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Theaters
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April 2, 2010
Nightclub proposed for former Cherryvale Mall theater
ROCKFORD, IL — A plan is to be presented to suburban Cherryvale’s governing council to convert the former Cherryvale Mall Cinema, closed for about ten years, into a nightclub to be called the Chubby Rain House of Tunes.
“We want to get all the big bands and national acts we can, and (those acts) don’t want to play for 300 capacity,” Currier said. “Now, with this larger capacity, we’ll be able to get all the bands we’re able to get and a lot more.”
The plan must get approval from the Village Board. Its next step is to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals at 7 p.m. April 14 at Village Hall.
Read more in the Rockford Register Star.
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New fourteen-screen megaplexes set for New Braunfels, TX and Pooler, GA
NEW BRAUNFELS, TX — Dallas-based Starplex Cinemas has announced that an all-digital, fourteen-screen cinema is set to open by the end of December at the Town Center at Creekside in New Braunfels. The story is in the Herald-Zeitung.
Another all-digital fourteen-screener will open in Pooler, GA in 2011. This one will be operated by the family-owned Georgia Theatre Company, which has been operating theaters for over eight decades. The announcement is at WSAV.com.
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April 1, 2010
Carmike to operate Ocala’s Marion Theatre
OCALA, FL — Carmike Theaters has signed a lease agreement with the City of Ocala to operate the Marion Theater once again as first run cinema. Opened in 1941, the theater first closed as a movie house in 1971, and was used, after several years, as a science center. It then returned to service as a cinema, but regular film showings ended in January, 2008. The re-opening date is provisionally set for May 21.
Not since January 2008 has the 326-seat theater, once leased by former Taylor, Bean & Whitaker chairman Lee Farkas, screened a film, though it has sporadically hosted smaller events like comedy shows.
A grand opening date has been tentatively set for May 21. The first title to be shown could be the family-friendly flick “Shrek Forever After,” according to David Pflegl, Digital Services Manager for Carmike.
Read the full story at Ocala.com.
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March 31, 2010
Regency acquires Bruin, Westwood Village cinemas
LOS ANGELES, CA — After so many heartbreaking theater losses in Westwood Village the past few years, it looked like the worst case scenario was about to occur as Mann Theatres' final leases in the neighborhood were about to run out. That was until Regency Theatres announced yesterday that as of tomorrow, they will be operating the Village and Bruin theatres.
Regency’s show of faith is good news for standalone theaters, and could spark interest in other historic venues, including the for-sale Grauman’s Chinese.
Regency entered long-term leasing negotiations with the theater’s local owners at the beginning of the year, after previous operators Mann Theaters decided last year not to renew its leases.
Read more in Variety.
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March 29, 2010
Historic Lido Theatre to screen “Clash of the Titans” in 3D!
NEWPORT BEACH, CA — It appears Warner’s “Clash of the Titans” reboot will screen at the historic Regency Lido Theatre in Newport Beach, CA beginning Thursday, Apr 1 (10 pm). And in 3D, if you can believe it. Kind of an odd film for the 72-year-old Lido which specializes in art fare. But the real kicker is the 3D presentation.
Not even Regal’s flagship 1108-seat Big Newport theater down the road is equipped for 3D. One would have to think with the financial commitment a digital 3D projector requires that a shift is afoot in Lido programming. Regal appears to be taking notice. According to Fandango.com, “Clash of the Titans” isn’t scheduled to screen at the Big Newport, unheard of for a big-budget event film. Should be very interesting to see how this plays out over the summer.
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March 19, 2010
Former Mann 4 to house dinner theater
FORT COLLINS, CO — Scheduled to open in September, the Mann 4 is morphing into the Midtown Arts Center. In its new role, the former cinema will be home to the Carousel Dinner Theater and three other function and performance spaces.
Carousel Dinner Theatre owners have purchased the former four-plex cinema – which closed in 1999 and up until this year was used by the Lithia car dealership to store tires and equipment – and plan to reopen it this fall as the Midtown Arts Center.
“We’re so excited that this is finally happening,” said Kurt Terrio, adding that they kept the project secret, even from the dinner theater’s employees, until they were certain it was going to go through.
There’s more detail and sketches of the renovated facility in theColoradoan.
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March 16, 2010
Community leaders scramble to keep San Pedro’s Warner Grand open
SAN PEDRO, CA — With the city of Los Angeles no longer interested in footing the bills for the Warner Grand, locals are trying to figure out options.
Questions such as whether for-profit organizations can compete with nonprofit groups – and whose obligation it will be to pay for ongoing utilities and maintenance – remain up in the air.
“There are a lot of unknowns right now, like exactly what the maintenance costs would be,” said Liz Schindler-Johnson, volunteer director of the Grand Vision Foundation. “This is going to become an ongoing expense that the community is now being asked to bear and that’s something to be kept in mind. It’s not a one-time only expenditure, it’s going to go on and on into the future.”
Currently, Lee Sweet of Cultural Affairs manages the theater on behalf of the city. The theater offers a variety of shows throughout the year, from a foreign film series to live musicals, concerts and classic films.
Read more in the Daily Breeze.
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March 12, 2010
St Albans cinema to re-open
ST. ALBANS, HERTFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND — Many locals have firmly embraced the re-opening of St. Albans Odeon which closed in 1995. With the help of James Hannaway (captain of the Rex Berkhamsted!) they’re just 43k gbp away from the purchase price.
Read more in All About St. Albans
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New Programming Format at Joy Cinema
TIGARD, OR — As part of my on-going effort to support the shrinking number of single screen cinemas, I’ve just called the Joy Cinema to see what they are playing.
I was greeted by a live voice. After explaining that their website was down, hence the call, his information was brief “We are under new management and showing only Bollywood films.”
Interestingly, the Joy Cinema was purchased last year and very nicely redecorated and updated with equipment, continuing the same film format. It is not clear if they sold the house again or that the Bollywood films have taken over under the direction?
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March 8, 2010
New cinemas coming to Leesburg, VA and Pigeon Forge, TN
LEESBURG, VA — A twelve-screen multiplex will be Cobb Theatres first venture in the region around Washington DC; the chain is based in Alabama. It will feature the company’s CineBistro as part of the theater’s amenities, and the company hopes to open the multiplex by the summer of next year.
“A CineBistro consists of an intimate lounge and restaurant area in a boutique setting, surrounded by multiple theatres — each seating between 80-100 customers. After dining, the tables are rolled back and patrons enjoy a movie in what Cobb Theatres describes as a true ‘private Hollywood movie screening experience.’”
The theater will also have stadium seating with custom-designed rocking seats for unobstructed viewing and wall-to-wall curved high grain screens that the company says produce brighter colors and sharper images than other screens.
There is more in Loudoni.com.
In Pigeon Forge, TN, demolition has begun to provide space for a five-screen theater in the Walden’s Landing Center. The cinema will be operated by Phoenix BIG Cinemas of Knoxville.