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The latest movie theater news and updates
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April 8, 2010
Rave Cinemas Pittsburgh West 12 closing as of April 15
ROBINSON TWP., PA — Rave Motion Pictures will shutter the Pittsburgh West 12 on April 15. Opened in 1978 with five screens, it was acquired from National Amusements in December, 2009 and was previously known as the Showcase Cinemas West. National never followed through on plans to replace the theater with a much larger and up-to-date megaplex, and a newer Cinemark theater with stadium seating has opened nearby.
Part of the problem lies just a half mile down the road from the old Showcase Cinema where a brand new Cinemark theatre has opened its doors.
Folks who go to movies at the new facility love the stadium seating and the 12 screens, but many will miss the Showcase Cinema.
“I think it’ll be sad, because I used to come here when I was little and see movies all the time,” said Stephanie Carnahan, of Findley Township. “But I like the new movie theater.”
There is more at KDKA.com.
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Documentary on classic Hollywood cinemas
Hello, I’m lookinmg for interviewees, photos, videos of old Hollywood. I’m an independent filmmaker working on a documentary about old movie theatres in Hollywood (Iris, Warner, Pacific, Hollywood, Vogue, Grauman’s Chinese, Egyptian etc..) that have had an impact on the hollywood community, both as a symbol of Hollywood as well as the historical and heritage effects it has had on “hollywood” as an industry.
We are profiling theatres that are currently functioning as well as the obsolete. If you worked in these theatres back in the day (during their highlights) and have interesting stories to tell, photos to show, video to talk about, I would like to hear from you. Many older movie houses are being demolished due to new developments and it is important to help future generations know and understand how these movie palaces have helped shaped the Hollywood we know today.
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April 7, 2010
Landmarked Ridgewood Theatre available: Call for Proposals
QUEENS, NY — On Jan 12, 2010, the 1916 Ridgewood Theatre, 55-27 Myrtle Ave earned Individual Landmark status after nearly 2 years of advocacy by Chair Michael Perlman of Friends of The Ridgewood Theatre, and also due to parties who testified in favor including the owners: http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/ridgewoodQ.pdf
The theater is a Greek Revival gem with great square footage, was deemed the longest continuously operating first-run theater upon closure, witnessed a series of firsts in vaudeville and film history, and was designed by the renowned Thomas Lamb.
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Ticket booth plans wanted
We need to rebuild our Box Office. Looking for a copy of detailed plans that we can work off to create our own drawings for building permit. Only looking for plans for a booth style that fits between the lobby doors, rounded front, and is accessible from inside the lobby (not free standing).
Theatre is 1940’s and that is the look we are maintaining. Please if you have something that may work for us.
Thanks
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April 6, 2010
Fabian 8 Cinema - Spanish Language Films
PATERSON, NJ — The Fabian 8 Cinema will begin dedicating one screen in the downtown 8-plex to new releases from Latin America, the Middle East and other centers of world cinema. The first film in the series will open April 9 and run for a two week engagement. Los Paranoicos [The Paranoids] is a wry comedy from Argentina that has garnered numerous awards…
the Fabian will open Date Night, starring Steve Carrol and Tina Fey, in English with Spanish and also on April 16 Death at a Funeral. “Passaic County and our neighboring counties include a large Latino community that is underserved by most of larger theater circuits.” said John Halecky, General Manager of Community Theaters, LLC which operates the Fabian 8 Cinema. “We’re aiming to better reflect the area’s rich ethnic diversity by offering Hollywood mainstream movies with Spanish subtitles as well as films produced outside the United States. The area’s sizable Asian and Middle Eastern populations will also find movies from those regions included as the schedule moves forward,” said Halecky.
Ticket prices: $10 for adults, $7.50 for children and seniors. Matinees before 6 PM are $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for children and seniors. Advance ticket sales for all films are available at the theater’s box office on the upper level of Center City Mall, 301 Main Street, Paterson as well as www.movietickets.com
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Recalling Chicago’s Southtown Theatre
CHICAGO, IL — Even after over fifty years since it showed its last film, the Southtown evokes fond memories of its opulence from those who recall this former Englewood neighborhood landmark. The building housed a department store for for twenty-seven years after its closing as a theater with many theatrical details intact. This Rapp & Rapp gem was demolished in 1991. Here’s a reminiscence, with a picture, that recently appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
For 27 years, residents in the Englewood neighborhood experienced that luxury and watched features like “Gone With the Wind.” Today, more than a half century after the Southtown closed, they can only conjure up memories since a discount grocery store stands at 610 W. 63rd St.
The stucco-covered, Spanish-style movie house designed by the theatrical architecture firm Rapp & Rapp opened on Christmas Day 1931. It was run by Balaban & Katz, which owned several other theaters in the city, but the Southtown was one of its largest, with a capacity of 3,200, and arguably its most special.
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Chicago’s Lakeshore Theater closes on April 10
CHICAGO, IL — The Lakeshore Theater, which most recently has served as a live performance venue for comedy and other acts, will close on April 10. Originally opened in 1914, it became a part of the Balaban & Katz chain. It was later operated by Cineplex Odeon as the Broadway Cinema before closing in 2002, as one of the last ( if not the last) of Chicago’s neighborhood single-screen theaters to close. Its future is at best uncertain, as substantial upgrades are needed to its physical plant.
What I had initially hoped was an April Fool’s Day joke was in fact a sad truth, The Lakeshore Theater announced last night via twitter, Facebook and a heartfelt email that it will close permanently on April 10.
According to owner Chris Ritter, “Although revenues have been growing year after year, and the Lakeshore brand of great comedy, music and good times has been successfully established, our revenues are simply insufficient to fund ongoing operations and the plant improvements that would be required to continue and take the business to the next level of success.”
There is a story here in Time Out.
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April 5, 2010
Southington Drive-In may return
SOUTHINGTON, CT — The Southington Drive-In Theatre which was closed and bought by the town in 2002 may see a second life. A group of local residents want to reopen it despite the concession stand, ticket booths, and original screen having been demolished. They would show movies on the newer screen that was added in 1979.
Work has progressed slowly. Besides the demolition, the parking area has been graded flat and the poles and window speakers are gone. Redevelopment was mostly put on the back burner until 2007, when the town council told the board of parks commissioners to draft a plan. It was at that point that people started thinking about showing movies again, Riccio said.
“We can provide people with low-cost entertainment and maintain a bit of the town’s past,” said Joseph Laporte, a park commissioner.
Read more in the Courant.
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Kansas City’s former Majestic Theater becomes Studio Movie Grill; another due for Atlanta
KANSAS CITY, MO — Located in the Zona Rosa lifesyle center, the former Majestic Theater triplex re-opened on April 1 as the latest operation of the Studio Movie Grill chain based in Dallas. Previously, the theater housed three auditoriums and a comedy club. The number of screens is now eight, all digital, with four 3D capable. Another Studio Movie Grill will open in May in Atlanta.
It’s a movie house geared mostly to grown-ups. No noisy arcade games. No visual busyness — not even movie posters cluttering up the navy blue walls.
“We’re not like other theaters,” said Tearlach Hutcheson, marketing director for the Dallas-based chain, during a recent walk-through. The theater, at 7430 N.W. 87th, is the former home of the Improv comedy club (relocated a block east), the Majestic Theatre and Ted’s Montana Grill.
The full story is at Kansas City.com.
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Film booker available
Hello, my name is Ray Martin, and I am an expierienced film booker. Do you need help getting access the films you need for all occasions? I can even save you money if you are building a new theatre or renting one.
If you need a manager, contact me and I can help you get what you need. Please for more information.
Thank you