Northgate Twin Theatres
1058 West Club Boulevard,
Durham,
NC
27701
1058 West Club Boulevard,
Durham,
NC
27701
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Carmike Cinemas, Consolidated Theatres, Martin Theatres
Previous Names: Northgate Theatre, Northgate Theatres 1 & 2
Nearby Theaters
The Northgate Shopping Center was built in 1960 by W. Kenan Rand Jr., and it became Durham’s largest and most popular shopping center.
The Northgate Theatre, located on the northwest corner of the shopping center next to Ballentine’s Cafeteria, opened on December 25, 1962, with a special preview of Durham’s newest and most modern theatre for invited guests and government officials along with a special screening. The official opening of the Northgate Theatre took place on Christmas Day of 1962, with the featured screening of “Jumbo” starring Doris Day and Stephen Boyd. The single screen theatre had a capacity of 700, and was equipped with full stereophonic sound and a super widescreen projection equipment that was capable of showing 35mm and 70mm presentations. The theatre was owned and operated by Charlotte based Consolidated Theatres.
It remained a single screen theatre until around June 13, 1975, when the original auditorium was split into two 350-seat sections creating shoebox auditoriums with smaller screens. It was renamed Northgate Twin Theatres with the opening attractions “Pippi Longstocking”, and “The Other Side of the Mountain”. Martin Theatres took over the Northgate Twins operation, and in 1982, Carmike Cinemas acquired the theatre, operating it until its closing on May 1, 1986. The theatre was demolished to make way for an expansion of Northgate Mall.
Contributed by
raymond
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Recent comments (view all 39 comments)
When it was twinned in 1975, the original auditorium of 700 was split down the middle into two sections with the seating capacity at 350 each in both auditorium until it closed in 1986.
Durham Theatre Operation — During the many many times I visited Durham, each of the competing theatres played the same films day & date or at the same time. Films would play at Carmike, South Square, etc.all at the same time!
Chuck1231: This theatre couldn’t hold back the capacity crowds when they played “SUPERMAN:THE MOVIE”(1978)…not to mention the lines snaked around the cinema for “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK”, “E.T.”,“TEMPLE OF DOOM”, “FIRST BLOOD II”,and “BACK TO THE FUTURE”.
The theatre got a lot of the Disney product not to mention a LOT of the Disney re-releases too. Disney classics “TREASURE ISLAND”,“THE PARENT TRAP”, “OLD YELLER”,“SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON”,“KIDNAPPED”, “MARY POPPINS”,“20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA”,along with “THE LOVE BUG”,and a lot of the animated Disney classics were either shown as double features or second-run venues at Durham’s Northgate Theatre.
I fondly remember coming to the Northgate Theatre in 1969 as a child for the showing of the first Charlie Brown movie “A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN” that had special door prizes and contests along with special extra showings which included an early weekend matinee shows!!!!
When it was twinned by the mid-1970’s,the Northgate also got “RACE FOR YOUR LIFE CHARLIE BROWN!” in 1977,and the final Peanuts theatrical feature “BON VOYAGE CHARLIE BROWN,AND DON’T COME BACK” in 1980.
MARY POPPINS was a crowd favorite at the Northgate!!!
The Northgate Twin Theatres were located on the opposite side of the Northgate Shopping Center next to Sears.
The opening of the Carmike Willowdaile Cinema 8 just up the road off Guess Road in North Durham was the demise and the closing of the Northgate Twin Theatres in 1986. The Northgate Twin Theatres were demolished by November of 1986 when expansion and renovations to Northgate Mall were about to begin construction,adding more parking space and additional stores.
Slight correction. It opened on December 25th, 1962. Its grand opening ad posted. The opening of this theatre helped to put an end of downtown theatres.
closed May 1st, 1986.
Northgate Cinema closing Jul 27, 1986 The Herald-Sun (Durham, North Carolina) Newspapers.com
Cleaned up the fluff from this entry. The preview opening and the actual opening are the same day. Christmas is always the 25th. Is the preview date wrong, or was it just an early opening that day for the VIPs?