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The latest movie theater news and updates
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August 7, 2014
Castro Theatre Organ IndieGoGo Campaign
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The old organ will soon be removed from the Castro Theatre, have started an Indegogo crowdfunding campaign to help fund the creation of a new organ for the theatre that will be the largest pipe/digital organ in the world, with seven keyboards and over 800 stops. The SFCODA website boasts that, “it will retain the glorious sound of the Wurlitzer pipes while employing cutting-edge digital technology to expand it into a classical and orchestral concert organ of unprecedented versatility.” An organ of similar design would usually cost somewhere in the millions of dollars to create, but the organ builder who is doing the work pro-bono is building and installing the organ for $700,000.
Read more about IndieGoGo campaign here and more about the Castro Biscuit here.
(Thanks to Tinseltoes for providing the photo.)
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August 6, 2014
Dormont theater reaches fundraising goal and then some
DORMONT, PA — The Hollywood Theatre has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years. After reopening in 2011, they quickly were faced with the digital challenge. An eleventh hour Kickstarter campaign has saved them once again and now has the operators able to look at long term plans for the neighborhood treasure.
Read the full story in Trib Live.
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Go! List names Best St. Louis movie theater
ST. LOUIS, MO — STL Toady names Ronnie’s 20 Cine as the top theater in the area. Not only does it have an IMAX screen, but they’ve gone to great length to use unique touches to foster a more engaging patron experience.
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August 5, 2014
Granada Theatre making a comeback
PLAINVIEW, TX — Almost 85 years after its opening, the Granada Theatre is finally in the process of a return. A man with family ties to the theatre, Darryl Holland, is leading a restoration and is kicking off the comeback campaign with a slate of concerts over Labor Day weekend.
Read more in My Plainview and KCBD.
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August 4, 2014
Future bright at Newtown Theatre
NEWTOWN, PA — After reopening in May the Newtown Theatre is bringing the crowds in with adventurous programming and a community feel. They plan to add live performances as well and have also had success with a membership program.
Read more about how this historic gem made its way into the 21st Century in the Bucks County Courier Times.
(Thanks to Ken Roe for providing the photo.)
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New theater regulations from the DOJ
The Justice Department ruled to put new regulations in place to have most theaters in the U.S. provide closed-captioning and audio description for the visually and hearing impaired. It’s unclear how long it will take to rollout and which theaters may be excluded.
Read more about the technology and the decision behind it at The Hill.
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August 1, 2014
Historic West Seattle movie theater facing money woes
SEATTLE, WA — The days could be numbered for the Admiral Theater. It still hasn’t converted to digital wants to make other upgrades as well with a bill of $600K. It could close by the end of the year if a resolution isn’t reached.
Read more in KOMO News.
(Thanks to William for providing the photo.)
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Movie Houses of Greater Newark
NEWARK, NJ — Arcadia has continued their lovely series of theater history books with “Movie Houses of Greater Newark” by Philip M. Read. You can read the first few pages and buy it on Amazon. The State and Paramount are just a couple treasures featured.
(Thanks to Porcelain Doll for the Paramount pic.)
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July 31, 2014
Second City taking on Piper’s Alley
CHICAGO, IL — Second City is expanding into the former AMC Piper’s Alley, once one of the most popular houses in town. They’ll be using it for theatres as well as classrooms to compete in the ever-growing improv scene in Chicago.
Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.
(Thanks to Ken Roe for providing the photo.)
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July 30, 2014
Survey finds Twitter fills movie theater seats
Variety recently reported that a growing number of movie ticket purchases are based on promotion through twitter. Users are paying attention more to movies based on the tweets released by friends and content from the studios.
Will this lead to changes in movie marketing in the near future?