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Theaters
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March 30, 2006
SOLD: Fox Theatre in Hays, Kansas
HAYS, KS — The Historic Fox Theatre has been sold to Colorado Real Estate Developer and Fort Hays State Alumni Brooks Kellogg for $101,000.00.
In Wedneday’s edition of the Hays Daily News, there is front page article titled “Buying a piece of history,” which indicates work on the building will start sometime this summer, which will include bringing the building up to code, but specifics were not reveiled.
The building, which was owned by the City of Hays, after it was given to them in December 2003, has set unused for 2 years. Dickinson Theatre is final owner of the building had the stipulation that it could not be used for 1st or 2nd run moives, which limited the buying potential according to the auctioneer.
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March 15, 2006
Documentary on Fort Worth’s Rose Marine Theater
FORT WORTH, TX — Latin Arts Association of Fort Worth, the organization that manages the Rose Marine Theater, is in production for a documentary to chronicle this remarkable theater. Click here to view the trailer. Production will be continuing through the year as history, data, and photographs are being collected.
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March 7, 2006
Kerasotes Drops Wilson Yard Plans; Seeks to Buy Instead
CHICAGO, IL — Crain’s Chicago Business reports that Kerasotes has dropped long-standing plans to build a multiplex atop a Target store in the large development now underway at Wilson Yard in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
It does plan on entering the Chicago Market through suburban multiplexes and seeks to acquire the City North 14 and Webster Place theaters, which are being sold by AMC as a result of their merger with Loews.
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March 1, 2006
Grand Theater Bought by Former Employee
DU QUOIN, IL — The Grand Theater will be purchased by a father and son team. The son had been an employee there in his teen years and continued to help when needed until the theater closed in August of 2005.
Work has already started on repairs and clean-up on the theater and the owners hope to reopen soon. To read the article and see a great picture of the theater, visit The Southern Illinois.
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February 23, 2006
The Best Little Cinema in Britain?
Hello, Channel 5 on UK television has a weekly movie program called ‘movielounge’ which airs Wednesday nights at 7-15.
The show is running a feature called ‘The Best Little Cinema in Britain’ where viewers can nominate their favorite websites. To enter a submission, go to the movielounge website.
We want to find ‘The Best little Cinema In Britain’ and we need your help! It doesn’t have to be a stunningly beautiful Grade One listed building – maybe you just love it because it’s NOT just another Multiplex, maybe it’s a bit old and tatty and strange but you saw your first film there or copped your first feel there – it doesn’t matter we want to hear from you. Let us know your thoughts and we’ll come armed with a camera crew to let you show off your favourite cinema to the nation.
This week Giles kicked off proceeding with his own nomination, The Everyman cinema in Hampstead North London. Open since 1933, this luxurious little cinema prides itself on its unusual seating arrangement, its love of quality cinema, good food and wine.
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February 16, 2006
Hawthorne Cinema installs Christie digital projector
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA — The small three screen Hawthorne Cinemas (in the Brisbane suburb of Hawthorne) recently installed a Christie Series 2 projector in Cinema 1. The Cinema itself dates from the 1940’s and was converted into a 3plex some years ago.
Cinema 1 has 510 seats and a massive 56 foot screen. The digital image looks very good on this screen. The first movie screened in digital was ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ at Christmas time. On Valentines Day, ‘Casanova’ opened in digital.
It was quite a feat for this small independent cinema chain to invest in this technology. Further details of all of their cinemas may be found at www.cineplex.com.au.
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Interesting article about repertory programming
Here is an article about the Oak Street theater in Minnesota, but the problems detailed in the article are those faced by other repertory theaters like the Brattle in Cambridge.
I’d be interested to hear others opinions about how these kinds of old theaters showing older movies can survive and even thrive in the new marketplace.
You can read the article here. Thanks.
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February 13, 2006
Chicago Shubert Renovations Turn Up Lost History
CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that renovation work at the Shubert Theatre (now known as the LaSalle Bank Theatre) has uncovered original interior plaster decoration, as well as brass fittings that were “hidden” to prevent their removal during the World War II era.
The story includes photos and more details about the renovation of this gorgeous playhouse in Chicago’s Loop.
Menutia
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February 9, 2006
Golf Glen Theatre Closes
NILES, IL — Village Theatres has closed the Golf Glen Theatre in Niles, IL. The final day was February 2, 2006. The Golf Glen was a typically bland early-to-mid 1980s creation. Theatres of this type, once widespread form the late 1970s to the early 1990s, fell quickly out of favor with audiences who wanted a return to some ambiance and wider screens.
Village may have feared, and rightly so, the new cinemas which Kerasotes is constructing at the nearby Golf Mill shopping center. Also, attendance was quite low at this theatre, probably because Village doesn’t advertise most of its theatres in the paper (except for the Lincoln Village Theatre). Village has, however re-activated its website, www.villagetheatres.com.
Such a non-descript theatre might not warrant an entry here except for two reasons:
1) It was probably the last theatre built for Essaness Theatres prior to that chain’s takeover by Plitt (which incidentally, to my knowledge, leaves only two former Essaness Theatres still showing movies in the Chicagoland Area — the Lake and the Davis).
2) It probably had more owner/operators in its 23 year span than any other. Essaness, Plitt, Cineplex-Odeon, Loews-Cineplex, and Village all operated it at one time or another.
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February 6, 2006
Urgent! Help Needed to Renovate Historic Times Square Movie Theater
I am passionately and energetically pursuing my dream to renovate an historic Times Square movie theater – once called the DeMille – and convert it into an Off-Broadway/Independent Film four-theater complex.
I am looking for additional investors (I have a strong business plan, over 3 million raised already and lots of experience building theaters) and/or theater or independent film companies who would like 10 years of free rent for office space, storage space and theater use in exchange for capital upfront for the buildout fund.