UA Cine West 2

dallasmovietheaters on December 26, 2022 at 8:37 am

Woodlawn Theatres Inc. announced this project late in 1964 as Corpus Christi would have its first two hardtop theaters in the post-War exhibition era known as the suburban luxury theater period. The 600-seat venue was similar to other such suburbans located in a shopping center strip - the Woodlawn Plaza Shopping Center - designed by Hans & Bennett and featuring plentiful free parking adjacent to the theater. Interest was high as an August 1965 free open house drew over 5,000 (!) people. The Woodlawn Theatre was the first post-War hardtop theater to launch in Corpus Christi and did so here on August 31, 1965 with Rick Nelson in “Love and Kisses.”

The Woodlawn Plaza Shopping Center’s official Grand Opening with all 14 merchants ready to go wasn’t until October 14, 1965. It was anchored then by a Handy Andy Supermarket, a Ben Franklin five and dime store, a Firestone auto service center and the theater which gave away free popcorn with coupon for the grand launch. The second hardtop suburban theatre project that was announced in 1964 became delayed not opening until April of 1968 as a duplex called the Deux Cine Twin turned UA Ciné 4 then UA Ciné 6. Woodlawn Theatres Inc. went from a subsidiary of United Artists Theatre Circuit to subsumed by UATC in December of 1969 along with the Duex Ciné.

On April 5, 1973, the Woodlawn Theatre was repositioned as a discount sub-run house with all seats a dollar for the double feature of “Super Fly” and “Omega Man.” The venue closed on September 23, 1973 to be twinned by UATC reopening as the UA Cine West 2 on October 31, 1973 with “Walking Tall” on the only screen ready for presentations. It’s assumed a new 30-year lease was worked out for the relaunch as a twin.

As part of an “inflation fighter,” UATC experimented with Tuesday dollar showings in the late 1970s at the Ciné West. It decided to reposition the venue thereafter as a discount, sub-run location. Cinemark opened a seven-screen, new build dollar house in Padre Staples Mall on December 11, 1987 that would drastically change the Corpus Christi movie theater marketplace as aging discount houses were placed under sever pressure. The UA Ciné West 2 short circuited on August 25, 1988 closing at what is assumed the 15-year opt our of its leasing period with “Crocodile Dundee II” and “Short Circuit 2.” United Artists ridded itself of dying dollar houses the Ciné West and then both its Ayers and the Centre in the central business district seven days later.

The venue was retrofitted for a Family Dollar on the back end of the 15-year lease that operated from 1990 to 2013. The space’s former lobby was then home to a Domino’s Pizza location in the 2020s. An opening day photo of the theater and a sketching of the Woodlawn Plaza can be found in photos.

rivest266 on November 27, 2020 at 4:44 pm

The Woodlawn theatre became Cine West 2 on October 31st, 1973 after being split up. Another grand opening ad posted.