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The latest movie theater news and updates
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March 25, 2009
Save the State from being demolished!
OWATONNA, MN — Located in downtown Owatonna, Minnesota, the State Theater is an Art Deco building that opened as a movie theater in 1935. The interior included a 35' high ceiling, four distinct arches, Art Deco sconces, 1000 seats, plush curtains and a vaudeville stage. Retail space exists on both sides of the main entry. The building was “modernized” through two separate renovations during the 1970’s and 1980’s, dividing the auditorium into three screens. The theater closed in 1996 and has been vacant since.
Owatonna’s Main Street program was unsuccessful in finding an investor to bring the State back to life.
The city of Owatonna’s Economic Development Authority recently gave its blessing to a proposal that may level the State Theater in downtown Owatonna.
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Save the Odeon
DONCASTER, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND — The fight is on to save the endangered Odeon Doncaster.
Owners Lazarus Properties want to demolish the town-centre art-deco landmark and replace it with a £13million complex containing shops, eateries, a gym, a casino and offices. The Doncaster-based developer has now submitted a planning application for the 75,000 sq ft development.
Lazarus said the scheme was vital for the future of the town centre and would act as a benchmark for future developments in Doncaster.
However, a campaign group, Friends of Doncaster Odeon, is hoping that English Heritage will decide to grant listed building status to stop its demolition.
Read the full story at the Doncaster Free Press.
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March 24, 2009
Parkway ends
OAKLAND, CA — The 1926 Parkway Theatre closed this past weekend.
In the age of faceless multiplexes and $12 movie tickets, the Parkway movie theater provided low-cost entertainment that extended far beyond Hollywood celluloid. The 1926 theater showed classic films, TV extravaganzas like the inauguration, the Oscars and the Super Bowl, film festivals ranging from educational porn to the African diaspora, midnight showings of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and a full spectrum of vintage slasher, noir, monster and horror flicks.
But the best part, patrons say, was not just the $5 tickets for shows – it was that that the Parkway served beer, wine and pizza, which the staff delivered to your seat during the movie. And the seats were couches and lounge chairs, each accompanied by a coffee table perfect for resting one’s feet.
Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.
(Thanks to marymactavish for providing the photo.)
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NuWilshire Theatre to hold several businesses now…
SANTA MONICA, CA — According to an article in Friday’s Santa Monica Daily Press, the famous NuWilshire Theatre, which has been closed since November 2007, is going to become home to several retail stores. The article even has images of the interior of the space and already things are starting to change.
Due to the poor economic crisis, the theatre has been untouched for more than a year, and now, things are starting to change. The front of the theatre is going to be somewhat the same, and the marquee is now going to host the name of the various companies inside. The owner, Max Netty of Soundview Investment Partners, voiced his opinion on how important the renovation of the theatre is, despite the fact that he prevented the front of the building to be restored by the Landmarks Commission. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, “The owner did file an appeal to the landmarks designation, subsequently withdrawing the challenge, according to the commission’s meeting minutes from July 2008.” (SMDP, Issue 116).
As of now, the theatre is undergoing an interior renovation in addition to exterior. Updates regarding the threat will be on here.
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Bank Of America subsidizing consumers to see Hollywood film
It appears that the American taxpayers are footing the bill for a plan to promote the 3D debut of Dreamworks' “Monsters vs. Aliens” on March 27. Bank of America, which has received $45 billion in “bailout” funds from the federal government is offering their customers complimentary ticket upgrades to see the movie in 3D vs. 2D at no additional cost. Deadline Hollywood Daily notes a connection between DWA’s president, Lew Coleman, who is Bank of America’s former vice chairman and CFO:
It took respected media analyst Rich Greenfield of Pali Research to uncover this staggering scheme (registration required). He found out that Bank of America was helping families to see Monsters vs Aliens in 3-D rather than 2-D at no additional cost when it starts playing in theaters on Friday, March 27th. (The promotion is here.) And at the same time helping out the box office grosses of Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation, a publicly traded company.
