This location could really use a renovation. The late 90s neon/LED aesthetic really drags it down, especially since a lot of the lights were out. The IMAX screen is really nice though.
As stated above, 11 is RPX without the branding. The rumor mill suggests that IMAX helped pay for the renovation and laser projection in a deal to debrand RPX.
This location has the capability to play content on a mobile screen through a corporate level projection system. It does not, to my knowledge, have support for true DCP projection.
Movies are only shown infrequently for film festivals or special events. For a time, they screened free movies fairly regularly, but these events now tend to happen instead at the Miller across the street now.
Free movies are shown here approximately once a month with concessions available for purchase. The best that I could tell, the movies are played from a Blu-ray (or similar high definition home video source) through a commercial projection system. The screen is fairly large and nice though. It is pleasant to be in such a large and historic auditorium.
I really thought this theater was demolished, but the latest Google Maps information makes it appear to still be nested there between the other businesses.
kpkiiburn2: This was definitely a platter location either way. Not to stray too far off topic 3 years later, but the Miller Theater restoration and Imperial Theater restoration both maintain the changeover booths in the back, but I don’t believe there is any equipment in either. Both locations just use a commercial projector like you’d use at a conference center or such when showing movies.
The space is rented out to a convention I am going to this weekend. I am going to try to poke around and determine if the movies being shown are DCP. I’ll try to report back.
Bow Tie Management appears to be a new company for operating this theater based upon their website only containing this theater. I initially thought it was going to be related to the Bow Tie Cinema chain that operates in NY and some other states in the Northeast, but it seems completely disconnected despite the similarity of name.
I am just here to say that I am extremely sad to discover that these awful auditoriums are where great art films start their platform runs and pull like 20k+ in a weekend per theater. Do better New York.
There is a long article on a local site called Columbia Closings and I am going to summarize a few highlights here along with my own recollections.
It was originally opened as simply the “Columbia Mall Theater” to the recollection of the blogger. It opened in the late 70s originally.
It was located across from the Columbia Place Mall.
It was closed and reopened (or possibly transferred without closing during a decline) to Phoenix Theaters. My only visit to this theater was under this branding in 2006. It was called the Phoenix Columbia Place Cinema 8 at the time.
It received a remodel to stadium seating at some point after my visit in 2006. It then closed in 2011.
It reopened in the Spring of 2012 as noted above as Columbia Place Stadium Cinemas, but that iteration only lasted about 6 months before it closed again due to lack of attendance.
The last iteration seemed to have 3-D capability in at least some auditoriums.
mcs1996: I don’t know with 100% certainty, but I believe that it closed running 35mm. The version that closed in 2011 ended up with 35mm projectors in the lobby though. So I am not sure if the final version moved them back up to the booth or if they put in digital. It seems like a full digital conversion would have been an expensive proposition for a theater that was reopened independent and only lasted about 6 months.
12 year late reply, but I believe that The Nick was always associated with the Columbia Film Society johnathan and has been more of an arthouse than grindhouse throughout its existence. That being said, they did for a time have an After Dark series of some sort that ran some grindhouse adjacent films (and other “bad” movies), but I am not certain if that started before or after the move from this location to the current location.
This location was definitely not an exciting venue with chairs that felt more like you’d see in a church than a movie theater to my recollection on a mostly (possibly completely?) flat floor. The two advantages that it held though were being very close to the USC campus and playing films that you’d not get a chance to see anywhere else in town. It had a bit of a charm about it as well with old posters hung and such though.
nycman: If you’re looking to watch a film, probably not worth the trip. If you’re looking for the other “amenities”, then maybe?
I am going to be staying a few blocks away from here on a trip in early 2022, I may get a few photos of the outside and the closed Roxy across the street. I don’t think I’ll brave entering though.
