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The latest movie theater news and updates
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November 2, 2009
Chillicothe Optimist Club buys Town Theater; will operate as non-profit
CHILLICOTHE, IL — The local Optimist Club has purchased the twin-screen Town Theater which opened in 1920 as the Sunset. Consistent with its mission as a service club dedicated to the youth of the community, the organization will show films that appeal to children and teens.
If all goes according to plan, the Optimists will close on the property at 1029 Second St. in Chillicothe’s downtown before the end of November. The service agency has agreed with the current owner of the Town Theater, Vern Reynolds, to purchase the building and the business for $200,000. It will buy the property with a $20,000 down payment from the club’s account. Latta, who is a Realtor, and Jim Maloof Realty waived their fees for helping with the sale of the property.
The theater will be run as a not-for-profit, with all proceeds going to area youth groups, such as the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Little League sports programs.
Read more in the Journal Star.
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October 30, 2009
Happy 50th, “Sleeping Beauty”
Walt Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty"
50th Anniversary — The Original EngagementsCommemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Walt Disney’s animated film production of “Sleeping Beauty,” I’ve put together a list of the film’s original roadshow* bookings. These were the first cinemas anywhere to play the film and, for the most part, the only ones to showcase the film in 70mm and stereophonic sound. This article is a celebration of the cinemas in which the film played as much as it is a celebration of the classic film.
(*Officially, “Sleeping Beauty” was not a roadshow release since screenings were continuous and seats were not reserved. However, many moviegoers and historians tend to remember the film as a roadshow because the film was booked initially as a 70mm exclusive in roadshow markets.)
The original “Sleeping Beauty” presentations included the CinemaScope short film “Grand Canyon.”
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Christie displays Solaria Series Digital Projector at ShowEast
ORLANDO, FL — Christie, the leader in digital cinema projection technologies, will debut its next-generation digital cinema solutions, the Christie Solaria series, at ShowEast with the launch of the Christie CP2220 digital cinema projector. Recognized as “the future of digital cinema,” the projector features Texas Instruments' (TI) (NYSE: TXN) next generation DLP Cinema technology and an optional integrated 2K/4K media block. Christie’s next-generation 4K digital cinema projectors will display 4096 x 2160 pixels of resolution. While maintaining support for 2K external servers, these new models allow exhibitors to easily project 2K or 4K content, giving them the widest choice in digital cinema options. The Christie CP2220 with Doremi’s integrated media block will be on display at the Christie booth #1100.
The Christie CP2220 is the first in the new series of digital cinema projectors that also includes the Christie CP2210 and the Christie CP2230. The Christie CP4220 and the Christie CP4230, also introduced in June, are the Company’s premium 4K projectors and among the brightest in the world – like the 2230, the 4230 is capable of delivering over 30,000 lumens on the largest screens and delivers breathtaking 3D images. All next-generation Christie digital cinema projectors continue to utilize Christie Brilliant3D technology, providing the ultimate 3D experience with the lowest cost of operation.
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Bargain cinema in Sumter closes
SUMTER, SC — The three screens of the Sumter Value Cinema have gone dark. The theater, once known as the Movies 3, served this community located about forty miles east of Columbia.
“It’s good to have a place to go that doesn’t cost too much,” he said. “Especially in this economy.”
Leasure said he could bring five people and get drinks and popcorn for everyone for about $40.
“I’d spend $40 at the other place just to get in the door,” he said. “I don’t know what we’ll do now.”
Read more in The Item.com.
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Halloween Zombie Walk and Movie “Night of the Living Dead” at Norwalk Main Street Theatre
NORWALK, OH — Join us Saturday October 31st as the Norwalk Main Street Theatre, 57 E. Main, Norwalk, OH will be hosting a “Zombie Walk.” Come dressed as your favorite Zombie!
We will meet at the theatre at 8:00 p.m. on Halloween and start the walk down Main Street at 8:30 p.m. (on the sidewalk) and walk 3 blocks and come back on the other side of the street back to the theatre where we will watch the classic Zombie movie that started it all: the 1968 Black and White version of “Night of the Living Dead.” The movie is not rated.
