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The latest movie theater news and updates
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August 29, 2008
The business woes and public virtue of independent cinema
KITSAP COUNTY, WA — The Lynwood and Orchard theatres find a formula for success with innovative programming.
By most accounts, it wasn’t a great summer for independent cinema and art houses in Kitsap County.
Financial scrupulousness aside, mainstream blockbusters and an economic era primed for escapism flooded the media and the mega-plexes, leaving a trickle of fickle support at the county’s two independent film houses — the Lynwood Theatre on Bainbridge and the Orchard Theater in Port Orchard.
But even with low box office numbers and reports in trade magazines of independent studios closing and bigger studios shutting down their independent arms, the sky is not falling and independent cinema is not on the brink of death. Especially not in an intimate community like Kitsap.
Read the full story in the North Kitsap Herald.
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Continental main screen stadium renovation
DENVER, CO — Recently, Regal added stadium seating to the main large D-150 screen auditorium of the Continental Theatre in Denver. I am curious. Has anyone been there since the conversion? I am interested in your views and opinions about the conversion.
I was just wondering how the stadium concept fits into this type of auditorium. Did they ruin it? Also Regal does not list on their web site what particular movie is playing in that auditorium. (Go figure!)
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Trade magazine story index?
Anybody have any story indexes for Boxoffice, Motion Picture Exhibitor and Motion Picture Herald trade magazines??
I am looking for specific movie theater profiles which were featured in thse magazines during the 1960’s. I have been tediously going through them at the NYC Performing Arts library.
Thanks Much.
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August 28, 2008
Big Screen Classics at the Coolidge Corner
BROOKLINE, MA — The Coolidge Corner Theatre’s Big Screen Classic Film Series for this year will end with “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, which will air next Monday, Sept. 1, 2008, preceded by a speaker about science/archeology. The Event starts at 7:00 PM and is free to all members.
Last night, they showed the film “Jaws” to an almost-sold-out theatre.
The official website for the Coolidge is here/.
(Thanks to fuzuoko for providing the photo.)
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Curtain will close on two cinemas
BOSTON, MA — National Amusements is closing two Boston-area cinemas including Brookline’s Circle Cinemas
The Dedham-based movie chain plans to close the Showcase Cinemas Lawrence 1-6 on Monday and the Circle Cinemas in Brookline will close for business after the last show on Sept. 7. The private company said it would try to find positions at its other locations for the 51 employees affected by the closings.
“We watch all of our theaters closely,” Wanda Whitson, the company’s spokeswoman, told the Globe yesterday, “and make every effort to keep them as viable operating businesses. Once they are no longer viable, we make the decision to close them.”
Read the full story in the Boston Globe.
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Logan Art Cinema’s future darkens
LOGAN, UT — After changing formats, there still isn’t enough business for the Logan Art Cinema to break even.
With ticket sales still slow after a change of format, Cache Valley’s sole art house movie theater could go dark for good.
In July, the Logan Art Cinema opted to begin showing second-runs of mainstream films in the hope of drawing steady crowds.
But a winning mix has been elusive, leading the venue’s owners to consider shutting down.
Read the full story in the Herald Journal.
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August 27, 2008
Disney’s animated “Sleeping Beauty” reawakens at El Capitan
HOLLYWOOD, CA — “Sleeping Beauty,” one of the most spectacular, stylish, and unique films in the history of Disney animation, has undergone a total digital restoration of its picture and soundtrack and will have an exclusive wide-screen engagement at Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre from August 29th through September 18th.
“Sleeping Beauty” was the first animated film to utilize the 70mm process. Viewers will now experience a brand new state-of-the-art restoration created using high resolution digital scans of the original 50-year old Technirama 70 negative along with a 7.1 stereo mix made from the original multi-channel stereo music masters recorded in 1958. An article on the restoration and screening at the El Capitan can be found at Laughingplace.com.
(Thanks to Scutter for providing the photo.)
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Kingsway Theatre work in progress
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA — The Kingsway Theatre is currently undergoing upgrades. After being closed for two years it will reopen within the next three months. The cinema will once again show movies and be an integral part of the Kingsway community.
More news to come soon
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Steve Swanson visits Oregon’s drive-ins
This story takes a look at Oregon’s drive-in’s as well as one man that’s made a hobby out of visiting as many in the Northwest as possible.
For eight years, Swanson’s traveled all over the Northwest visiting drive-in movie theaters and documenting his experiences through photographs and detailed accounts on his blog, “Travels with Steve Swanson.”
Swanson grew up in Roseburg, home of the former Starlite Drive-In Theatre, which closed in 1997 after its final production, a showing of the 1978 classic “Grease.”
Read more in the Baker City Herald.
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August 26, 2008
Westlake Theatre renovation causes divide
LOS ANGELES, CA — The 82 year-old Westlake Theatre in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park has been operating as a swap meet for the past 16 years. Now there are plans to renovate the theatre and turn it back into an entertainment center featuring both films and live performances. However, a lot of the locals aren’t happy about those plans.
Earlier this year, a city redevelopment agency bought the neglected theater, drawn by its charming potential and historic appeal. Plans are underway to turn it into an entertainment hub offering a mix of film and music shows, along with programs and classes for the community. Affordable housing would be built next door.
Some neighbors such as Sandra Romero, an activist and co-founder of nearby Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe, see an opportunity to give more to residents and entice outsiders to visit the area. She pictures the theater as a place for youths to learn, artists to flourish and families to safely enjoy the district, as she used to do with her grandmother in the late 1950s.
Read the full story in the L.A. Times.
(Thanks to ballookey for providing the photo.)