Cherry Hill Mall Cinema
2000 Route 38,
Cherry Hill,
NJ
08002
4 people favorited this theater
Additional Info
Functions: Retail
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News About This Theater
- Sep 5, 2008 — Biggest Non IMAX/Cinerama single theater screens ????
The Cherry Hill Mall opened in October 1961, as the first large indoor shopping mall on the East Coast, and its movie theatre was opened by General Cinema Corp. on April 11, 1962. In the 1960’s, the Cherry Hill Cinema drew large crowds, especially for Disney movies and other family films.
Twinned on November 23, 1973, the Cherry Hill Cinema eventually lost out to the multiplexes. General Cinema closed the theatre on February 28, 1987, with a midnight screening to a capacity crowd of several hundred people, with the usual audience accompaniment, of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. The theatre had been screening that British made movie at midnight on weekends for more than ten years. The theatre was remodeled into retail space.
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Was this originally a General Cinema theater???
Yes, it was a General Cinema theater. The CINEMA name had a common design used for all GC owned theatres.
I remember seeing Annie here. It was very small, but, with easy access to the mall, it was a dream for any teenager. I remember the Gap being right outside the entrance. It was straight out of a John Hughes movie.
Clue (the Scarlet ending), Aliens, Lucas, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Big Trouble in Little China, Gung Ho, The Money Pit, Top Gun, Crocodile Dundee, Pretty in Pink played here…last time I was in the mall, it was a Limited.
From Boxoffice magazine, April 1962:
CHERRY HILL, N.J.-The new Cherry Hill Cinema was to have its grand opening on Wednesday, April 11. The new 1,425-seat theater is located in the Cherry Hill Mall Shopping Center, on Route 38 at Haddonfield Road. Managing the new theater is Max Bernstein. General Drive-In Corp., operated by president Richard A. Smith, is the owner. The opening picture at the new Cinema was “The Children’s Hour”.
My father owned the liquor store across from the movie theater until 1985. I practically lived in that theater growing up.
Here is a reproduction of a Cherry Hill Mall brochure from the late 1960s. What’s interesting about this for Cinema Treasures purposes is that space #26—on the outside of the mall, next to the bank on the Route 38 side—is identified as “Mini Cinema.” (You may have to zoom the picture to see the number. It’s near the bottom left.) Does anybody remember movies being shown in that space? I don’t. I know it was a health club in the ‘70s and after, but I can’t recall what it was when the Mall opened. I suspect that the cinema was something that was planned but never opened.
Wow… thanks Tinseltoes. Those photos brought back a lot om memories. I saw a lot of films there. I remember that the auditorium was white and stark: 1960s modern!
This opened on April 11th, 1962. Grand opening ad in photo section.
November 23rd, 1973 grand opening ad as a twin also in photo section.