The cost is $3.00 for just the walk, $3.00 for just the movie or $5.00 for both the walk and the movie. The movie will start at 9:30 p.m. Everyone MUST check-in at the theatre and purchase a ticket to participate in the walk.
Tickets are on sale NOW in the theatre Box Office (419) 668-8048 -
The Drive-In Theatre Museum needs your help!
The Drive-In Theatre Museum is a not for profit 501 © (3) organization.
We are looking for seats, screens and a Strong X 60B lamphouse power supply.
We just moved into our new location, a 17 year old 5 plex theatre in a mall and have a big opportunity to be able to show movies in the winter. In the summer we show movies on a 1924 Band Shell, weather permitting. We need seats and screens for 2 of the theatres.
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Cinema 8 to open in Canby
CANBY, OR — This town, about twenty miles south of Portland, is looking forward to the opening of the Cinemagic Cinema 8. The town’s former Canby Theater closed decades ago. The theater is a major component of a downtown revitalization project in Canby. The owner of the Cinemagic Theaters, Chuck Nakvasil, also operates theaters in the greater Portland area and not long ago opened a 7-screen cinema in Scappoose, to the north of the City of Roses.
Canby Cinema 8, the city of Canby and Canby Urban Renewal Agency will celebrate the opening of Canby’s new theater on Friday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. with a public dedication of the Northeast Second Avenue and public parking lot project followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the cinema.
The public-private partnership project has been in the works for three-and-a-half years as a revitalization project for Canby’s historic downtown. The Canby Urban Renewal Agency has invested $1.9 million in a new streetscape and a 150-space public parking lot that will serve the downtown area.
Read more about the Canby opening in the Canby Herald.
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October 29, 2009
Little Art Theater in Yellow Springs goes non-profit
YELLOW SPRINGS, OH — For eight decades, the Little Art Theater, which was once a bank, has been an important part of this community serving as a cinema, a venue for live theater, and as a church over the years. The theater has been featuring indie films, which will continue, and plans to add themed film events and showings of classic movies.
The theater received notice of its 501©(3) status this month, as a milestone in its 80-year history as a single-screen movie theater. While Jenny Cowperthwaite-Ruka, who has managed and then owned the theater for 23 years, resisted the change at first, she has found a group of people who care deeply enough about the theater to put their energy into insuring its perpetual survival. McGhee is the first president of the theater’s board of directors, and Maureen Lynch, a local movie goer and Friend of the Little Art, is the board’s vice-president, in addition to board members Laura Carlson, Roger Reynolds, Mark French, Mary Kay Smith and Alice Earl Jenkins. Cowperthwaite-Ruka, who is now the theater’s executive director, thinks of the nonprofit status as a link between the theater and the community that loves and supports it.
“I think of it as a gift to the community — it’s an opportunity for people to really feel like it is their theater,” she said in a recent interview.
Additional details in the Yellow Springs News.
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Todd-AO Sound installs new “3D” sound mixing system
BURBANK, CA — Todd-AO has installed the Isono “3D” sound mixing system at its Stage 2 mixing facility. According to Isono, the sound produced is totally “immersive” in theaters equipped for the process which already has already been installed at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Todd-AO’s Stage 2 mixing facility has been outfitted with 672 speakers; 40,000 watts of power drive 224 audio channels. Todd-AO hopes to see at least 50 theatrical installations by the end of next year.
“We believe that Iosono 3-D Sound holds the potential to transform the movie-going experience, providing a rich, astonishingly realistic sound environment that audiences will find thrilling,” added Robert C. Rosenthal, President of CSS Studios, parent company of Todd-AO. “Our mixers and other sound artists are excited about the potential of this technology and we are very pleased to introduce it to Hollywood through Todd-AO, a company synonymous with innovation and excellence in motion picture sound.”
Read more at Broadcast Newsroom.
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Theater seats for sale in North New Jersey
Approx. 240 Irwin Citation seats, small sizes. On a sloped floor, not appropriate for stadium seating. Burgundy fabric, black plastic backs and black seat pans. No cupholders. Average condition.
$10.00 each. We are removing them Monday, Nov.2. For more info, call 917 880-9664 between 9 and 5. I can arrange for you to see them.