My guess is that there are just enough people in Aiken area who don’t want to drive to Augusta to see a movie. Regal gave the old Pastime Pavillion here in Lexington, SC a big remodel because they recognized that there was no competition in the area. You’d think they’d do the same here, but I have heard that after the Cineworld acquisition that the remodels have slowed down.
Does anyone know if this location was initially designed to be a Cobb theater? I know it opened as a Regal in 1999 and Cobb merger closed in 1997, but a friend who is an expert on the subject says that the construction looks very much like a Cobb. It is possible it was in development already when the merger closed.
This is a great downtown art house theater and a huge improvement on the prior Nickelodeon location. About 75% of the movies that they screen would not be shown in town otherwise.
Regal updated this theater to luxury recliners in all auditoriums in 2017.
All screens are now 1.85:1 and display 2.35:1 letterboxed. This creates a lot of negative space around the screens in some auditoriums where it is obvious that the curtains used to instead expand for 2.35:1.
No effects from hurricanes or other storms that I’m aware of.
This is an okay theater, but you can really tell that it opened just before modern amenities became standard and it feels much older than it is as a result. It does contain the only IMAX in the Columbia area, but it is a converted “Liemax” screen only.
This could use a remodel to keep up with the theaters on the Western side of town.
Visited in Summer 2018 when I happened to be in Aiken. It looked exactly like it did in the mid-90s. Based on information from another Regal GM, this is an underperforming location. Do yourself a favor, jump on I-20, and drive across the river to the GTC Riverwatch.
The expansion from 6 to 8 screens was more of a remodel than expansion. The extra screens were created by splitting two auditoriums depth-wise. Screen size was not sacrificed as a result, but this left four of the eight auditoriums as noticeably shallow with two only currently having 3 rows.
Regal replaced the seating with recliners in all auditoriums in 2018. The lobby was otherwise remodeled. The biggest non-cosmetic change was the elimination of the box office and replacement with four automated kiosks. A register at concession is available for non-credit purchases.
This theater is also officially called Regal Northlake Village 8 now though some signage in the shopping center still reflects the Pastime Pavilion naming.
This was extensively remodeled after being acquired by AMC. Remodel completion date was officially announced in The State Newspaper on May 3, 2018, but many auditoriums were finished earlier in the year.
This location could really use a renovation. The late 90s neon/LED aesthetic really drags it down, especially since a lot of the lights were out. The IMAX screen is really nice though.
As stated above, 11 is RPX without the branding. The rumor mill suggests that IMAX helped pay for the renovation and laser projection in a deal to debrand RPX.
This location has the capability to play content on a mobile screen through a corporate level projection system. It does not, to my knowledge, have support for true DCP projection.
Movies are only shown infrequently for film festivals or special events. For a time, they screened free movies fairly regularly, but these events now tend to happen instead at the Miller across the street now.
Free movies are shown here approximately once a month with concessions available for purchase. The best that I could tell, the movies are played from a Blu-ray (or similar high definition home video source) through a commercial projection system. The screen is fairly large and nice though. It is pleasant to be in such a large and historic auditorium.
I really thought this theater was demolished, but the latest Google Maps information makes it appear to still be nested there between the other businesses.
kpkiiburn2: This was definitely a platter location either way. Not to stray too far off topic 3 years later, but the Miller Theater restoration and Imperial Theater restoration both maintain the changeover booths in the back, but I don’t believe there is any equipment in either. Both locations just use a commercial projector like you’d use at a conference center or such when showing movies.
The space is rented out to a convention I am going to this weekend. I am going to try to poke around and determine if the movies being shown are DCP. I’ll try to report back.
Bow Tie Management appears to be a new company for operating this theater based upon their website only containing this theater. I initially thought it was going to be related to the Bow Tie Cinema chain that operates in NY and some other states in the Northeast, but it seems completely disconnected despite the similarity of name.
I am just here to say that I am extremely sad to discover that these awful auditoriums are where great art films start their platform runs and pull like 20k+ in a weekend per theater. Do better New York.
