Southland Cinema

12615 W. Dixie Highway,
North Miami, FL 33161

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webpilot1
webpilot1 on February 3, 2023 at 10:04 pm

Actor Phillip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice)had it as an Actor’s Theatre after the show’s run ended.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on February 3, 2023 at 6:19 am

It stopped showing movies in 1986 but I don’t know how long it operated as the Miami Way.

JackCoursey
JackCoursey on February 2, 2023 at 7:10 pm

Any idea as to when this theatre closed? The interior has been gutted and transformed into a medical clinic. A little bit of the exterior remains intact, just enough to reveal it was once a theatre.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on September 1, 2021 at 11:41 pm

The May 14, 1949 Boxoffice article about the opening of E.E. Branscome’s North Miami Theatre said that the event, a benefit for the Optimist’s Club, consisted of five acts of vaudeville and the feature film “The Untamed Breed.” This must have been before the beginning of regular operations on May 5, 1949, but Boxoffice doesn’t give the date of the event. It was likely on May 4.

The off-center projection booth noted by some earlier commenters was probably the result of the inclusion of a small balcony that served as a smoking loge on one side of the house. Despite the vaudeville acts at the opening, the North Miami was a new build, not an old legitimate theater converted for movies.

Boxoffice gave the name of the architect as M. Ungaro. After poking around the Internet I’ve concluded that this must have been Manfred Mancusi-Ungaro, a fairly well known Miami modernist in his time, best known for designing many single family houses and small apartment buildings. I’ve found no other theaters among his works.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 29, 2020 at 2:49 pm

Reopened on November 6th, 1970 as the Southland Cinema. Admission: $1. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 26, 2020 at 9:19 am

The North Miami theatre opened on May 5th, 1949 with “3 Godfathers” with John Wayne. Grand opening ad posted.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on May 6, 2019 at 7:14 pm

Relaunch shown here on February 21, 1963 as the North Miami Theatre to the plans by E. Abraben & Associates firm with “A Girl Named Tamiko.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on January 1, 2019 at 6:14 pm

It started showing movies in May 1949 and was operated by E. Bramscombe, who owned the Coral Way Auto Drive-In. The opening night was sponsored by the Optimists Club. Was it a live theatre before then? The awkward location of the projection booth suggests that it was.

remkoolhaas
remkoolhaas on January 1, 2019 at 4:00 pm

Does Anybody know the date it was constructed?

kenya
kenya on November 7, 2012 at 8:15 am

I remember going to this theater with my cousin and sister to watch Saturday Night Fever and Grease.

mmarovitch
mmarovitch on June 10, 2012 at 12:41 pm

Thanks for that answer, Next question can we get the address corected? with the error in address it makes it look like there is another theater a block away.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on June 9, 2012 at 11:04 am

It was the Southland in 1972.

mmarovitch
mmarovitch on June 9, 2012 at 10:07 am

the theater pictured is located at 12615 Dixe Highway, Sixth ave is a good block away. I remeber seeing the last picture show here in 1972. I would like to know the correct name of the theater at that time if anyone knows.

webpilot1
webpilot1 on July 27, 2011 at 12:59 pm

Even though the sign says “Miami Way” and now it’s referred to as the"North Miami,“ this theater will always be the "Southland” Theater to me as it was for so long during my youth. I was 6 years old in 1958 and attended often, probably from then to 1968. The best memories of it were after Actor Phillip Michael Thomas took it over while “Miami Vice” was shooting in the early 80’s. Mr. Thomas has a big heart and helped a lot of fellow thespians to pursue their dreams on the stage with this facility.

jeffsfonts
jeffsfonts on March 29, 2010 at 2:44 pm

Al… thanks for jogging my memory… those two names escaped me!

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on March 24, 2010 at 5:26 am

Jeff, the two theatres you mention are the Biscayne Twin and the Holiday. The Holiday was a successful dollar house for many years.

jeffsfonts
jeffsfonts on March 23, 2010 at 9:28 pm

Even though the City of North Miami never did acquire the theater from Phillip Michael Thomas, I disagree with Harvey. Stage plays “and other crap” are still a better thing than having an empty building, which it’s been for years.

As far as I know, it’s always been a movie theater. Perhaps the intent was to have stage plays, but that never happened. In it’s early years, there were two retail storefronts to the left and right of the box office/entrance.

If I recall from an old photo, one was a TV-Radio repair and the other was “Camerucci the Tailor” (in the 1950’s)…

Amazingly, this was the ONLY theater in North Miami until the 1980’s, when a dollar theater was constructed inside the former St. Clair’s/Polly Davis/David’s Cafeteria in the 127th Street Shopping Center on Biscayne Blvd. It didn’t last.

Neither did the budget movie house built by Jack Knapp behind his West Dixie Lanes (formerly Interama/Pinerama Lanes) on West Dixie Hwy. near 159th Street in North Miami Beach.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on January 16, 2010 at 11:20 am

Operating in 1969 as the Under-Ground.

View link

Thanks to Mike Rivest for finding the Miami News online.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 1, 2009 at 8:08 am

You are welcome, Harvey.

As you probably already know, a search for NORTH MIAMI THEATRE will yield two photos.

Harvey
Harvey on July 1, 2009 at 5:29 am

I’ve been out of the loop for a bit but WOW! This is all new North Miami stuff that wasn’t on that site when I linked the theatre to it.

Thanks, Al! As usual, you rule!

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on April 17, 2009 at 7:25 pm

1962 ad for the remodeled North Miami.

View link

Harvey
Harvey on March 30, 2009 at 12:17 am

If you go to Google Maps, type in 12662 West Dixie Highway, then click on street view and spin the image around, there you have The North Miami/Southland/MiamiWay Theater.

Harvey
Harvey on March 22, 2009 at 10:53 pm

Well, shoot. That’s a dead link. I don’t know what happened to that site on North Miami history but it looks like a goner. I even tried the Wayback Machine on archive.org and couldn’t find it. I can’t believe I didn’t save the picture either!

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on March 21, 2009 at 8:03 pm

I can’t get that like to work, Harvey.

Here is a new link to the August 14, 2007 photo.

View link

Harvey
Harvey on March 25, 2008 at 7:56 pm

Apparently, if this website is correct, the City of North Miami is going to buy the theatre and re-open it for the community. Meaning no movies, just plays and other crap.

But if they let it exist, I’ll take it. There’s also a picture from 1954 here.

View link