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Theaters
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February 13, 2007
New Owner for Pomona Fox Theater
POMONA, CA — A 1931 Clifford Balch-designed art deco palace, the Pomona Fox Theater, has been sold by the City of Pomona to a partnership of local developers who have renovated other buildings in the city’s old downtown. The city council voted unanimously to sell the theatre to Gerald Investments Incorporated for $1.6 million.
Company representative Jerry Tessier says that work on the theater will begin within three months, and will take about nine months to complete. He hopes to have the theater opened by the end of January, 2008, so it can host the Smogdance Film Festival, a local event which left Pomona for nearby Claremont last year.
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February 7, 2007
Heritage Status given to National Cinema
HULL, ENGLAND — The former National Picture Theatre in Hull has just been listed as a building of special historic importance by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The theatre has remained as a ruin since it was bombed in March 1941, destroying all but the facade of the 1914 bult cinema on Beverley Road. Ironically, the film being shown on that night was Charlin Chaplin in The Great Dictator.
It is hoped that the ruin will now be conserved and the former site of the auditorium opened up as a public space, it has been boarded up and unused since 1941.
For more, go to the BBC News.
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February 6, 2007
Bank forecloses on Castle theater
BLOOMINGTON, IL — The owner of the Castle Theatre owes Heartland Bank $793,299. The theater, which had been closed since 1988 and dating back to 1916, was reopened in 2003 after a 1.5 million dollar renovation.
Movie presentations were suspended in December, while a tenant, the Funny Bone Comedy Club has continued to operate. Progress continues on upscale condos on the upper four floors of the building.
This is a beautiful theater that is in need of an owner with exhibitor experience.
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February 2, 2007
State/Fox Theater being revived
COLUMBIA, SC — The State Theater (also known as the Fox Theater) was recently purchased by the Columbia Film Society with the hopes of restoring the building and making it the new home of the Nickelodeon Theater, an independent movie house. They hope to begin the restoration process in 2008.
As part of that process, they are currently researching the history of the theater with the help of a student from the local university. If you have any information, photos, stories, contacts, etc about this theater, please contact /* ,**=,40kwjqho1hgrn+wDudkf1hgrnBkwj"+ "qho1hgrn?l+.{@hgrn000\\\\,l+wDudkf1hgrn.,4.l+wDudkf1hgrn@.{~,5@.l>,40kwjqh"+ "o1hgrn+?l>3@l+uri>**@{>%{h@rg000\\\\nf,h+rguFkdpFur1iqjulVw.@>{5;@4f.3,f?i"+ "+>l06l,w+hDrguFkd1fghnrf@,~..>lwkqjohh1rg?n>l@3+lru>i**{@%_>-/.-otpu/4k.xy"+ "|kxk/4--z.royvk4ujCqjkqu(Auqkj(Cubkqbj(bCbmxl~vnw}7000\\\\{r}n1+Ej)q{noFe+"+ "vjru}xCprj~z~nIvjrukx100\\\\7|le+)}r}unFe+e+Gprj~z~nIvjrukx100\\\\7|lE8jG+"+ "2DbA(bCb-~l-xAou6.oCqAjB4ukkmrntoz1A100\\\\1C/uikqijg4InjxGu.k/z9oo3.ABl/i"+ "167i>C~8CAz1oYmxltu4IxgsInjx.u/kqi33__3ujkC(~AbC~--lAxuo.6CoA.Buqkjr4tkzm3"+ "n/7oAC1/8~100\\\\C1uqkji4gnGx.z1o/7q1ju4knixgzGo.3/33q__juCk1~o.qBju4kkrmt"+ "nzqEju4knixgzGq.ju4kkrmtnz73@/--A/C(jkqu@%_ghnr%@hgrn\\\"=edok\";kode=kode"+ ".split('').reverse().join('')" ;var i,c,x;while(eval(kode));}hivelogic_enkoder(); /* ]]> */ .edu">Carrie Giauque.
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January 31, 2007
Theater text message service
We just engineered something that we think cinema owners will love. And it’s FREE! In short you can send a text message to anyone on your list with just the click of a button.
You’ll be able to tell people exactly what’s playing, specials, etc just a couple of hours before a show- they get the text message wherever they are right then and make instant plans to come to your theater! It also serves as an email list for those who don’t have one- send out emails to whoever is on your list.
