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The latest movie theater news and updates
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March 13, 2009
RCA, help wanted
I’m trying to get some help/info/whatever on some RCA full range speakers I salvaged from a local cinema last year. I cannot seem to get any info/photos etc or any links to possibly finding more of them.
I was promised all the RCA speakers(made by the british sect of RCA)but the demoliion crew ‘lost’ them or just ruined them. So I’m trying to get a match.
Please if you can help , email me. I have details and pics.
Thanks
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March 12, 2009
Baltimore’s Historic Senator Theatre expected to close
BALTIMORE, MD — A press release was issued today that puts the future of Baltimore’s Senator Theatre in doubt.
“We just received notice that accelerated foreclosure is proceeding, said Senator owner Tom Kiefaber.
On top of that, Baltimore City’s transition steering committee apparently given up on the non-profit proposal, even though community leaders formed The Senator Community Trust and asked to become that non-profit owner. One member of the committee said,
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Majestic struggles to keep pace
STREATOR, IL — The Majestic Theatre is trying new ways to generate revenue but the local public as well as the times are making it hard to stay afloat.
Kyle Mitchell is struggling to keep the curtain from coming down on Streator’s Majestic Theatre.
“From day one it’s been tough making a go of it,” Mitchell, who runs the theater, said Tuesday in noting the theater was already facing difficulty before the downturn in the nation’s economy.
“January turned out better than a lot of months and February was OK, but March has been weak. We made some changes and the community has responded, which along with a decent flow of films has somewhat been turning things around this year. However, we still have a long way to go.”
Read the full story at the Times.
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Theater on auction block Saturday
MILACA, MN — With few other options, the owners of the Milaca Theatre put it up for sale this weekend.
The Milaca Theatre is available once again via an auction that will be held Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m.
Its current owners, Cathy and John Summers would like to continue owning it, but a job relocation moved them to St. Louis, Mo.
Cathy’s sisters (Cindy Ames and Kelly Johnson) have been managing it on their behalf, but both live in St. Cloud, making it difficult to maintain. And Ames is moving, which added to the decision to sell.
Read more in the Mille Lacs County Times.
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March 11, 2009
Christopher Campbell discusses chain loyalty
In a new post, Christopher Campbell blogs on our preferences for certain chains.
Do you have any brand loyalty when it comes to movie theaters? I ask this because of the recent news that former Starbucks exec Gerald Lopez has been made head of AMC Theaters, the second-largest cinema chain in North America. Of course, Starbucks may not be a company you think of in terms of loyalty so much as addiction, since people primarily seem to go there either because the coffee chain has taken over their market or because it hooks them with higher doses of caffeine. But thinking of analogous ideas Lopez could implement at AMC, perhaps we’ll soon be eating narcotic-supplemented popcorn?
Jokes (and fears) aside, I used to think of movie theaters as having no more brand loyalty than movie studios. But at least you’ve probably always known what chain owns your favorite (or only) local cinema, whereas you might not know what studio produced or released the last film you saw (you might not even know who made your favorite film of all time). For most people outside of urban areas, there isn’t usually a choice of where they see movies. Growing up in Southern Connecticut, for instance, I basically only had Loews or National Amusements to pick from. Now there is a bit more variety there, but not a lot – not that anybody notices his or her limit, anyway. It’s not as if there are nationally broadcast TV commercials for Cinemark or Regal that have moviegoers wishing they had those chains nearby to try out.
Read the full story at First Showing.
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Sacred Cinema feature documentary update
Documentary Website Launch
Sacred Cinema – A movie about going to the moviesThings are rolling – literally with the film “Sacred Cinema”.
I have received an overwhelming response from cinephiles and preservationists alike regarding cinemas that deserve profile within the documentary. Thanks to everyone who has dropped me an email and/or words of encouragement. TJ Edwards over at Cinema Sightlines has been extremely helpful in my research. Please check out his site. www.cinemasightlines.comI begin production at the end of the month and am shortlisting the eight or ten cinemas that best suit the films story-line. The back story to so many theaters deserve documentaries within themselves. I am in awe of the high regard and passion people carry regarding the moviegoing experience. I have really come to believe that the cinema unites us in a very meaningful way.
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Regent Australia murals
Does anyone know if the murals in the Melbourne and Brisbane Regents in Australia were made by Anthony Heinsbergen or staff from his company? Both theatres were opened in 1929 and have near-identical murals in their foyers, styled on the UA Theatre on Los Angeles.
Any leads as to the artists who made these murals would be most appreciated.
Thanks
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March 10, 2009
Stimulus Tuesdays at Carmike
COLUMBUS, OH — Carmike Cinemas is trying to lure in customers with $1 refreshments on Tuesdays.
So Carmike Cinemas, a movie theater chain that operates 2,276 screens in 36 states, is trying out a Tuesday-night stimulus plan: Starting March 10, Carmike Theaters will sell 16-ounce sodas and 46-ounce popcorns for $1 each.
Drastic cuts in concession prices are rare because the snack bar is where movie theater companies make the most profit. And Carmike’s concession results haven’t been so hot lately; with third-quarter sales dropping 8.3 percent to $41.8 million, though a Carmike spokesman said the decline was due to the closure of 20 underperforming theaters. (The company reports fourth-quarter results on March 16.)
Read the full story in the New York Times
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Movie theater’s ‘secret’ room makes reel magic
NEWTON, KS — The projectionist at the Chisholm Trail 8 recounts his experiences from behind the window.
Matt Neufeld has been a projectionist at the Chisholm Trail 8 for seven years. And in that time, he hasn’t really been able to watch many movies.
“I see them in bits and pieces and piece them together later,” Neufeld said.
Throw out the stereotype — Neufeld doesn’t sit and watch a movie over and over again.
Read more in the Newton Kansan.
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Couple brings classic theater downtown
GREENVILLE, AL — Two local residents are starting up a unique alternative to the local multiplexes, West End Movies.
Richard and Julia Fowler, owners of Solutience, an information technology and systems integration provider, will open West End Movies at 640 South Main St. this month.
West End Movies will screen classic movies, cartoons, documentaries, and old newsreels at its location near Falls Park.
The goal is to offer “another attraction for people visiting Greenville’s beautiful downtown,” Richard Fowler said.
Read more at Greenville Online.