Charlottetown Mall Cinemas
418 Independence Boulevard,
Charlotte,
NC
28204
418 Independence Boulevard,
Charlotte,
NC
28204
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Showing 1 - 25 of 45 comments
Three screens opened on May 14th, 1976 as the largest cinema was split up.
Opening ad:
Cinema I & II at Charlotteville SC opening Tue, Nov 5, 1963 – 29 · The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina) · Newspapers.com
I lived in the orphanage behind the theater from ‘64-69 and we had a hole in the fence that we used to get to the theater. I remember seeing “Around The World Under The Sea” when it came out in '65. Thunderball was in the 2nd theater at the same time.
Let’s not forget the Charlottetown’s original long-running engagement of ROCKY that played here from February 4, 1977 until June 30, 1977.
I can’t recall just how many films I saw at Charlottetown, but I do know that I saw Octopussy there (since you mentioned 007 movies), and I recall on that trip seeing the posters and standees in the lobby for Jaws 3-D and being petrified. Found out a year or two later how lousy it was on HBO. Unfortunately, although I did see Raiders of the Lost Ark in a theater, it was second run at the Regency on Albemarle.
“binchwb” You was one of the many who saw RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK at Charlottetown Mall during its original engagement. The film played from June 12, 1981 until April 1,1982 in which surpass STAR WARS' original engagement as the longest-running tenture at Charlottetown Mall.
Other long-running tenture films played here were Francis Ford Coppula’s THE GODFATHER that played at Charlottetown Mall from March 25,1972 until June 30,1972.(Not to mention THE GODFATHER:PART 2 played here too in December 20,1974 until February 17,1975) Not to mention the Charlottetown’s Reserved Seat Engagement presentation of John Huston’s THE BIBLE first-run in January of 1967. The original PLANET OF THE APES played here.
All the James Bond-007 films played here first-run and they had some great movies that did big business like “Star Wars”, “Raiders”, “Die Hard”,to name a few and some really bad ones too(I fondly remember the worst movie of the 1980’s “Disorderlies” starring The Fat Boys…and anything starring Pauly Shore,and a really bad comedy called “Up The Creek”,not to mention “Superman III”)
It was a grand movie palace that sat across the street from the Charlottetown Mall at the intersection of Kings Drive and Independence Blvd. that was in business from 1963 until 1994. Sad to see it go. Today,it is a business center. Thanks for replying.
I have the original grand opening ad from November 1963 and if you would like to see this and I be glad to sent it you. My e-mail address is posted at the top of the message. Thanks.
I was one of the many who saw Star Wars here during its original engagement. I was six at the time; my father and older brother went without me – I didn’t want to go (they watched Star Trek reruns all the time and I thought it was the same thing). They came home within an hour because it was sold out. When they tried again, I tagged along and from the opening crawl on, I was hooked – still have my first two action figures from back then – C3P0 and R2D2.
I saw many movies at Charlottetown over the years. It was THE place for midnight movies in Charlotte. They had lenghty engagement of Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with live floor show that I had the opportunity to see. Also went with friends to a showing of Pink Floyd The Wall, in which I fell asleep halfway through (I’d seen it on video before, though). Saw some great movies there over the years (the aforementioned Star Wars, pre-New Hope title) and some really bad ones (anyone else remember Disorderlies starring The Fat Boys?). It was a great old place, but it was wearing down back in the 80s. Still sad to see it go.
thanks guys,,,,
THE BIG CHRISTMAS ATTRACTION FOR THE CINEMA I & II It’s James Bond 007!!! More Action and Excitement! More Girls! More Gadgets! More Spectacular Entertainment! It’s the BIG Bond Show for 1965 with Sean Connery-007!! “THUNDERBALL”-See In On The Giant Widescreen In Color!!! For December 17,1965….Ad from the Charlotte Observer!!!
FYI: This movie theatre was NEVER under Carmike Cinemas in the 1990’s…..this needs to be revised!!!!
General Cinema owned and operated the Charlottetowne Mall Cinemas for 31 years until this theatre closed in 1994 when General Cinema filed for bankruptcy
Opened as the CINEMA I & II on November 6,1963 as North Carolina’s first-ever twin theaters under General Cinema Corporation. The opening attraction that played on both screens was Debbie Reynolds in “MARY,MARY”………
The Coming Attractions for the CINEMA I & II:
“IT’S A MAD,MAD,MAD WORLD” with Spencer Tracy
“THE PINK PANTHER” with Peter Sellers and David Niven
“RIO COCHOS” with Richard Boone and Jim Brown
“FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE” Sean Connery 007!
When this was the CINEMA I & II that opened on November 6,1963….
Screen 1: had 700 seats
Screen 2: had 600 seats
total capacity seats of 1,300 under General Cinema Corporation.
By 1975 screen 1 was split into two sections at 350 seats each keeping the second auditorium intact as the Charlottetowne Mall Cinema I-II-III
By 1981 screen 2 was split into two sections at 300 seats each becoming the Charlottetown Mall Cinema I-II-III-IV under General Cinema Theatres.
Total seating capacity: 1,950 seats until it closed in 1994.
Raymond, Stanley Kramer’s IT’S A MAD,MAD,MAD WORLD was NEVER presented as a roadshow at the Charlottetown. It was a general release in 1964. It was given two showings daily with reduced admission.
