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The latest movie theater news and updates
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March 28, 2008
Historic Aztec Theatre remodeled and for sale
AZTEC, NM – The remodeled 7000 SF Aztec Theatre on Main Ave in Aztec NM is being offered for sale for $299,000. A 4,000 SF commercial building just one block up just sold for $320,000. Main Ave is freshly rebuilt and this small town is booming.
Check out the listing on my website and click on commercial or click here to view listing. Call Claudia Williams at 970 749 3555 or email . It’s set up with stage and screen, 150 seats, two platforms, for dinner theatre, dancing, etc. There’s retail space off Main and a 1 BR loft apartment upstairs. The historic marquee is in place.
(Thanks to brunoboris for providing the photo.)
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Polk Theatre razed
QUEENS, NY — With the Polk Theater gone, plans for the plot’s future are up in the air.
A vintage movie theater dating back to the Great Depression has been torn down in Jackson Heights and the plans for a new mixed-used building to fill the vacant lot are in limbo.
The Polk Theatre, located at the corner of 93rd Street and 37th Avenue, had become an adult theater before closing in 2006.
The building was demolished sometime in February. Property owner Henry Zheng now hopes to construct a six-story, mixed-use building on the site, but his plans have been challenged by the city.
Read more in the Times-Ledger.
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Booze and the cinema
More and more theaters are using alcohol as a way of luring the adult crowd back into theaters.
Movie theater owners from California to Massachusetts are increasingly giving patrons the option of sipping a beer or a glass of wine with an expanding array of snacks.
About 150 first-run theaters serving alcohol have opened within the past three years, bringing the total of such establishments from 14 in 1997 to more than 400 today, says Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the National Association of Theatre Owners.
The full story is in USA Today.
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Equipment for Seattle theater
I am in Seattle, Washington and need equipment for a single screen theater opening soon. I will need all the projection equipment to run a movie besides the speakers. Let me know if you have anything in or outside of the Seattle area.
Arif Azhar
206-280-8880 -
March 27, 2008
Drive-ins in WNY/NW PA/Triad Area (NC) that have gone dark
My husband and I have begun a project of photographing certain places that are currently abandoned and hence, in danger of being demolished (either by man or nature). We will be adding these images to our website as we find them. Among the structures we are interested in are Drive-ins that have gone dark.
While combing the listings here is helpful, we have found some listed as “closed” include comments stating they are also demolished. We will also be including open drive ins, motels (from the “neon era”), etc but are putting a priority on properties that might not be there soon. I am hoping that people here can point us towards some good prospects. We have already located and photographed the Grandview in Angola, NY and the Van Buren in Dunkirk, NY and are aware of the Transit (in Lockport) and Sunset (in Middleport). Names, locations, any information that would help us locate more would be appreciated!
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Lebowsky rebuilding update
OWOSSO, MI — In the latest newsletter from the Owosso Community Players, The OCP gives the latest updates on the rebuilding of the Lebowsky Center.
The Vital Cities Grant has been changed from a cultural center grant to a facade grant. As a result, the grant will pay only for the rebuilding of the theater’s walls facing Main and Park Streets. So the OCP will need to cover the costs of rebuilding the wall adjacent to the West Annex as well as the roof.
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March 26, 2008
Varsity Theater demolished
HONOLULU, HI — The historic Varsity Theatre was demolished today, nine months after closing as a movie house. Attempts to preserve the building failed because it apparently was structurally unsound. The Varsity opened in 1939.
I posted a photo of the demolition on my website.
FROM Lowell Angel: Demolition began yesterday of Honolulu’s last operating freestanding movie theatre, the 1939 Varsity, which closed last June after 68 years.
Located a short distance from the University of Hawaii campus, it opened on September 8, 1939 with the film “Stagecoach,” with John Wayne and directed by John Ford. It was a second-run house throughout most of its life but in recent years was the local art house.
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Seeking partners to reopen Ridgewood Theatre
RIDGEWOOD, NY — Ridgewood Theatre (55-27 Myrtle Ave) patrons, locals, and preservationists are disheartened that the historic theater shuttered last week without warning, marking the end of its nearly 92 years as a first-run theater. Opening its doors on December 23, 1916, it was considered the longest continuously operating neighborhood theater citywide, and potentially throughout the U.S. It staged Vaudeville, silent films, saw the advent of photoplays, & the first “100% All-Talking” feature, Lights of New York (1928). Its original seating capacity was 2,500, but currently contains 5 screens and seats 1,950.
Modeled after Times Square’s (former) Strand Theatre, the $250,000 gem was designed by the prolific Thomas Lamb & built by the Levy Brothers. The 3-story Indiana limestone & terra cotta facade is highly ornate, incorporating unique geometric patterns, medallions, a frieze, pilasters, and proudly boasts Ridgewood Theatre across the top. Interior murals originally depicted the history of Ridgewood.
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Caligari is coming to the State Theatre!
SPRINGFIELD, OH —
SPRINGFIELD STAGEWORKS PRESENTS
A classic silent film with a new live score by the ensemble EQUINOX
(Doug Baumle, Larry Coressel, Wayne Justice)
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
One night only!
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March 25, 2008
Opera and sports broadcasts at cinemas
Opera and sports broadcasts are gaining momentum in movie theaters. In one case, the Mets sold out the Ziegfeld Theatre.
Few think nonmovie content will supplant movies as the primary reason people trek to the multiplex. Rather, the hope is that all the niche offerings will add up to steady supplemental income.
“I love film, but the simple fact is that we can’t count on movie attendance to grow,” said Thomas W. Stephenson Jr., president of Rave Motion Pictures, which operates theaters in 11 states.
Read more in the New York Times.