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Theaters
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December 16, 2009
Twelve-screen multiplex planned for Wasilla
WASILLA, AK — Coming Attractions Theaters, based on Ashland Oregon, is planning to build a multiplex here with a dozen screens. If financing is secured, and the project built, it may force the town’s current triplex, the Mat-Su, to close.
Schweiger owns Coming Attractions Theatres Inc., based in Ashland, Ore. He said he’s been traveling between Alaska and Oregon for two years, working on the project.
He said Wasilla — and the Valley market — is appealing because it’s the right-sized community and a fast-growing area. That, and “Oregon’s full,” he said.
Schweiger said he’s invested heavily in architecture and engineering designs for the project and has traveled to Wasilla several times to walk the property, which his company purchased this summer, and work out details. He hopes the deal goes through.
Read more in the Anchorage Daily News.
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December 15, 2009
Seawall, Cormony tapped for Parkway Theatre project
BALTIMORE, MD — A proposal is on the board to convert the long vacant Parkway Theatre into a mixed-use property.
Seawall and Cormony want to build a $12.2 million, 26,819-square-foot mixed-use development incorporating the former Parkway Theatre at 3 W. North Ave. as well as the existing building at 1 W. North Ave. and the facade of 1820 N. Charles St.
Plans call for a performing arts venue, a bar, a museum and additional space. City officials say the project could further ambitious plans to revitalize the Charles North community in Baltimore — and attract future development interest in the neighborhood.
Read more in the Baltimore Business Journal.
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December 14, 2009
Rapids Theater in Niagara Falls, NY gets $1.8 million in renovations
NIAGARA FALLS, NY — In its almost 90 years of existence, the Rapids Theater has been at various times a cinema and nightclub, and will now host a variety of live performances. Born in 1921 as Shea’s Bellevue, the theater has had several names.
“The extent of the damage in here was incredible,” said John Hutchins, president of Hutch Enterprises and the building’s developer. “It was painted black and battleship gray. It was just disgusting.”
Workers peeled back mirrors from the walls, replaced the floor, added recessed lighting and replicated intricate molding that had chipped off in large chunks. The restoration also included the addition of a new sound and lighting system, an electronic marquee and a custom-built maple wood bar.
The full article is in the Buffalo News.
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December 11, 2009
Major management changes coming for Columbus’s Gateway
COLUMBUS, OH — Landmark Theaters will cease to operate the Gateway multiplex in December when its current lease runs out.The theater will be managed by its original developer and two of the seven screens will be programmed by the Ohio State University’s Wexner Center for the Arts. The theater will be renamed the Gateway Film Center.
“We are excited by the new direction and the opportunities this will bring to the wonderful arts community in central Ohio,” said Doug Aschenbach, president of Campus Partners, in a press release. “The physical and programming changes will not only mean a reinvention of our products and services, but will allow us to serve an even larger group of central Ohio moviegoers.”
Sherri Geldin, director of the Wexner Center, said the collaboration is ideal because it allows both centers' resources and expertise to benefit each other.
Read more in The Lantern.
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Former AMC Laurel Park 10 reopening Dec. 11 under new management
LIVONIA, MI — Phoenix Theaters has made a number of improvements to the former AMC Laurel Park 10 cinemas, closed since mid-October. The renovations include new seating and improved sound and projection, including digital 3-D. The theater will now be known as Phoenix Theaters at Laurel Park Place.
The Shostack Brothers own the building the 10-screen theater is housed in and didn’t want to see Livonia lose an important theater location, Jacobson said. “By partnering with Phoenix Theaters to operate the renovated movie house, it brings for the first time local control to the theater operations, movie selections and relationship with this community. We will concentrate on selecting movies that match the interests of those who live in the area as a first order of business.”
Read more in Hometown Life.
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December 8, 2009
State Theater in Woodland, CA may be ripe for revitalization
WOODLAND, CA — Passed over in recent years as a target for regeneration, prospects for a revitalized State Theater, a 1937 S. Charles Lee design, may be brightening. A recent article looks at some recent events the may be pointing toward the city’s taking a fresh look at the State, and notes how other theaters in some other California have been restored when vision, planning, civic determination, and the right mix of public and private funding are in place.
