Plaza 3 Theatre

3237 Tyre Neck Road,
Portsmouth, VA 23703

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rivest266
rivest266 on October 23, 2023 at 9:27 am

First ad placed on December 25th, 1970.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on May 30, 2023 at 2:03 pm

First operated by Cinema City Theatres. This opened in the 1970s, although I cannot find its grand opening advertisement.

MSC77
MSC77 on October 9, 2022 at 2:44 pm

Sharing the link to a newly-published chronology of the Tidewater region’s 70mm presentations. The Plaza is mentioned quite a few times in the piece.

Coffindan
Coffindan on August 23, 2016 at 10:56 am

I saw many a movie at the Churchland Plaza 3 that bufffilmbuff mentioned. My family used to frequent the steak house there. I swear at one time the restaurant was called “The Purple Possum”. There was a drug store or something that shared the same space. I would browse through the magazine area for Fangoria and other horror/sci fi mags waiting for my parents to come get me to go into the theater.

I remember seeing The Rescuers there because Star Wars was sold out. Also went to see some movie with my parents and American Werewolf in London was playing in one of the other auditoriums. I peaked through the small glass window and witnessed part of the transformation scenes.

The last movie I saw there was Leprechaun…..and I walked out on it. HA HA!

norfolk356
norfolk356 on July 30, 2015 at 7:23 pm

The lobby of the theater opened into a common area shared with at least two other large businesses creating a mini mall effect. At one point the two other businesses were a pharmacy and a steak house. The shopping center has been torn down with the exception of a few out parcels and replaced by a Harris Teeter store.

bufffilmbuff
bufffilmbuff on September 3, 2013 at 8:03 pm

There was another Plaza 3 but in Churchland. Three very small audioriums and opened in the early 70’s. The big deal here was despite the tiny screen, one of these theatres was equipped for 70mm projection with six track stereo sound. It was also the first theatre in Va that was equipped for Dolby Stereo. I am wondering if this is the same theatre.

Scott Neff
Scott Neff on July 18, 2013 at 5:36 pm

An article in the March 1992 edition of Boxoffice states that NEI acquired this theatre from previous tenants Century Theatres Inc.

I know this was NOT Century/Syufy and don’t believe that the Century Cinema Corp was operating at this time.