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The latest movie theater news and updates
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November 14, 2008
Flooded Wisconsin theater still closed
REEDSBURG, WI — The city is concerned that the renovation of the flood-damaged Star Cinema is going much slower than expected.
The Kerasotes theater chain took over the theater from the Star Cinema chain last February 1st. On June 9th, the Baraboo River overflowed its banks after storms dumped more than seven inches of rain.
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Lufkin to begin renovation of Pines Theater
LUFKIN, TX — The city has set aside $500,000 for the initial renovation of the historic Pines Theater as part of a plan to bring the downtown area back to life.
Last July, the city bought the 1925 theater, which was being used as a church, for $112,860.
The $500,000 will be used to secure the structure by installing a new roof, upgrading the wiring and lighting, hanging new doors and windows, redoing the marque, and stripping off material from previous renovations. The entire project will cost $1.4 million and could take years to fund completely.
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Blue Mouse celebrates 85 years
TACOMA, WA — The Blue Mouse Theatre is celebrating its 85th birthday this week as a single-screen, 221-seat cinema.
For the past 15 years, it has been run by a collective of 32 investors who put together $170,000 in 1993 to buy the theater, refurbish it and reopen it under its original name.
It is the oldest continuously run movie theater in Washington state and one of the oldest in the country. It got its name from a lounge in Paris that showed films.
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Westgate Cinemas to close
After nearly 30 years anchoring Westgate Mall at the corner of Odana Road and Whitney Way in Madison, Wiscconsin, Westgate Cinema will close.
Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres leased the space and operated Westgate during those three decades, but the four-screen theater struggled to get the most popular art and independent films after the much-heralded opening of the Sundance Cinemas in the Hilldale Mall in May 2007.
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Hand-Painted Film Posters For The Eastman Theatre From 1924-1928
NEW YORK, NY — Madalena Mania continues with a for-sale show in NYC opening this weekend.
Timed to coincide with the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition, Batiste Madalena: Hand-Painted Film Posters for the Eastman Theatre, 1924—-1928, which runs through April 6, 2009, Hirschl & Adler Galleries is pleased to present Coming Attractions: Poster Paintings for the Cinema by Batiste Madalena. Like the MoMA show, the Hirschl & Adler exhibition draws on a singular collection of original poster paintings by Madalena from the cinema’s golden age of silent film, which were saved from obscurity by documentary film maker Steven Katten and his wife, Judith.
Read more at Hirschl and Adler.
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Redwood City pressures multiplex to close
REDWOOD CITY, CA — City officials, who tried for two years to close down a multiplex that was drawing patrons away from the “revitalized” downtown area, finally got their wish. The Century Park 12 closed last month.
In 2005, a 20-screen Century theater and retail center was built downtown to bring moviegoers into the struggling Broadway area.
However, the Shoe Pavilion, the only shop in the retail center, is closing because of bankruptcy, and the Downtown Business Group says area store owners have not seen any increase in business since the theater’s closing.
Read more in the Mercury News.
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Utica Uptown Theatre for sale
The Uptown Theatre Utica, NY is listed for sale.
I screened a couple of Indian movies in this theater. The owners, Tracey Mills and Scott Anderson, were working so hard to keep it running. Contact the theatre at 315-738-0377.
I wanted to thank Tracey and Scott for all their support to Indian movies, even though it generated little interest. Wish you good luck guys.
Thanks
Job Valluthamannunkal
JMAX Vision
WKTV Story on Theatre’s Sale -
November 13, 2008
Pomona downtown looks towards future
POMONA, CA — With the city behind the restoration of the Fox Theatre, downtown is looking brighter.
In 1982, Pomona civic leaders officially gave up on the Fox Theater.
Given the chance to buy the vacant Art Deco theater for civic use, a divided City Council rejected the idea. Councilman Clay Bryant memorably declared downtowns to be “anachronisms.”Two decades of blight later, the theater was bought in 2002 by a new generation of city leaders during a renewed focus on the downtown’s potential. They bided their time before selling the Fox to a developer now in the midst of restoring the theater to its 1931 glory.
Read more in the Daily Bulletin.
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Showcase Cinemas may sell some theaters
National Amusements, which operates Showcase Cinemas, may have to sell some of its theaters because the company has to come up with an $800 million debt payment next month.
Owner Sumner Redstone is trying to restructure $1.6 billion in loans used to build new theaters. Last month he had to sell $233 million of stock in Viacom and CBS Corp. to meet debt payments.
Redstone has vowed not to sell anymore of his shares. He has said he is no longer bullish on the future of the cinema business.
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The Moviegoer on Vacation
Christopher Campbell details his travels to South America and his thoughts on squeezing in a film into a trip.
It was partly my love for Argentine cinema that influenced my decision to vacation in Buenos Aires and Patagonia last month. Yet I didn’t watch a single film during the two weeks I was there. I’m just not much of a moviegoer when I’m on vacation. Sure, there’s the occasional trip to the movies when I’m out of town visiting family, and then there was the time I went to Sundance, which was basically a vacation despite the fact that I was there working with a press pass (I somewhat covered the festival for a zine, but the trip was mostly a big holiday from my regular “day job”). However, when truly traveling, particularly in another country, I just can’t find the time – or bear to make the excuse – to go to the movies at all.
Read the full account at First Showing.