“Why Bank of America?,” Greenfield asks in a report posted this morning. “We have not seen any formal announcement about the Bank of America/[DWA] promotion beyond an increasing number of consumers discussing the promotion link on Twitter. However, we find it odd that a bank that just received $45 bn [billion] in government aid is paying for consumers across the US to see a movie in 3-D vs. 2-D at no extra cost. We also wonder whether the presence of DWA’s President, Lew Coleman, helped DWA convince Bank of America to enter into the promotion, as Coleman is a former Vice Chairman and CFO of Bank of America.”
Read the rest of the story at Deadline Hollywood.
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March 23, 2009
Notification changes
We have made a number of changes to our notification system.
First, going forward, you only be able to receive a notification when new comments are made on theater pages. This feature will not work for other parts of the website (such as our blog, link directory, etc.)
Second, because many users were complaining about receiving phantom notifications (and there was no technical way to fix this problem), we have reset notifications for everyone.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused, especially to our most active users. We are working on improved notification system that we hope to debut in the next few months.
Thanks for your understanding.
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Gem Theatre featured on NBC Nightly News Telecast
KANNAPOLIS, NC — The “Making a Difference” segment on March 19th’s “NBC Nightly News” featured Kannapolis, North Carolina’s historic Gem Theatre. Its “Recession Buster” movie screenings, which made local headlines in the Cabarrus County area, are now national news.
The shows, scheduled on Wednesday evenings, routinely sell out the theatre’s 900 seats with free admission and sharply-discounted concessions prices. According to the feature story, textile mills closed several years ago, resulting in a local unemployment rate as high as 10%. The Gem’s General Manager, Steve Morris, says it’s his way of giving back to a community that has supported the historic theatre for many years, through good times and bad.
The Depression-era, Art Deco showplace dates back to 1936, when movie entertainment routinely served as an inexpensive means of “escapism” during troubled economic times.
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Hoopeston’s jewel, Lorraine Cinemas shining more brightly
HOOPESTON, IL — Lorraine Theatre owner Joshua Caudle followed his dream and moved to the midwest to manage a local theatre. Even with these hard times, he’s still finding ways to attract the community.
The small group came along with the new owner because they agree with his philosophy that it’s the only way to do a renovation: You’ve got to be there to see what needs to be done, that it gets done and know what people want. All of the transplants have been active in the actual renovations.
“I always thought I was really bad with names, but now that there’s not so many people and you see a lot of the same people regularly, it’s not so hard to call people by name and the people here are just so friendly,” Caudle said. “Now, I’m concentrating on presentation, redefining, representing the theater to these people and the whole region.”
Read the full story at the News Gazette.
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Anchorage’s 4th Avenue Theatre endangered again
ANCHORAGE, AK — The 4th Avenue Theatre in Anchorage, an Art Moderne gem,is once again at threat.
Alaskans are very close to losing the historic 4th Avenue Theatre in downtown Anchorage. Anchorage residents grew up attending movies at the 4th Avenue Theatre. The 4th Avenue Theatre will always hold a special place in many Alaskans hearts. Demolition or inappropriate redevelopment of Anchorage’s only historic theatre is unacceptable.
A recent decision by the buildings current owner has effectively stalled the Municipality of Anchorage’s plans to restore and redevelop the theatre with the assistance of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. In February 2007, a local architect was selected to conduct investigations necessary to prepare design and construction documents to restore the auditorium and public spaces of the 4th Avenue Theatre. The theater owner’s decision not to transfer ownership to the Anchorage Downtown Partnership has stalled the project.
Interior photos and the rest of the story are at AIA.
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March 20, 2009
The Senator Community Trust announces MISSION DEBT FREE
BALTIMORE, MD — Dear Friends of The Senator Theatre:
The Senator Community Trust has asked us to forward this message on to you:
As we are sure you have heard by now, The Historic Senator Theatre is going to auction unless we, the greater Baltimore community, take immediate action to ensure the community has a stake in its future. The goal is attainable.
Please join our MISSION DEBT FREE now! The effort to convert The Senator Theatre to a debt-free multipurpose arts and entertainment facility is within reach.