I took some video in November 2021 because I had a feeling that this location might not last much longer. Here it is for anyone interested.
https://youtu.be/czAnLbY1o7Q
There is a long article on a local site called Columbia Closings and I am going to summarize a few highlights here along with my own recollections.
mcs1996: I don’t know with 100% certainty, but I believe that it closed running 35mm. The version that closed in 2011 ended up with 35mm projectors in the lobby though. So I am not sure if the final version moved them back up to the booth or if they put in digital. It seems like a full digital conversion would have been an expensive proposition for a theater that was reopened independent and only lasted about 6 months.
davidcoppock: It was near where a street named Polo Rd. intersected Two Notch Rd. I know that is the least exciting answer.
12 year late reply, but I believe that The Nick was always associated with the Columbia Film Society johnathan and has been more of an arthouse than grindhouse throughout its existence. That being said, they did for a time have an After Dark series of some sort that ran some grindhouse adjacent films (and other “bad” movies), but I am not certain if that started before or after the move from this location to the current location.
This location was definitely not an exciting venue with chairs that felt more like you’d see in a church than a movie theater to my recollection on a mostly (possibly completely?) flat floor. The two advantages that it held though were being very close to the USC campus and playing films that you’d not get a chance to see anywhere else in town. It had a bit of a charm about it as well with old posters hung and such though.
nycman: If you’re looking to watch a film, probably not worth the trip. If you’re looking for the other “amenities”, then maybe?
I am going to be staying a few blocks away from here on a trip in early 2022, I may get a few photos of the outside and the closed Roxy across the street. I don’t think I’ll brave entering though.
My guess is that there are just enough people in Aiken area who don’t want to drive to Augusta to see a movie. Regal gave the old Pastime Pavillion here in Lexington, SC a big remodel because they recognized that there was no competition in the area. You’d think they’d do the same here, but I have heard that after the Cineworld acquisition that the remodels have slowed down.
Does anyone know if this location was initially designed to be a Cobb theater? I know it opened as a Regal in 1999 and Cobb merger closed in 1997, but a friend who is an expert on the subject says that the construction looks very much like a Cobb. It is possible it was in development already when the merger closed.
This is a great downtown art house theater and a huge improvement on the prior Nickelodeon location. About 75% of the movies that they screen would not be shown in town otherwise.
Regal updated this theater to luxury recliners in all auditoriums in 2017.
All screens are now 1.85:1 and display 2.35:1 letterboxed. This creates a lot of negative space around the screens in some auditoriums where it is obvious that the curtains used to instead expand for 2.35:1.
No effects from hurricanes or other storms that I’m aware of.
This is an okay theater, but you can really tell that it opened just before modern amenities became standard and it feels much older than it is as a result. It does contain the only IMAX in the Columbia area, but it is a converted “Liemax” screen only.
This could use a remodel to keep up with the theaters on the Western side of town.
Visited in Summer 2018 when I happened to be in Aiken. It looked exactly like it did in the mid-90s. Based on information from another Regal GM, this is an underperforming location. Do yourself a favor, jump on I-20, and drive across the river to the GTC Riverwatch.
The expansion from 6 to 8 screens was more of a remodel than expansion. The extra screens were created by splitting two auditoriums depth-wise. Screen size was not sacrificed as a result, but this left four of the eight auditoriums as noticeably shallow with two only currently having 3 rows.
Regal replaced the seating with recliners in all auditoriums in 2018. The lobby was otherwise remodeled. The biggest non-cosmetic change was the elimination of the box office and replacement with four automated kiosks. A register at concession is available for non-credit purchases.
This theater is also officially called Regal Northlake Village 8 now though some signage in the shopping center still reflects the Pastime Pavilion naming.
This was extensively remodeled after being acquired by AMC. Remodel completion date was officially announced in The State Newspaper on May 3, 2018, but many auditoriums were finished earlier in the year.