Raritan. If the proposal is accepted, the new complex will include a CVS pharmacy, a bank and restaurant as well as retail stores
Under the corporate name of 240 Highway Rt. 202 Associates, property owner Steven Kalafer has submitted at application and plans to the township Planning Board. Kalafer is best known as founder and chairman of the Flemington Car and Truck Country group of dealerships.
The full story is at NJ.com.
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Cinema 21 celebrates 83 years; current owner has been at the helm for the last 30
PORTLAND, OR — Even in a city with a several independent cinemas, the Cinema 21 stands out: it remains a single screen survivor of the many changes that have killed many other movie houses over the decades. A key factor in its longevity is its owner and operator, Tom Ranieri, whose programming skill keeps this movie house going with a strong community following.
The brand is still in place — witness recent premieres such as “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (now playing) or “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” or “The Wrestler.” But the work require to maintain the brand, and what the brand can be expected to reap in ticket sales, has transformed significantly during Ranieri’s tenure.
“A slow-moving glacier has passed through and changed the landscape,” Ranieri says. “Things have changed dramatically. Videotape changed people’s experience of watching a movie. Now it requires more of an event to get people to come out. And maybe that’s only a cheap movie and a beer and a slice of pizza. And maybe some movies are events in themselves. But just having a good film or a solid film to show is easily dismissed. People look at that and think ‘I’ll catch in on DVD or VOD.’”
Read the whole story in the Oregonian.
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May 6, 2010
Fire damages Peterborough theater
PETERBOROUGH, NH — Opened in 1914 as the Gem, the Peterborough Community Theater was damaged by fire on April 30. Firefighters were able to limit the damage.
Friday night, movie and restaurant patrons evacuated onto School Street after people inside the Peterborough Community Theatre Building spotted a fire. Officials said the fire may have started in a ceiling fan, which authorities will continue to investigate Saturday.
“We were in the movie, almost all the way through, and we said, ‘It smelled like smoke,’ and we thought it was just part of the movie. Then, we heard the alarms going off, and we thought that was part of the movie also,” said an evacuated movie patron.
There is more detail in WMUR.
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May 5, 2010
San Bernardino looking for operator for 20 screen multiplex
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — When it opened in 1999, the tax-payer built CinemaStar 20 appeared to be a successful venture, especially in a town with relatively few screens. Located adjacent to the historic California Theater, which is now a performing arts center, it seemed ideally located. But by 2008, the city’s redevelopment agency had taken over the multiplex, CinemaStar was bankrupt, and the theater closed. A recent proposal to renovate and reopen the theater by Maya Cinemas now appears dead, though some other chains may be interested.
The $12 million, 20-screen movie theater — built with taxpayer dollars — today sits empty, surrounded by chain-link fence, its interior gutted on Maya’s promise to rebuild the stadium seating and install new carpeting and a 3-D IMAX screen.
The default is just the latest in a series of unfulfilled promises that began in 1996, when the city signed the original developer, Metropolitan Development, to build the multiplex and restaurants and shops near it.
The full story can be read here in thePress-Enterprise.
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May 4, 2010
Wheaton Grand might return to full time cinema use
WHEATON, IL — For several years, the Grand Theater Corp., a not-for-proft, has been trying to raise funds to turn the 1925 Wheaton Grand into a performing arts center – with city’s blessing. But efforts have fallen very far short, foreclosure looms, and Chicago’s Classic Cinemas chain is expressing interest is possibly acquiring the theater.
“It’s something we’re interested in,” said Chris Johnson, co-owner of Classic Cinemas. “We’re definitely taking a look because we know the possibilities that are there.”
The Wheaton Grand’s fate has been in limbo since November when Wheaton park board members scrapped a plan to borrow millions to renovate the Hale Street building. But the possibility of the theater changing hands is a recent development.
There is more in the Daily Herald.
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April 30, 2010
Star Theater in Reedsburg may re-open
REEDSBURG, WI — If a Community Development Block Grant for this city is approved, the re-opening of the Star Theater six-plex will be a top priority for the use of the funds. The theater was closed in 2008 by Kerasotes after sustaining flood damage.
The outcome of the grant will likely decide the immediate future of the theater, which Dougherty said was actually in very good physical shape, but was used for storage by previous owner Kerasotes Showplace Theatres.
“Without the money, the current prospect we’re working with can’t make it go,” Dougherty said, adding later, “Being the eternal optimist that I am, I think by the end of the summer the theater will be open.”
There is more in the Reesburg Times-Press.
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April 29, 2010
Clemson mayor wants to see Astro III theater revived
CLEMSON, SC — Clemson’s mayor, Larry Abernathy, is not happy that his college town of 33,000 has been without a movie theater since the Astro III was closed by Carmike in 2008. He wants the city to acquire the deteriorating property with available TIFF and hospitality tax funds and rehab it for movies and other performances. If the current owners, who have rebuffed offers before, won’t sell it, the mayor will launch an effort to being a new cinema to town.
Most of the money the city wants to use to purchase the property — $1 million — comes from TIFF funds, while the balance would come from accommodations taxes and hospitality taxes, Abernathy said.
“That money is supposed to be used to get people to come to Clemson,” he said.
The mayor said he envisions renovating the building and reopening it both as a movie theater and also a space for live performances, such as poetry readings and one-act plays. He said he would like for one of the theater’s screens to be dedicated to art and foreign films.
The full story is at GreenvilleOnline.
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April 28, 2010
University of Michigan–Flint continues to eye the Capitol Theatre
FLINT, MI — The University of Michigan—Flint continues to express interest in making the Capitol Theatre the home of its music department. A newly released feasibility study indicates the renovations and restoration of the historic John Eberson designed theater building would cost almost $25 million. That is at least $14 million less than new construction. The project would further enhance redevelopment efforts downtown and would bring the university even closer to downtown. The theater is located two blocks from campus.
“I see this project as an attractive one that needs to be weighed against other institutional priorities,” UM-Flint’s dean of the college of arts and sciences, DJ Trela, said about moving the university’s music school into the 30,000-square-foot vintage building, which has been in the midst of restoration efforts for years.
“I still believe this would be a great asset for the community and a wonderful project that would help move our music department to the next level. However, $25 million is a lot of money.”
Further details can be found in the Flint Journal.
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April 27, 2010
Small cinemas buck the multiplex trend in offshore places in SW Florida
SANIBEL ISLAND, FL — Want to run a little movie theater without being overpowered and trampled upon by the big chains? Find yourself a small island community, where convenience can trump the cost and distance of travel to a multiplex. Three small cinemas, the Island Cinemas on Sanibel Island, the Beach Theater on Ft. Myers Beach, and the Marco Movie Theater on Marco Island keep going without digital 3D or stadium seating.
That’s the secret to running an independent movie theater in the 21st century: Stay small and find an untapped or underserved market far from the multiplexes and megaplexes.
“It’s the location,” Island Cinema manager Britt Maxwell said of the theater’s success. “The next nearest theater is 30-45 minutes away.
The article about these three theaters in News-Press.