Eastland Mall Cinemas
5471 Central Avenue,
Charlotte,
NC
28212
5471 Central Avenue,
Charlotte,
NC
28212
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A little about the Eastland Mall Theatre “back-in-the-day”: It was always a dark theatre, with the dark blue walls and dark blue carpet and it’s narrow layout. Being on the lower level was not a plus. Heavy rains (or even just an all day steady rain) usually caused backups into the theatre since apparently it was the lowest point of the mall. What a headache for the management! Fun things: The midnight movies were a great success at Eastland, the pairing with the old 95Q rock station worked well and the atmosphere during these was always like a bit of a ‘party’.
Check out nice history about General Cinema theatres as well as some images at: View link
The 4th theatre built & owned by the General Cinema Corporation (GCC) was the Tower Place Cinemas at the Tower Place Festival Shopping Center on Hwy. 51 at/near Pineville, NC. I believe it has been demolished (but shopping ctr. still there). A photo of this theatre along with a couple of the Charlottetown Mall Cinemas (now demolished) and a partial view of the movie-star mural which was outside the Eastland Cinemas can be found at my flickr site:
View link
(Hey, I didn’t realize that Eastland was the first tri-plex in Charlotte!)
This theater opened in 1975 and was the first triplex in Charlotte.
I heard also that they closed the Harris Teeter store earlier this year which is in the Plaza part of Eastland Mall(facing Central Avenue).
Eastland Mall was a happening place in its day,but that has really change now that the cinema has closed its doors forever.
Here’s the article:
Eastland Mall theater closes
By Nichole Monroe Bell
Posted: Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008
One year after opening, Eastland Mall’s latest movie theater has closed.
Utah-based Red Carpet Cinemas spent several weeks last year upgrading the existing theater, which had closed in 2006.
The new venue opened in March 2007 with more comfortable seats, digital sound and â€" for the first time in years â€" mainstream films such as “Happy Feet†and “Dreamgirls.â€
Previously, the theater had unsuccessfully featured movies geared toward Spanish-speakers or children.
Company officials could not be reached last week to comment on when or why the theater closed. Red Carpet Cinemas president Jim Ferguson could not be reached, and Eastland no longer has a general manager. Mall owners also could not be reached.
Some store owners and shoppers, however, said they weren’t surprised the theater faltered. Several said the theater was difficult to find and that there weren’t enough signs inside or outside the mall advertising that it was open.
“They could have done a better job letting people know it was there,†said resident Joy Parker, 37. “You had to really work to find it.â€
The closure comes at a time when Eastland, a longtime community anchor at Central Avenue and Albemarle Road, has been losing money and large national and regional anchors have left. Belk and Dillard’s have closed, in addition to several national retailers such as Bath & Body Works , Victoria’s Secret and New York & Co.
Over the years, such retailers have struggled to earn a profit at Eastland as other malls such as SouthPark and Northlake have gained dominance.
In the past, a spate of shootings at and near the mall scared some shoppers away.
Despite the store departures, the mall remains popular among small business owners who thrive in an urban market niche. Anchors Burlington Coat Factory and Sears are also still operating.
After three years of trying to sell the mall, Eastland owner Glimcher Realty Trust said in July it was walking away from its lease, and the company asked the court to appoint a third party to run the mall or sell it.
Then in August, the mall cut its operating hours, including closing entirely on Mondays, to save money.
“I’ll keep going there as long as they’re open,†resident Carrie Mayes said. “I’m just not sure how long that’s going to be.â€
This theater has closed in the past week, one year after the Red Carpet chain tried to make a go of it. The mall that it’s located in is experiencing a steep decline and several of the anchor tenants are also closed.