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The latest movie theater news and updates
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February 12, 2010
Concrete Theatre reopens
CONCRETE, WA — Today, the Concrete Theatre reopened after being dark for several years. Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like it Hot” (1959) was the first movie to play in the 87-year-old theatre since 2007.
New owners Valerie Stafford and Fred West refurbished the interior, moving all the seats to allow more leg room, installing curtains on the auditorium walls, adding new carpet and paint throughout and generally giving the venue a fresh look.
Please note that the official website is here.
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Short-lived Abacoa 16 in Jupiter to be demolished
JUPITER, FL — Opened in 2001 and closed in 2006, the Abacoa 16, last operated by Crown Theaters, is to be demolished. The master plan for the area designates that the location that the theater currently occupies be used for a theater, and citizens still would like to see one there, but currently there are no plans for a replacement.
A demolition permit has been issued to Oakland Park-based Miami Wrecking Co. to knock down the theater with yellow walls and big glass doors. Technicians are shutting off the water, sewer and electricity. Demolition will begin after Jupiter building department officials make sure all utilities are properly shut off.
Since closing in January 2006, rumors have circulated that Florida Atlantic University, the Scripps Research Institute, LA Fitness, a bowling alley, Target and the Jehovah’s Witnesses were interested in renting the tall-ceilinged building. The theater — three times the size of the Carefree Theater in West Palm Beach — had 16 screens and 3,733 seats.
The whole article is in the Pam Beach Post.
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Seoul’s Silver Theater tailors films and policies to seniors
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — While some American theaters have recently targeted a more mature audience by providing cocktail service and other physical amenities, Seoul’s Silver Theater (formerly the Hollywood) attracts the fifty-plus crowd by its mix of films (it tends to favor classics) and by its “relaxed” admission policy (patrons can attend all scheduled showings during a day for a single admission). A corporation provides a subsidy to keep the theater going.
While the theater attracts pockets of the younger crowd, it is clearly not for everyone. The screenings are often delayed and many of the people from the senior set chat freely or walk in and out of the theater even after a screening has started.
According to Kim, senior citizens often have difficulty staying focused for an entire film and may go outside for breaks. That’s why the Silver Theater offers three consecutive screenings from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., she says, and people are free to sit through all three screenings.
Read more in the Joogang Daily.
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San Francisco Fox items for sale
These are some items I have from the Fox Theatre. I have some large scale plaster pieces that I cannot use. Two columns from the lobby about 16 feet tall with marble bases. One cartouche that’s about 6 feet wide and four feet tall.
Provide your email address for photos. This is heavy stuff and must be picked up (SF Bay area).
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February 11, 2010
Lease expiring on Berkeley’s Oaks Theater; new operator sought
BERKELEY, CA — Metropolitan Theaters of Los Angeles will not be renewing its current lease on the twin-screen Oaks Theater when it expires at the end of this month. The current owner would prefer to keep the theater operating and hopes that a northern California theater management firm would become the leasee.
Currently, no plan is in place for theater operations come March 1. One longtime employee, who asked to remain anonymous, was confident that another theater operator would step in: “This is a wonderful spot here. It’s a wonderful location. You really can’t miss here. Someone will definitely pick it up. I have very high hopes for it.” Officials at Metropolitan Theatres could not be reached for comment.
A tip received by the Express suggested that Oaks employees had cited Rialto Cinemas, which operates the Elmwood in Berkeley and took over the newly renovated Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito from Speakeasy Theaters last July, as a potential suitor. Ky Boyd, proprietor of Rialto Cinemas, would neither confirm nor deny such reports. He was, however, aware of the lease’s upcoming expiration. “We’re always looking for other opportunities,” he said, but declined to comment further.
There is more in the East Bay Express.
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Future of Atlantic Theater in Long Beach is cloudy at best
LONG BEACH, CA — City officials are weighing possibilities for the former Atlantic Theater on Atlantic Avenue. The 1941 Boller Brothers theater was last used as a church, but is currently vacant. Both redevelopment and razing are being considered.
Now, some are worried that the old theater’s terrazzo tile and signature neon spire will be lost if the north Long Beach building is demolished as part of a redevelopment push in the neighborhood.
For John Thomas, president of Long Beach Heritage and a board member of the city’s Redevelopment Agency, buildings like the Atlantic Theater serve as giant reminders of a city’s former splendor.
“When you actually have a building, it helps create a visual experience of how their community evolved,” said Thomas, who has abstained from his involvement with the redevelopment agency on issues involving the Atlantic Theater because of his position with Long Beach Heritage.
Read the full story in the L.A. Times.
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Oceana admission tickets
I have 113 old admission tickets to the Oceana Theatre. I believe these tickets are from the 40’s or 50’s. They were printed by the National Ticket Co. of Shaokin, PA.
Please contact me or if interested.
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February 10, 2010
Flushing’s crown needs polishing
FLUSHING, NY — Kevin Walsh looks at the past and future of the beloved RKO Keith’s. Still in development limbo, the neighborhood is fighting to let the theatre remain.
There have been preservation pushes in recent years. In 2006, Thomas Stathes, a 16-year-old Flushing resident, arrived on the scene and organized a petition to preserve, landmark, and revitalize one of the historically and architecturally most significant theaters in its entirety, so future generations can appreciate what an iconic theater could potentially offer. The owner, Boymelgreen, planned to only save the lobby, which has been given landmark status by NYC, and demolish 95% of the theater and build a glass-fronted high rise.
In 2009, a group of Flushing residents and citywide supporters met in Flushing to begin a grassroots effort to save and restore the RKO Keith’s Theater, forming the “Friends of The RKO Keith’s Flushing Theatre.” The organization is now at the point of requesting 501©(3), or tax-exempt, status, which is much-needed in order to begin massive publicity and fund-raising efforts.
Read the full story in the Huffington Post.
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Renovated Boston Paramount set to reopen in March
BOSTON, MA — College officials won’t say how many millions it cost, but the Paramount Theater in Boston will be back in use soon. Emerson College has converted the 1932 Rapp & Rapp Paramount into a modern performing arts center that will anchor a revitalized Washington Street. Although slimmed down to about one-third of its original seating capacity, the main auditorium is very respectful of the original Art Deco design.
Emerson College spent two years and an undisclosed sum renovating the Paramount and the adjoining Arcade Building at 555 Washington St. into a state-of-the-art performance center.
(While Emerson would not talk dollars, the Boston Redevelopment Authority estimated in 2006 the project would cost about $77 million.)
“It means a lot to our city,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who held his fifth-term inaugural party there Jan. 4.
There’s much more, including a slide show, in the Boston Herald.
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Movie theater popcorn named as one of America’s biggest ripoffs
Right up there with “free” credit reports and the ever tempting hotel minibar sitsmovie theater popcorn as one of the nation’s biggest ripoffs.
A medium bag of popcorn costs just 60 cents to make but retails for $6, a whopping 900% markup. That’s enough to make “Avatar” fans turn blue.
Richard McKenzie, an economics professor at University of California-Irvine, says theater owners mark up the snack so much because they don’t make a profit elsewhere.