John Huston’s THE BIBLE was a reserved seat engagement at the Charlottetown around January, 1967.(aka The Cinema I & II)
“HAWAII” was a reserved seat engagement showing at the Carolina. It did not play at the Charlottetown.
“THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD”(which was presented in Cinerama) was a general release showing at Charlottetown. It was not a roadshow presentation NOR it was not presented in Cinerama neither. Same with “KHARTOUM” that also played here as a general release. Due to the length of both films,it was given two showings daily.
The re-release of BEN HUR and EXODUS played here too as general releases.
BTW….All of the James Bond-007 pictures played at Charlottetown with the exception of “HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE”-which played first run at the Center.
The Bond Movies that played at Charlottetown(aka Cinema I & II): “FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE”, “THUNDERBALL”, “YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE”, “DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER”, “LIVE AND LET DIE”, “THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN”,all the way with “THE SPY WHO LOVED ME”, “MOONRAKER”, “FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”,“OCTOPUSSY”, “A VIEW TO A KILL”, to ‘THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS" and “LICENSE TO KILL”….
**The original PLANET OF THE APES played the Charlottetown first-run in June of 1968 as a general release.
thanks raysson and Jay.
Posted a pic of Opening Day STAR WARS ad at Charlottetown in July of 1977. Look at the photos for this theater.
Francis Ford Coppula’s THE GODFATHER played here on March 22,1972.[when it was still a twin cinema]
STAR WARS played at the Charlottetown Cinema for an impressive 46 weeks from June 17,1977 until it ended in December of 1977.[aka The Charlottetown I-II-III]
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK played here to capacity crowds in 1981.
The Charlottetown Mall Cinemas was also known as the CINEMA I & II. The theatre originally opened on November 6, 1963 with Debbie Reynolds in “Mary,Mary” that played on two screens. I have the original ads from it’s Grand Opening from the Charlotte Observer newspaper as the 1st twin theatres to be established in North Carolina.
I have found the original ads for the Grand Opening of the Charlottetown Mall Cinemas,also known as the Cinema I & II from 1963. I wish someone would put this information out there,but I have the original ad from the Charlotte Observer newspaper.
Charlottetown Mall became one of the first indoor shopping centers to be built in the Southeast between Washington,DC and Atlanta,GA. Charlottetowne Mall was North Carolina’s first ever indoor shopping center and became Charlotte’s most popular destination center that opened to the public on October 28, 1959.
The mall had two levels that included a Bon Marche' Department Store(later Ivey’s),a Roses Five and Ten,
Eckerd Drugs,another department store,and on the lower level on the opposite end was a huge Colonial/Big Stat grocer.
The Charlottetowne Mall cinemas opened in 1963 as it was the first twin theatres to be established in North Carolina. A third screen was added in the mid-1970’s(By taking the original auditoriums and splitting it down the middle and it was also done in the 1980’s).
A fourth screen came during the 1980’s until its closing in the 1990’s. It has since been demolished.
fondling a theatre girl….these days that would be sexual harassment and statutory rape of a minor. serious charges here.
this sorry bastard of a manager deserved to be arrested too!!!
this also happened to a theatre manager in Durham too who was arrested for fondling an underage girl(statutory rape)after the young girl(who was an employee at the theatre) told police what happened to her on the job,and the next day when the manager show up for work,he was surrounded by local police and the district manager of Carmike Cinemas(which operated the cinema)and was arrested on serious charges of rape and incest of a minor.
These days if anyone did that on the job….towards any young girl,you will not only lose your job…you’ll be arrested too….its not worth it. During working hours,keep your hands to yourself,focus on your job and leave this young people alone during your shift at work.
fondling a theatre girl,boy thats a new one.
my brother and i worked there in winter 75. changing the theater marquee at the street. this was before it was moved to the hill. manager at the time was a real jerk, fired us and he got caught fondling one of the girls up front in ticket booth. had our photo taken by jeep hunter of the observer changing the marquee one night.
FYI: At the height of its opening,the Charlottetown Cinemas(which it was twin theatre back in 1963)mostly had rights to show exclusive roadshow enagements,which were mostly reserving seating,and were given either two or three showings daily. Most of the exclusive roadshow enagements were mostly the James Bond 007-Sean Connery films that played here that open to capacity crowds that went to see them: I know in one of the advertisement that a showing of “Goldfinger” was a roadshow enagement and so was “Thunderball” and “You Only Live Twice”. Not to mention other films were given the roadshow treatment at the Charlottetown as well including “The Greatest Story Ever Told”,and more,which it was a twin cinema during the mid-1960’s and early 1970’s,before it became a triplex theatre.
Charlottetowne Mall Cinemas opened in 1963 as one of the first twin theatres to be established in North Carolina. Owned and operated under General Cinema Corporation. The theatre closed in 1994,and was demolished in 2005 to make way for a Target and a Home Depot store.
FYI: The Charlottetowne Mall opened its doors to the public in 1959 as the first-ever indoor shopping center to be established in North Carolina. I don’t know if the mall is still in operation,but the last I heard it was renamed as Midtown Square Mall.
WASN’T THERE A TWIN DRIVE IN BUILT SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE AND I AM SURPRIZED NO ONE IN CHARLOTTE HAS WRITTEN ON THE THUNDERBIRD DRIVR IN. I KNOW IT WAS AN ABC THEATRE.