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The latest movie theater news and updates
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July 16, 2010
Capitol Theatre in Woodstock ordered demolished
WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO, CANADA —The city has ordered the demolition of the Capitol Theatre after a portion of its roof recently collapsed. The theater opened in 1908 as the Woodstock Opera House and became the Capitol when Famous Players bought the building in 1927. It closed in 1999.
The full story is in the Oxford Review.
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Small but determined group hopes to reopen Portland’s Guild Theatre
PORTLAND, OR — They’re not all that well known, they’re underfunded, they have no history as a theater operator, and they know that times are tough economically, but Opera Theatre Oregon is confident that they can successfully renovate and reopen the Guild Theatre as a mixed use venue for both film and live events. The theater was originally a recital hall; it closed in 2006.
Taylor’s challenges are considerable: raise a minimum of $300,000 (her own estimate) and find another $300,000 worth of pro bono work to make basic renovations. Then, persuade Moyer’s firm that her plan to run the Guild will make money. Taylor may be underestimating costs. Another estimate puts the price tag at at least $1 million to bring wiring, heating and cooling, plumbing and roofing up to code.
Taylor shouldn’t count on much city money in these tight economic times. However, the Portland Development Commission might have money available for such a project, but public affairs manager Shawn Uhlman says the PDC has yet to receive a request from Taylor. Taylor also could face competition from the recent reopening of another former movie house, the Alberta Rose Theatre, with a similar mission.
The story is at Oregon.Live.
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Avatar re-release date set
According to Entertainment Weekly 20th Century Fox will re-release “Avatar”, the highest grossing movie of all time unadjusted for inflation, in an extended version that will have 8 more minutes of action and sfx scenes set in Pandora. The film will play exclusively in digital 3D and IMAX 3D theaters on August 27 in select theaters.
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Holiday Square 12 Theater to be come a “movie tavern”
COVINGTON, LA — Closed since 2008, the Holiday Square 12 will be remodeled and reopened by Southern Theatres as a “movie tavern.” Seven of the twelve auditoriums will be used for screenings when the the theater reopens, tentatively set for around Thanksgiving, and one will house kitchen operations. All former projection equipment will be taken out, including that for IMAX, and replaced with digital machines.
Construction gear is already on-site at the theater, along North U.S. 190 just above Interstate 12, as crews remove mold that accumulated as the building sat vacant for nearly two years. “They just basically turned the lights off and left,” Solomon said of the previous operators.
All of the old projection equipment will be junked, including the Holiday 12’s old IMAX equipment, and new gear — probably all-digital — will be installed in its place, as was done at Canal Place, Solomon said.
The full story is at NOLA.com.
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City says Senator Theatre must go dark, Wed. July 21
BALTIMORE, MD — The Baltimore Mayor’s office announced yesterday that the Senator Theatre will go dark on July 21st. The announcement is a partial response to rising concerns of North Baltimore business owners, residents, and the 2100+ member “Friends of The Senator” theatre advocacy group, regarding the uncertain fate of The Senator Theatre, an iconic, nationally renowned landmark showplace that has entertained and served the North Baltimore community continuously since 1939…
“I am sure the theater will go dark until Mr. Cusack is ready to move forward and negotiations have been completed. Mr. Kiefaber [the Senator’s former owner] is to cease all operations on the 21st under any circumstance,” declared the Deputy Mayor in a July 15th email to Friends of The Senator (FOTS) leaders.
The Senator Theatre was acquired in July of 2009 by Baltimore City, through a polarizing auction process, triggered by the city during the administration of former Mayor Sheila Dixon, under recommendation by the BDC.
The FOTS question the reason for the theatre suddenly going dark, well before Mr. Cusack’s specific plans for the National Register of Historic Places landmark have been finalized.
Read more in the PR Newswire.
Tom Harris
Friends of The SENATOR -
July 15, 2010
Regency Theaters to operate recently-closed Bakersfield cinema as discount house
BAKERSFIELD, CA — The Regal UA East Hills Mall 10 Theater which closed on June 27 will soon be operated by Regency Theaters as a discount operation; July 30 has been set as a target for the re-opening. Two screens will be primarily devoted to showing foreign and independent films.
