Renaissance Cinemas
Ellis Avenue & I-20,
Jackson,
MS
39204
Ellis Avenue & I-20,
Jackson,
MS
39204
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Reviewing the Jackson Clarion-Ledger the last mention I can find for this theatre was as a UA, last appearing on 6/24/1993.
March 14th, 1980 grand opening ad as a 4-plex in photo section.
March 29th, 1974 grand opening ad in photo section.
Not evidently open as of June, 2014. I just drove by there. No Sign. The front doors are boarded up. You have to drive through two imposing barbed wire gates to even get there. There was a construction permit notice attached out front, so hopefully something is being planned. It was my understanding that when the former McCarty Holman supermarket chain bought the theater three of the four auditoriums were reconfigured as office space. I was told the fourth auditorium was saved as a large meeting/conference room. Not sure how accurate any of that is.
Is the reknowned Renaisance Theater remains operative at all ??
Ellis Isle Cinema opened in 1974 behind the Ellis Isle Shopping Center which was anchored by Food Center Warehouse (later Sack & Save), Super D Drug Store, Woolco Dept Store (later Wal*Mart). Ellis Isle Cinema was originally a Twin cinema operated by Baton Rouge/New Orleans based Ogden-Perry Theaters. The cinema is free standing and faces Interstate 20. It has a auditoriums on both sides of the building with a concessions/lobby in the center of the building. In 1978, both auditoriums was divided forming 4 auditoriums and became known as Ellis Isle 4. In 1984, Gulf States Theatres acquired the Ogden-Perry chain. In 1986, United Artists Theatres acquired the local Gulf States Theatres assets. In 1989, one of the larger auditoriums was divided again forming 5 auditoriums. In 1995, Cobb Theatres acquired Ellis Isle 5, Metrocenter 4 and Meadowbrook 6. In 1997, Regal Cinemas acquired Ellis Isle 5, Metrocenter 4, Meadowbrook 6. In 1998, Regal Cinemas ceased operations of Ellis Isle 5 but was reverted back to United Artists (who held the lease). In 2000, the Ellis Isle Cinemas was closed due to UA bankruptcy restructuring. In 2013, after renovations, Jackson based Magic Cinemas reopened the cinema renamed Renaissance Centre 5 (in light of the shopping center renaming).
Status should be changed to Open (renamed Renaissance Cinemas) by Magic Cinema LLC. As mentioned, Ellis Isle 4 has been sold to a local investment group, Magic Cinema LLC and has been renamed Renaissance Centre Cinemas (the shopping center was renamed to Renaissance Centre in 2009. The Ellis Isle Shopping Center became abandoned in 2005 when its major stores like Sack & Save Grocery Warehouse, Walmart, Big Lots, Sam’s Club, IHOP and Pizza Hut had closed and relocated. In 2009, the center was purchased by a Jackson mega church New Horizon Church International and renamed Renaissance Centre. The center itself now houses New Horizon Church, a coffee shop, book store, and a thrift shop. The theater manager/operator is Zachary Bittner. Previous ownership was Ogden-Perry Theatres, Gulf State Theatres, United Artists.
For a very short period of time later in the 1970s, Ogden-Perry also operated the Capri (listed here as the Pix-Capri).