AMC Orleans 8
2247 Bleigh Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19152
2247 Bleigh Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19152
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 147 of 147 comments
You’re right, and I fully apologize, for this page should be about the Orleans Theatre itself. Speaking of which, what is Eddie Jacobs basing his rumor on that it will be closing down next June to be replaced with a Target Store? Is the rumor he’s spreading true, or simply his roundabout way of expressing how put off he is by how generic this theater is? For even I’ll admit, even though it’s the last theater right around here, that it would be difficult to get too sentimental about it if it does shut down. It’s as if to say it was never designed in such a way that people could feel sentimental about its closing down. It lacks that certain “presence of soul” or whatever it is.
The major flaw of what the current owners of the historic Pennypack Theatre building plan to do with it — to make it a mini-mall that has a Dollar Tree, Pizza Hut, upscale coffee shop, laundromat, etc. (all things which this area has plenty of already) — is that no sort of public hearings were ever held in reaching that decision. Furthermore, every pre-existing business along that stretch of Frankford Ave was totally kept in the dark about it until after this decision was made. Meaning that over all the whole project is probably illegal. What is making the situation especially difficult, however, is that the Holmesburg Civic Association is 100% supportive of what the new owners plan to do with the Pennypack Theatre building, even though no efforts were ever made on its part to find out what the community at large thinks first. And that failure on the HCA’s part, too, for the most part is probably illegal. But hey, when you have politicians overseeing Holmesburg such as Philadelphia Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, State Reprentatives Mike McGeehan and John Perzel, State Senator Mike Stack, U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz and last but not least, Mayor John Street, the over all attitude appears to be, “Hey, what’s wrong with a little illegality?”
Now I could advise you attend the next Holmesburg Civic Association meeting, to be held next Tuesday evening (Nov 15) at 7pm at the Holmesburg Rec Center at Rhawn & Ditman, to let your views be known there. But be forewarned it’s rigged. And so from my perspective what that means is that in order for the Pennypack Theatre building to be properly restored to its rightful honor of being a movie theater once more, the only way it’s likely really going to happen, at least if it’s going to be done right, will entail overriding those resistence factions entirely. I.e., totally ignore them just as they’re ignoring us.
At the national level, meantime, there very much is a powerful campaign to reverse the current trend of existing movie theaters closing down left and right, as well as to introduce totally new ones, especially now that digital cinema is ready for roll-out and already is taking hold in certain places in the U.S. Meantime, right here in Northeast Philadelphia we constitute a huge movie-going audience that’s currently not being tapped into — compliments of the above named politicians, at least with regard to the Holmesburg area. For in my own efforts to see that Holmesburg not be overlooked by the nationwide campaign, I have not met one Northeast Philadelphia resident — NOT ONE — who doesn’t want to see that Pennypack Theatre building rightfully restored to being a movie theater once more. (As for Pizza Hut, I have nothing against them whatsoever. My only point was that it’s silly for that chain to try to compete in an area where people can and prefer to buy real Italian pizza at actual locally-based pizza parlors. If they want to try, short of their being an obstacle to efforts to restoring an historic movie theater, my only response is power to them.)
Meantime, in terms of your being able to help reverse the trend of Northeast Philly theaters shutting down, let those who head up the movie industry know about it, rather than trying to talk sense to Northeast Philly politicians who couldn’t care less what we the people living here think or want. For the more Hollywood knows there’s a powerful market here just waiting to be tapped into, the more that will become the ultimate overriding factor. For ultimately it’s we the people who count, not a silly small group of politicians who have forgotten us, and illegally so from the looks of it.