Regency Theatre is a discount movie theater with $2 admission prices and $1 hot dogs. “They’re more discount oriented. Similar to the dollar theater on California Avenue,” said Lynch. With its policy of discounts, Regency Theatre vice president Andrew Golin said East Hills Mall was the perfect fit. “The opportunity came available, and we jumped on it. That market could definitely use that theater with that policy in this economy. It’s become a popular policy within our company,” said Golin. “We’re going to have a value oriented family driven theater where people can see discount movies, buy food for kids, take the whole group out and not break the bank,” said Lynch.
It’s a different type of attraction for a mall many people think is going out of business. Especially since all the major anchor stores have left and the movie theater was the last major attraction. “People have been talking about the nail in the coffin at East Hills Mall for a while. East Hills is not going out of business. Which is evidenced by the fact that the moment one theater moves out, Regency couldn’t wait to get here and they’re excited,” said Lynch. “We’re excited about it. I think the community will really like it,” said Golin. “Wow! It’s exciting to see this mall turning around again! We lost a lot of customers with the news of the old theater leaving, but a new one coming in will bring more people in,” said mall shop owner Andy Carrillo. “I’m feeling optimistic. The theater can only improve traffic here at the mall so I can’t wait to see what it brings,” said mall shop owner Danny Villa.
The full story is at KERO.com and there’s more atBakersfield.com.
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Extreme Usher: The Imperial Six
TORONTO, CANADA — An usher looks back at his days at the Imperial Six, 70’s incarnation of the Canon Theatre.
Neither one of the grand movie palaces of the pre-tv era (although it had been in its previous incarnation as the 3,000 seat Imperial), nor a megagigaplex of the post-modern era, the Imperial Six sat, uncomfortably but functionally somewhere between the two, as close in time at its birth to WWII as it is to our own. It still evoked the excitement and spectacle of going to the movies, but was, perhaps, one of the first signs that moviegoing was being transformed: fewer theatres, with lots of screens. Tens of thousands of people streamed through its doors during a preview week, just to look around before any movies were screening.
Architect Mandel Sprachman kept some of the old elegance of the past, commissioning original art (hanging sculptures made from metal and found objects, and giant fibreglass figures kissing in the dark), exposed unseen elements of the building (two of the theatres were constructed in the backstage spaces) and saluted the heritage of the building with historical signage and a sensually surrealistic mural.
Read more at Silent Toronto.
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Mattydale’s Hollywood Theatre: a Syracuse survivor
MATTYDALE, NY — The Hollywood Theatre in this Syracuse suburb is not the plushest theater, but the price of admission is unbeatable: $1.75 (except for Tuesdays when it is $1.25). Its owner, Conrad Zurich, even though he owns seventy theaters, probably wouldn’t make it at AMC or Regal, given his rather casual attitude toward profits. It is no matter though, as the Hollywood still delivers the classic big-screen experience as has since at least 1941, unlike so many former Syracuse area theaters of the era in which it was built which are now gone or being used for other purposes than showing films.
A Syracuse native who grew up watching movies at the Palace, Zurich now owns 70 theaters statewide, including venues in Geneva, Elmira, Rome, Oswego and Oneida. But the Hollywood came first. He acquired it at age 23, while finishing law school. His dad, Jack Zurich, sold films to area movie houses. It was a family tradition.
“This is where I started,” Zurich said recently, as patrons wandered in for a Thursday night feature. “I feel that we owe it to the community to keep this theater running, and not just running, but to keep providing a low price, as an appreciation to our customers.”
The full story is at Syracuse.com.
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July 14, 2010
Summer silent film series begins July 23 at Portage Theater
CHICAGO, IL — A series of silent films will be shown on consecutive Friday evenings beginning July 23 at Chicago’s historic Portage Theater which is now home to the Chicago Silent Film Society. The upcoming showings include the 1925 comedy “The Freshman” with Harold Lloyd, the original version of “Ben-Hur” with Francis X. Bushman (1925), and “Pollyanna” with Mary Pickford (1920). The less frequently seen “The Penalty” with Lon Chaney will be the feature on August 13, which will commemorate the theater’s ninetieth anniversary as it was one of the films shown on the theater’s opening weekend in 1920. Each film will have live organ accompaniment, except for the showing of “The Mark of Zorro” on August 6 which shall have accompaniment by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
The complete schedule and additional information is here.
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Ciné-Parc De La Colline in Saint-Nicolas may close for an condo project
SAINT NICOLAS, QUEBEC, CANADA — This would be the last drive-in in the Quebec City area. It opened on July 23rd, 1970.
The full article is in Le Journal du Quebec.