AMC Norridge 6

I have so many happy memories of visiting this theater in the 70s though the 90s. It’s too bad it’s gone, but upgrading it to modern standards would have cost a fortune. Another part of my youth gone forever.

This Trib article says it was and M&E 12 screen that closed in 2008. I can’t find another Norridge on CT, and I can’t imagine 22 screens at the same address.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/norridge/news/ct-nhh-movie-theater-sale-tl-1203-20151130-story.html

I never thought about that issue CSWalczak, but I bet you’re right that AMC put that in their leasing clause, as a condition of sale of this property. As for this theater, it’d be nice if Classic Cinemas were to bring this theater back to life, but who knows. They interestingly did take a chance and brought North Riverside Mall 6 back to life, despite the Kerasotes/AMC 14 theater a few miles east in Cicero.

OMG they demolished Maurice Lennel.

In the end, The Norridge theatre became a sad case. That somehow saddens me if I look back. Especially when I seen some films there during the 1980’s. Those actually seemed like the “Good Old Days”. I guess with other cinemas, And somehow general neglect, Plus the prospect of another business potentially taking over. The days & nights of the Norridge theatre in bloom would become a thing of the past.

I was thinking. It’s too bad someone like Classic Cinemas doesn’t step in and renovate this place. Look how well CC did with the North Riverside.

no rocket science here, loews decided years ago the norridge didn’t bring in enough business to warrant multi-screen investment in digital projection, and from that point on they just wanted to phase the place out quietly

exact same thing happened a year or so ago w/ piper’s alley theatres

corporate execs. ask themselves “are we going to pay for new digital projectors on all these screens?” for each of their theatre properties and not in every case does the answer come back affirmative. especially when the underlying real-estate might have some pretty good value for other commercial ventures

quite a contrast to 3 decades ago or so when harlem avenue was so congested with cars turning into the norridge theatre parking lot on a friday/saturday night

oldest double-feature that comes to mind i saw at the norridge’s from early ‘70s – EXECUTIVE ACTION / RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE

I always wanted to see a movie here but sadly I stopped working in Chicago for I got the chance.

Just looking at the pictures makes me wish there was a good old slope seated theatre I could see a movie at around San Francisco.

I too am surprised AMC didn’t wait until September to shut it down especially since “Batman” opens Thursday pm. One of the sites are stll giving “BATMAN” showtimes for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Is it possible they will only show one movie this week-end?

I knew this was coming. Broan is right on, they ran this place into the ground which is a horrible shame. 40+ years in business! While renovations were sorely needed, this theater was very unique. It had big screening rooms unlike the ones you have at today’s multiplexes, comfortable seats and a look that recalled theaters of yesteryear. As usual, AMC let it rot into oblivion just like they did with countless other theaters they owned that were older. Classic Cinemas please step in before it’s too late!

Yeah, same here. In a way, I’m not surprised it finally closed, since it was hemmoraging in its attendance for years. Muvico especially put a nail into the coffin(when it came to its attendance), as well as the opening of newer theaters in surrounding areas in recent years(i.e. Showplace 12(Golf Mill) in Niles, etc.).

The last several times I saw a movie here in recent years(and as recently as December 2011, primarily since it was the only theater it was playing at), I always got the impression AMC put next to no investment into this theater, vs. other ones they own(i.e. Village Crossing 18 in Skokie). I must say that I always got the impression the last few times I saw a movie here that if a company other than AMC owned Norridge(and threw some money to improve it, a la when Kerasotes renovated Webster Place), that it would’ve really helped things a lot. If this theater ever were to reopen(and I really doubt it, especially with the digital projection deadline being December 2012), I couldn’t see it being viable except as a 2nd-run theater.

Norridge is so far different from what AMC’s direction is. I can’t see them investing in a non-stadium, irregular theater that requires 2 concession stands, 2 sets of bathrooms, has poor visibility, excessively large auditoriums, etc. Maybe a smaller operator will want to deal with it, but it would still need 10 digital projectors at a minimum and major renovations to bring audiences back. It would probably be more efficient to just build a new one, like AMC did at Randhurst.

Yeah, I should have rewritten that before I posted. Here: The original twin theaters, which sat 1200 and 900 respectively, were ultimately subdivided into screens 5-10. I’m guessing at which screens were involved, but this sounds like the most likely series of expansions and splits to me. A third screen was added to the right side of the building (ultimately called Theater 1) and opened July 25, 1975. A fourth screen was opened June 10, 1977, which was probably the flat-roofed section to the far right of the building, now theater 2. A fifth screen was created by a split in 1983. Screens six and seven seem to have been additions to the rear of theaters 1 and 2. Three more screens were created by splits in 1988, opening on memorial day.

As for the closure, signs on the door of screens 5-10 explained that they were closed due to a water main break, which probably brought about the closure of the remaining screens. Otherwise it seems odd to close a theater a week before the opening of The Dark Knight Rises.