At this moment those who own the Pennypack Theatre building — which was called the Holme Theatre until 1946 — are digging in their heals determined to make it a sort of mini-mall rather than an all new digital cinema. Call it politics at its absolute worst. The current owners of that building are totally ignoring the fact that there’s way too many dollar type stores, pizza chains, laundromats, etc., in this area already, what is known as oversaturation. As business policy goes, it will fail, and of course it will fail, that’s the whole point. For it’s the everyday taxpayers' dollars that are paying for it all, or will be paying for it all in terms of bail-outs when it fails, not the owners of these businesses. But so long as the taxpayers don’t mind this even though they themselves don’t derive any benefit, there’s little to stop them. Meantime, how many consumers around here right now do you know of who are saying, “Golly gee, I only wish we had more dollar type stores around here, pizza chains, laundromats and so on”? Now some might argue that movie theaters can’t make as much money as those other type businesses can. But that’s missing the whole point. What movie theaters do is make a particular consumer business district that much more alluring. And proof of this right now can be seen in Ambler, PA with its newly restored Ambler Theatre. And the same in Phoenixville with its newly restored Colonial Theatre. These theaters in themselves aren’t making a ton of money, but they’re having a miraculous effect on turning around the long slumping economies all around them. Meantime, the main consumer business strip through Holmesburg has been in a slump since the 1950s, the same year the Pennypack Theatre closed. Coincidence? Hardly.
Anyway, what’s happening with the Pennypack Theatre building right now is that there’s strong resistence on the part of its owners plus the NE Phila politicians and local civic association against making it a movie theater again. And so long as that resistence outweighs the desire of those of us who want to see it become a theater again, those putting up the resistence will prevail. Only to give NE Philly what it has too much of already, which then, of course, will fail due to oversaturation — each identical type business sapping business away from the other. And this we all pretty much know ahead of time. For I passed the Pizza Hut in Mayfair the other day and consumer traffic going in and out was dead. It was all brightly lit up for business, yet totally empty. For why would anyone bother going there when there’s so many local pizza parlors all throughout NE Philly where you can buy real Italian pizza? And when I passed by the closed up Devon Theatre down that way the other day, I saw passersby pausing to read the sign in front, eager to know when it will finally be reopened once more. As for the Pennypack Theatre building right now, how many people passing by it can’t wait till the dollar store opens up there, especially when there’s another one practically right across the street from it where Andy’s Hardware used to be, another at the nearby Holmesburg Shopping Center at Frankford Ave & Blakiston, another down where Mayfair’s Pep Boys used to be, etc., etc., etc.? Are you seeing people lining up in rows of two or more to shop at the area dollar stores right now? Or packing into the local laundromats with baskets piled high with laundry to be done? For I’m sure not.
So in a roundabout sort of way, right there is the powerful campaign to make the Pennypack Theatre building a theater once more. And Texas Instruments, Christie Digital, the entire motion picture industry out in Hollywood and many others are all ready to step in and make it happen whenever you are. So however you can, speak up, and stay tuned…
Those of you who are saddened by the news that the AMC Orleans 8 will be closing in April might be somewhat comforted to know that a powerful campaign is currently underway to see the Pennypack Theatre building (at Frankford Ave. & Welsh Road in NE Philly’s Holmesburg section) be restored to being a movie theater again. Built in 1929 and with a 1,364-seat seating capacity plus a sizeable parking lot, and designed by the acclaimed 20th century theater architecture pioneer William Harold Lee, because of the year it was built, the same as the ‘29 crash, it never got to be a full-fledged theater the first time around. So all these years, ever since the Pennypack Theatre closed sometime in the 1950s, it’s been this cinematic gem waiting to be rediscovered. If the campaign to make it a movie theater once more is successful, it will be a digital cinema theater, which will make it Philadelphia’s first — the closest one to Philadelphia right now being way up in Elizabeth, NJ.
Latest rumoured news is that Orleans will definatly close in april, then they will begin building target (after they knock some stuff down!)
Yoc an’t put the blame squarely on AMC for the decline of the Orleans. Most of the blame falls with the old Budco Theatres chain.
Orleans cant get closed, it has the distinct honor of being the worst AMC ever!
See i knew it was going to become a target. I told mike awhile ago. I really think that they should do a remodel of orleans and quite frankly Franklin Mills 14.