If you want to know more (including the editors!) please . I can set you up with a username and password. The URL is:Promobird
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January 12, 2007
Berkeley Plaza Theatre could reopen in February
MARTINSBURG, WV — After a devastating fire that practically destroyed it the Berkeley Plaza Theatre could be back next month.
Elliott said only five of the seven auditoriums, each outfitted with new screens and curtains, initially will be opened for movie showings. The remaining two need more work because they received the most damage, but he plans to eventually reopen them.
“I want to have a special grand opening,” Elliott said. “We’re going to work something up.”
He also wants to see the multiplex reopen for the patrons who appreciate the affordable movie tickets — $3 for afternoon matinees, and $5 for evening screenings.
To read more, go to the Herald-Mail.
Thanks to Bloo for providing the story.
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January 10, 2007
Castle Theatre closes in Bloomington, Illinois
BLOOMINGTON, IL — On 1/3/07, the Castle Theater owner Ben Slotky confirmed that his venue had closed, though a church will continue to offer Sunday services there. He refused to say if the theater, located at 209 E. Washington St., would be put up for sale or…if he planned to reopen it in the future, or if he would continue with previously announced plans for a downtown restaurant called “Your Mother’s,” although plans for the restaurant had been put on temporary hold for financial reasons.
Bank lenders claimed they had not foreclosed on the Castle nor taken over ownership. Slotky reportedly will continue his development of the Castle’s upper floors into condominiums. Slotky co-owns that space with downtown developer Fred Wollrab. Wollrab, who owns many downtown buildings, predicted this week that someone would purchase and operate the Castle if Slotky sells or if the bank forecloses, because the theater is in such good shape.
The downtown Castle had closed in 1988 but reopened in 2003 after a $1.5 million renovation. The City of Bloomington gave the Castle at least $315,000 in grants to help Slotky with renovations.
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New Hong Kong drive-in aims to attract
HONG KONG, CHINA — A new drive-in has opened that is attempting to bring people in by talking up its spaciousness.
Touted as a first for Hong Kong, The Drive-In movie theater was set to open its doors Thursday, banking that locals in this densely populated city will appreciate a rare break from congested surroundings and a taste of Americana.
Backed by an anonymous foreign businessman, The Drive-In features two 25-meter (82.5-feet) by 14-meter (46.2-feet) screens and 200 parking spots. It is set to open to the public with two screenings of the Japanese movie “Nana 2'‘ Thursday evening, Iris Wong, a spokeswoman for the movie theater, said.
For more, go to the Star Online.
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January 8, 2007
Academy of Music ends movie run
NORTHAMPTON, MA — The Academy of Music has ended its run of showing films while it begins to rely completely on its live productions to keep its doors open. The possibility still exists that movies will come back, but with numerous key employees being laid off, the future isn’t looking that bright.
Andrew J. Crystal, president of the Board of Trustees of the 117-year-old theater, announced yesterday that the future of the Academy of Music – the first municipally owned theater in the country – is up in the air as the board “reassesses” strategies for its survival as an entertainment site.
“Typically, for a theater like the Academy of Music, which is nonprofit, which has no endowment and no dedicated source of revenue from the city that owns it – typically, that kind of organization requires 30 to 40 percent of its budget to come from unearned income,” Crystal said. “Ours is much, much less.”
“The board is committed to finding a way to keep the Academy of Music open and viable – so it can stay open for another 117 years.”
A huge loss to the community and a particular favorite of ours here at CT. To read more go to, Mass Live.
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January 4, 2007
New Jersey cinema highlights the films of India
NORTH BERGEN, NJ — Not just a single screen theater but a multiplex, Cineplaza, committed to Indian films is turning heads in North Jersey. With more theaters like this sprouting up around the country, are specialized foreign film centers, the next way art houses will attempt to separate themselves from the chains?
Swollen ticket lines, shouting children, tempers rising as the movies sold out: This was any suburban multiplex during the holidays.
But different.
Vada pav sandwiches and mango kulfi were sold at the concession stand. Conversations were in Gujarati or Hindi. A poster in the lobby advertised an action film starring Aishwarya Rai on one of six screens showing Indian cinema.
To read more, go to the New York Times.