Demolition of the Loews Meadow 8 is proceeding – the building has been almost completely gutted and no longer looks like a theater. The new Showplace 14 is a huge concrete monstrosity going up in the parking lot on the other side of the Loews Meadow 6, just off Route 3 West. Supposedly it will open up sometime in August.
I really miss this place – saw a lot of movies here in my two years in Grand Rapids, and I remember how packed it could get in Theater #1 on opening night. One of the best cinemas ever – I’m sorry it couldn’t last.
I remember the clock in Theater One at least, used that to deduce that it took Alec Baldwin 45 minutes to re-adopt his costumed alter ego in “The Shadow” in 1994. Saw “Jurassic Park” here the prior year and recall what an experience that was, every seat was filled and the ticket line went down the street. Haven’t been here since “Swimming Pool” in 2003 or so.
I miss the big theaters myself sometimes. They would have been terrific on opening weekend for a film like “The Dark Knight”, but I also remember how utterly empty they could be during weekday matinees.
Saw “Star Wars” here and then “Star Trek II) five years later – and then it closed. Too bad, but there’s really only one way to get into the lot (as it stands now).
I would hope this one doesn’t close, I have been going to movies here for some six or seven years now and have always liked doing so. Though for some reason yesterday, I just sat and looked at the outside of the theater for a few minutes, wondering how long it might be there in today’s disposable society.
Went here today for the first time ever and saw “Iron Man” in No. 9 – I felt like I was walking into a cathedral rather than a movie theater. The lobby is huge and impressive, especially the mural which wraps around the three main walls and depicts various cinema stars, as are the black-and-white classic film portraits that are situated outside the individual theaters. A huge step up, at least aesthetically, from a lot of other AMC theaters I’ve been to.
My theater of choice when I lived in West Michigan – it still looked good the last time I visited. The large glassed-in lobby remains one of my favorite features, plus the fact that they served cake and other bakery goods during morning shows on the weekends.
I think the cafe is still there, at least physically, but I usually go to Clifton during the day and have never seen it staffed. The arcade games are still there, roped off in front, not sure about the party room. They also have a “life-size” statue now of “Kung-Fu Panda”, which opens in June, near the administrative desk in the lobby.
I actually like this theater quite a bit, even if the concessions help is a little slow sometimes, although most of the movies I see here tend to be located at one extreme end of the theater or the other. I lucked out recently with “Drillbit Taylor” which was in Theater #9 and right next to everything. Would that they were all that convenient!
The only film I ever saw here was “Titanic” – I remember thinking it was a small but nice theater, even though I marveled at how many seats there were in just the one auditorium. I’m sorry to hear it no longer exists – what stands there now?
I worked at the Menlo Twin in the summer of 1989 – even then we knew it was going once the new multiplex opened over at the mall, but it was still a shock for me when I got back from Alaska in 1992 and it was totally gone. I worked with some good people and still have some good memories of that summer, and now I drive by that spot and think about what was.
Called today, last day for this theater is Oct. 8
Demolition of the Loews Meadow 8 is proceeding – the building has been almost completely gutted and no longer looks like a theater. The new Showplace 14 is a huge concrete monstrosity going up in the parking lot on the other side of the Loews Meadow 6, just off Route 3 West. Supposedly it will open up sometime in August.
Remember how nice and modern this theater seemed in rustic Fairbanks … Saw “Freddy’s Dead” and “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” here …
I really miss this place – saw a lot of movies here in my two years in Grand Rapids, and I remember how packed it could get in Theater #1 on opening night. One of the best cinemas ever – I’m sorry it couldn’t last.
Thanks, Amy. I think I read that the KMart on that side of Alpine is now history, too
I remember the clock in Theater One at least, used that to deduce that it took Alec Baldwin 45 minutes to re-adopt his costumed alter ego in “The Shadow” in 1994. Saw “Jurassic Park” here the prior year and recall what an experience that was, every seat was filled and the ticket line went down the street. Haven’t been here since “Swimming Pool” in 2003 or so.
I miss the big theaters myself sometimes. They would have been terrific on opening weekend for a film like “The Dark Knight”, but I also remember how utterly empty they could be during weekday matinees.
Saw “Star Wars” here and then “Star Trek II) five years later – and then it closed. Too bad, but there’s really only one way to get into the lot (as it stands now).
I would hope this one doesn’t close, I have been going to movies here for some six or seven years now and have always liked doing so. Though for some reason yesterday, I just sat and looked at the outside of the theater for a few minutes, wondering how long it might be there in today’s disposable society.
Went here today for the first time ever and saw “Iron Man” in No. 9 – I felt like I was walking into a cathedral rather than a movie theater. The lobby is huge and impressive, especially the mural which wraps around the three main walls and depicts various cinema stars, as are the black-and-white classic film portraits that are situated outside the individual theaters. A huge step up, at least aesthetically, from a lot of other AMC theaters I’ve been to.
My theater of choice when I lived in West Michigan – it still looked good the last time I visited. The large glassed-in lobby remains one of my favorite features, plus the fact that they served cake and other bakery goods during morning shows on the weekends.
I think the cafe is still there, at least physically, but I usually go to Clifton during the day and have never seen it staffed. The arcade games are still there, roped off in front, not sure about the party room. They also have a “life-size” statue now of “Kung-Fu Panda”, which opens in June, near the administrative desk in the lobby.
I actually like this theater quite a bit, even if the concessions help is a little slow sometimes, although most of the movies I see here tend to be located at one extreme end of the theater or the other. I lucked out recently with “Drillbit Taylor” which was in Theater #9 and right next to everything. Would that they were all that convenient!
The only film I ever saw here was “Titanic” – I remember thinking it was a small but nice theater, even though I marveled at how many seats there were in just the one auditorium. I’m sorry to hear it no longer exists – what stands there now?
I worked at the Menlo Twin in the summer of 1989 – even then we knew it was going once the new multiplex opened over at the mall, but it was still a shock for me when I got back from Alaska in 1992 and it was totally gone. I worked with some good people and still have some good memories of that summer, and now I drive by that spot and think about what was.