There has been rumors that Target is supposed to acquire the land which hoses the AMC (Goldman’s)Orleans 1-4, the AMC Orleans 5-8/Pep Boys Auto (Pathmark/Shop Rite), the Hollywood Bistro, and the Pet Smart (Lionel’s Kiddie City), but it just rumors.
I wouldn’t be surprised that if the old Orleans is torn down in the near future, a megaplex would be built in its place. Look at how much open space there is! As for the 309 Cinema 9, that complex and the UA Montgomeryville 7 up north at the 309/202 interchange are the only two theatre complexes serving North Wales, Montgomeryville, and Ambler/Springhouse. I think that area really needs a megaplex, and soon.
hey eddie
thanks for the update about the orleans.
that is one of the theatres that i still
go to see movies when i go to phila to see
my dad went i am in the phila area
View link
thats a picture of both buildings (1-4, 5-8)
AMC Orleans was rumoured to be closed by the end of this month, but I just asked a manager from there and they are not closing down, they are staying open.
The Orleans 8, as well as the 309 Cinema 9, the Woodhaven 10, and the Franklin Mills 14 are not doing as well as the theatre I work at, the Neshaminy 24. Neshaminy 24 is the #1 theatre in all of Pennsylvania, and a top 20 AMC Theatre nationwide. 5 years from now, the only AMC Theatres in the Philadelphia area, I beleve, will be: The Neshaminy 24, The Hamilton 24, The Cherry Hill 24 (After the merger with Loews goes through), The Franklin Mills 14, The Plymouth Cinema 12, The Woodhaven 10, The Marple 10, The Painter’s Crossing 9, The Marlton 8, and The Deptford 8. The Orleans 8 and The 309 Cinema 9, will most likely be closed, and Orleans #1 to 4, and the 309 Cinema 9 will be demolished, and the Orleans #5-8 converted into a extension of Pep Boys Auto Store.
THE AMC ORLEANS 8 THEATRES IS OPEN AND THEY
ARE DOING VERY GOOD BUSINESS.
I USED TO TO WORK AT THEATRE TOO.
2004 CAME AND GONE AND THE THEATRE IS STILL OPEN.
IN THE OLDER BUILDING ONE OF THE THEATRES HAS 70MM
IT BE NICE IF AMC BUILD A 18PLEX THERE .
I USED TO GO TO THAT THEATRE ALL OF THE TIME WHEN I HAD MY DAYS
OFF FROM WORK WHEN I WASNT WORK AT THE OTHER BUDCO THEATRES
IN PHILA.
The planned closure of the AMC Orleans 8 was planned at least 2 years ago, well before being acquired by JP Morgan Chase, and before the planned merger with Loews Cineplex.
The theatre (screen #3 & #4) has been opened since 1963, and the building that houses Screens #1 to #4 has been falling apart since 1985, in the final years of Budco ownership. Most guest comes to AMC Neshaminy 24 to complain about the AMC Orleans 8.
This is a perfect example as to why the AMC/Lowes deal should not happen. AMC pulls this crap all the time. I grew up in Phila and the Orleans was always a popular theater. The smaller single screen theaters in NYC and Chicago will really be in danger if AMC gets their hands on Lowes.
The AMc (Former William Goldman/Budco) Orleans 8 is now slated to close in July, 2005. Don’t know if it will happen
Who knows if AMC will tear this down and build one over. The building for theatres 5-8 is the back of pep boys (as it say it was a pathmark, which closed the same year i was born) Sadly now there will not be a theatre in walking distance from my house (well the devon is becoming the devon performing arts theatre)
So which new megaplex will be in place in NE Philadelphia?
AMC Orleans 8 is due to close at the end of 2004
The William Goldman’s Orleans originally had 900 seats, before it was twinned (Today, the original Orleans is the current Orleans' Theatre # 3 & #4). Visit <www.amctheatres.com> for info