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The latest movie theater news and updates
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April 2, 2010
Nightclub proposed for former Cherryvale Mall theater
ROCKFORD, IL — A plan is to be presented to suburban Cherryvale’s governing council to convert the former Cherryvale Mall Cinema, closed for about ten years, into a nightclub to be called the Chubby Rain House of Tunes.
“We want to get all the big bands and national acts we can, and (those acts) don’t want to play for 300 capacity,” Currier said. “Now, with this larger capacity, we’ll be able to get all the bands we’re able to get and a lot more.”
The plan must get approval from the Village Board. Its next step is to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals at 7 p.m. April 14 at Village Hall.
Read more in the Rockford Register Star.
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New fourteen-screen megaplexes set for New Braunfels, TX and Pooler, GA
NEW BRAUNFELS, TX — Dallas-based Starplex Cinemas has announced that an all-digital, fourteen-screen cinema is set to open by the end of December at the Town Center at Creekside in New Braunfels. The story is in the Herald-Zeitung.
Another all-digital fourteen-screener will open in Pooler, GA in 2011. This one will be operated by the family-owned Georgia Theatre Company, which has been operating theaters for over eight decades. The announcement is at WSAV.com.
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Could the 3D fad die like it did during the 50’s?
According to an article in theWall Street Journal,), the recent glut of 3D films have moviegoers confused, leaving the future of 3D movies in doubt.
But for movies that are shot in 2-D and converted later, the retrofitting seems to be an afterthought, a ploy designed to rake in more bucks at the box office rather than proffer a mind-altering experience. In “Alice,” for example, save for a whizzing tea cup or two, the viewer barely notices the effect. The whole point of 3-D is for the mode to exceed previous limitations and provide the audience with an experience that formerly was unimaginable. If the film doesn’t do that, who will find it compelling once the novelty wears off?
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April 1, 2010
Carmike to operate Ocala’s Marion Theatre
OCALA, FL — Carmike Theaters has signed a lease agreement with the City of Ocala to operate the Marion Theater once again as first run cinema. Opened in 1941, the theater first closed as a movie house in 1971, and was used, after several years, as a science center. It then returned to service as a cinema, but regular film showings ended in January, 2008. The re-opening date is provisionally set for May 21.
Not since January 2008 has the 326-seat theater, once leased by former Taylor, Bean & Whitaker chairman Lee Farkas, screened a film, though it has sporadically hosted smaller events like comedy shows.
A grand opening date has been tentatively set for May 21. The first title to be shown could be the family-friendly flick “Shrek Forever After,” according to David Pflegl, Digital Services Manager for Carmike.
Read the full story at Ocala.com.
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Film Society needs info about taking over local movie theater
The film society I’m associated with is in the process of taking over the local movie theater; we’ll be hiring an operations manager to handle most of the business, building, and equipment management and maintenance. Some programming decisions made.
Does anyone have an idea of what an appropriate salary offer would be for said position? Remember: it’s a small town.
Thanks,
Movie Theater Emily -
March 31, 2010
Regency acquires Bruin, Westwood Village cinemas
LOS ANGELES, CA — After so many heartbreaking theater losses in Westwood Village the past few years, it looked like the worst case scenario was about to occur as Mann Theatres' final leases in the neighborhood were about to run out. That was until Regency Theatres announced yesterday that as of tomorrow, they will be operating the Village and Bruin theatres.
Regency’s show of faith is good news for standalone theaters, and could spark interest in other historic venues, including the for-sale Grauman’s Chinese.
Regency entered long-term leasing negotiations with the theater’s local owners at the beginning of the year, after previous operators Mann Theaters decided last year not to renew its leases.
Read more in Variety.
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Historic Oklahoma Theater on front lines of 3D Evolution
PRYOR, OK — As more 3D movies are being released, there is a shortage of screens available for these films to play them on. Tulsa only has one theater that has 3 3D screens, and only 10 3D screens in the entire metro area. Though it may surprise some, the next theater in Northeast Oklahoma to have 3 3D screens isn’t a chain multiplex, but the 93 year old Allred Theater of Pryor, Oklahoma. According to its owner, Gene Oliver, it will be the first theater in the state with total conversion to digital projection with 3 3D screens.
Read the story at Tulsa World.
Allred Theater conversion report at Pryor Daily Times.
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“Wizard of Oz” showings with Organ preshow at Grand Theater
EAST GREENVILLE, PA — The Upper Perkiomen Valley’s historic Grand Theater is pleased to announce that we will be screening one of the most beloved movies of all time on Easter Weekend.
For two (2) matinee shows only, the public will once again have the chance to see the 1939 M-G-M classic “The Wizard of Oz” shown on its original 35mm film format on the big screen! “The Wizard of Oz” has been named by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of all time.
Shows are Good Friday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 3rd at 2PM. Tickets are only $5 per person.
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March 30, 2010
North Carolina’s Bright Leaf Drive-in closes
MOUNT AIRY, NC — After fifty-five years, the Bright Leaf Drive-in has closed. According the theater’s website, all of the equipment is for sale.
The drive-in theater on North Andy Griffith Parkway was closed last weekend. The owner of the land where the drive-in is located decided not to renew the lease with the current theater owners.
“It is our understanding that the land is going to be sold and there they will no more drive-in,” the Web site says.
Read more in the Winston-Salem Journal.
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Final Season for ‘At the Movies’
The TV show that introduced many to Siskel and Ebert will be leaving the airwaves this summer. While we talk so often about what’s changed in the theater industry, the distribution of information on films has also been redefined in the internet age.
Disney-ABC Domestic Television, which distributes “At the Movies,” and ABC Media Productions, which produces it, said in a statement late Wednesday that the current version of the show, which is hosted by Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune and A. O. Scott of The New York Times, would broadcast its last original episode the weekend of Aug. 14.
The demise of “At the Movies” was a blow to the legions of armchair reviewers it spawned in its many incarnations, some of whom went on to professional careers in criticism. “It’s impossible to overestimate the impact of what Gene and Roger did,” Mr. Scott, the co-chief film critic at The Times, said in a telephone interview. “Any one of us who’s doing this now, on any platform or in any medium, is following them.”
Read more in the New York Times.