The State, situated on Main Street between Walnut and Elm, has – up until just recently —– been ignored by the City of Woodland as “closed session” discussions focused on locating Main Street theater complexes between Third and Fourth (north of Main) and between Fifth and Sixth (south of Main). Both the Third Street plan and the Fifth Street plan were connected to the New Woodland Courthouse (to be built by the State of California) and the associated ill-fated downtown garage (that the city was gung-ho to build for the courthouse).
But now that the Golden State seems settled to build their new courts at the Fifth Street site and now that the city’s downtown garage project has died on the vine, there seems to be a shift in redevelopment prioritization – possibly giving our neglected State Theatre a chance to glow once again in the historic downtown.
Read the full story in the Woodland Record.
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December 7, 2009
Former Takoma Park theater lost to fire
TAKOMA PARK, MD — The former Allen Theater was lost in an early morning fire on December 5. The building had become a furniture store.
The fire on New Hampshire Avenue near East-West Highway was reported just before 2:30 this morning, and went to three alarms before crews got it under control three hours later.
About 120 firefighters from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties responded to the scene.
The cause of the fire is still being determined.
The full story is at WTOP.
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December 4, 2009
Few community theaters left operating in Maine, New Hampshire
PORTSMOUTH, NH — The closing of the Strand in Dover, NH is sadly only the latest in a long series of community theater closing that have left the seacoast towns of Maine and New Hampshire with almost none of their original theaters still showing films. A recent article by Gina Carbone details the losses over the years, the struggle of the survivors to keep going, and the value of community cinemas.
“What is their future? I doubt they have one,” Detzler said. “Most every independent operator I know of is either closed, planning to close, or planning to redevelop. I cannot name names but the list of closed theaters in New Hampshire will continue to grow. … The fast pace of technological change, the business environment and customer expectations are too much for small operators to keep up with.”
Even so, as some local theaters fall, others are holding on or even being born — operating as nonprofits, diversifying programming beyond just films, or turning to the technology that’s killing others and trying to make it work for them.
Read more in Seacoast Online.
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December 3, 2009
Village Theater in Coronado will renovated, reopen as triplex
CORONADO, CA — Closed since 2000, it looks like the renovation of the Village will finally begin around April of 2010. Original announcements indicated that the work would be completed in 2009, but now grant financing has been secured, an architect engaged, and an operator has signed on to run the theater once the upgrades are completed.
An agreement between the city and Los Angeles-based Five Star Theatres guarantees the 9,000-square-foot movie house will be reopened in one year. In return for a Community Development Agency grant of nearly $2.7 million, Five Star Theatres has agreed to renovate and run the theater until 2026.
The Village Theater’s quaint facade, including the original ticket booth, the tall blade “Village” sign and terrazzo, will remain largely intact, but the main auditorium will be revamped by noted theater designer Joseph Musil into a three-screen cinema.
“Regrettably, we have to carve it up,” Five Star owner Lance Alspaugh said. “I’m not happy about it, but it was the only way anyone could have done it. The good news is we’ve retained a designer that is very impressive.”
Read more in Signon San Diego.
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Screenvision announces new Long-Term agreement with Bow Tie Cinemas
Bowtie Cinemas up until recently proudly proclaimed “No Commercials” in all their advertising. This had been the best thing about Bowtie Cinemas, but now it appears they have struck a deal with Screenvision to bring pre-show entertainment and advertisements to there cinemas. Hopefully they will use this new revenue stream to update their complexes.
As part of the agreement, Screenvision holds exclusive screen advertising sales representation rights for Bow Tie’s early and late preshows. The deal also provides Screenvision with the rights to sell in-lobby screens and promotions. Bow Tie Cinemas has a large stake in screens across top markets nationwide, with 67 percent in the top 20 DMAs, including New York, Denver and Baltimore.
“The top notch quality and compelling content within Screenvision’s digital preshow, along with their reputation as leaders in technology and service within the cinema advertising community, have made Screenvision a natural partner for Bow Tie,” said Joseph Masher, CEO of Bow Tie Cinemas. “We anticipate that this new deal and the digitizing of our screens will lead to a more rewarding, entertaining, and high quality experience for all our moviegoers.”
Now a question, has anyone’s movie going experience been made rewarding or more entertaining due to ads shown on screens?
Read the full story at Box Office.