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Theaters
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December 31, 2009
New Plaza Cinema Cafe under new management already
ORLANDO, FL — After opening in May 2009, following a long delay, the Plaza Cinema Cafe closed briefly while it changed management teams.
Ellis also said the new operating entity had the ability to get films from major studios such as 20th Century Fox and Disney, which in the past had not been featured at the Plaza Cinema Cafe.
Rumors of the changeover began circulating earlier today after movie-goers went to the theater and found it locked.
The 12-screen theater is one of the retail centerpieces of The Plaza, a 21-story mixed-use building completed by developer Cameron Kuhn in February 2007.
More information is found in this December 23 article in the Orlando Business Journal.
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December 29, 2009
Cities in MI, GA, TX, and MO soon to get new multiplexes
ROYAL OAK, MI — Construction is either underway or shall soon begin on new multiscreen cinemas in four cities around the nation.
Emagine Entertainment has secured approval to launch construction on a new entertainment complex in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak. The project will include a ten-screen cinema, bowling lanes, and other attractions. Approval was delayed especially over parking concerns; parking has been a problem in the city for some time. The complex is expected to open in late November of 2010. Read more in the Detroit News.
Also anticipating a November opening is a new theater close to Peachtree City, GA, about 25 miles south of Atlanta. To be operated by Michigan-based NGC Theaters, the multiplex will have at least ten screens, one of which will be of the company’s Ultra format, measuring 50 ft x 30 ft.
There has not been a theater in Peachtree City since the Westpark Walk Village triplex closed several years ago. More information can be found in theCitizen. -
December 28, 2009
Rialto being converted to a mixed-use venue
EL DORADO, AR — The Rialto Theater is being converted in three phases into a venue for a variety of entertainment. Although the capability to show films (digitally) will eventually be part of the mix, the theater will also feature live performances. Opened in 1929, the theater was later converted to a triplex.
Phase one of a three-phase program to renovate the Rialto Theater in downtown El Dorado is complete, according to a news release issued Tuesday by Corinne Management, LLC, which operates the facility.
The theater closed two years ago after being in operation for almost 90 years, and a three-stage plan has been put together to bring the venue back to life, the release said.
More information in theEl Dorado News.
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December 23, 2009
Non-profit group forms to assist Drexel Theater
BEXLEY, OH — The financially troubled Drexel Theatre in Bexley is being boosted by the newly formed Friends of the Drexel. Although closure of the art house’s three screens does not appear to be likely anytime soon, the group will explore making the theater a not-for-profit, renovation, and other options to ensure its viability.
Friends of the Drexel Inc. is being headed by Bexley resident Richard Stoff, president of the Ohio Business Roundtable.
“It opens all sorts of possibilities,” said Stoff, citing tax- exempt contributions and grants.
In May, the Franks met with supporters to discuss the theater’s difficulties — a result of the economy and a light slate of “good, solid art films,” Jeff Frank said at the time.
There’s more in this article from the Columbus Dispatch.
(Thanks to GManviz for providing the photo.)
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December 22, 2009
Landis Theater becoming performing arts center
VINELAND, NJ — The 1937 Landis Theatre is undergoing a $60 million transformation into a performing arts center. The theater closed in 1987 and was saved from demolition for a drug store. A recent article spotlights the construction work; the accompanying pictures suggest that while the exterior is being restored, the interior has been more or less gutted out for the new use.
“There isn’t a bad seat here,” Landis Theater Foundation President Lori DiMatteo-Fiocchi said, as she walked across the new stage. “It’s really wide.”
The orchestra pit is now apparent, the wooden stage is set, and the whole structure — complete with fly and wing space — provides a frame to the vision project developer Hans Lampart had when he first took on the revitalization project.
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December 21, 2009
Historical group “shows some skin” in theater restoration effort
ST. ELMO, IL — Taking a cue from the recent British film “Calendar Girls,” mature members of the St. Elmo Historical Society recently posed for a “naughty” 2010 calendar. The proceeds from the calendar sales will benefit the Society’s efforts to preserve and restore the Elmo Theater which has been closed for many years.
It reads like a movie: A group of middle-aged — and older — small town residents decide to bare it all — almost — for a good cause. But for a St. Elmo group trying to get an old theater up and running again, its a real way for them to raise money and have some fun.
The St. Elmo Historical Society put together a calendar, featuring some of its members and others in the community seminude. The 2010 “Naughty but Nice!” calendar features women and men ranging in age from 40s to 70s, posing with strategically placed objects so as not to reveal too much. While the photos lack clothing, they are tastefully done, according to historical society member Jennieann Heischmidt, who is Ms. January.
Read more in the Effingham Daily News.
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Possible closure of Whitgift Film Theater by the end of January 2010
GRIMSBY, EAST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND — The Whitgift Film Theatre may have to close for good if they cannot find a sponsorship/financial backer very soon, by the New Year at the latest. This is due to falling numbers and a sad lack of interest by local business et al.
The running cost is at least £10,000 a year. If no backers come to hand quickly then the local little theatre will be no more on the 31st January, 2010. This shall end a 14-year run for the fully equipped cinema, which seats only 200. Calling the school asap on (UK number) (01472) 887 117 with offers would be beneficial. The best of luck to one and all…
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Apartments approved for University Cinemas site in Normal
NORMAL, IL — The days of the University Cinemas in Normal appear to be numbered. Currently operated by Carmike as a discount house, the construction of student apartments on the site has been approved by the planning commission.
A revised plan for student apartments at the University Cinemas site won the planning commission’s recommendation Thursday while a proposal for a Family Video and accompanying commercial building in north Normal was rejected.
A development group, 1010 S. Main LLC, wants to build six 2½-story, townhouse-style apartment buildings with a total of 220 bedrooms at the cinema site. The original plan called for one four-story, 350-bedroom building.
Read more in the Pantagraph.
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December 17, 2009
Varsity Theatre to get second screen
DAVIS, CA — The Varsity Theatre, with financial assistance of the city, will be adding a second screen and other improvements to help keep it viable in the age of the multiplex. Currently it is one of the dwindling number of single screen theaters in the country. (Note: the article says the theater is 88 old; it actually is only 59 years old. The was an earlier Varsity Theater in Davis that was closed and demolished right before the current one was constructed).
The city is spending nearly $1 million to fund the addition of a second screen with 100 seats next month, and adding digital projection. Operators of single-screen theaters are trying everything they can to keep their theaters alive — asking for support from city coffers, adding coffeehouses and restaurants, and switching between live events and film programming, to name a few.
The city support comes as a relief to Varsity leaseholders Jon Fenske and Sinisa Novakovic, who’ve operated the streamline moderne 333-seat facility as an arthouse for the past three and a half years in the university town.
Read more in Variety.
(Thanks to Marilyn M for providing the photo.)
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December 16, 2009
Korean theater claims to have world’s largest screen
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — According to the Guiness Book, the Starium Theater in western Seoul now has the world’s largest screen, measuring 103 ft. x 42.7 feet. The theater also a vey powerful sound system.
The massive screen, located in CGV’s Starium theater, measures 31.4 meters (103 feet) in width and 13 meters in height, ranking it as the largest one on the globe, according to Guinness World Records.
Previously, the largest movie screen in Korea was at CGV Centum City in Busan, which measures 27 meters in width.
One of the most striking aspects of the Starium theater is its powerful sound system. For the best sound, it uses an 11.2-channel stereoscopic system, which it claims provides uniform distribution of sound in every part of the theater.
Read more in this article in JoongAng Daily which includes a picture.