Rolling Meadows Theater
1701 Algonquin Road,
Rolling Meadows,
IL
60008
1701 Algonquin Road,
Rolling Meadows,
IL
60008
4 people
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Opened on November 19, 1993 as a Loews theater. It would eventually become a Sony theater the following year and then back to Loews two years later. Loews Cineplex closed Rolling Meadows' only remaining movie house on August 19, 2000 after the building itself was sold.
I liked this theater. I remember the lobby area being echoey (with tile floors) and all white, with a very modern, sterile, corporate vibe. We used to call it “the airport”—the movie titles and showtimes were presented on electronic display boards, in exactly the same format as airline flights.
At the time, it was a big deal for independent movies to play in the conservative northwest suburbs. I remember watching the 1994 lesbian film “Go Fish” there in an almost-empty theater, and being amazed at where I was.
1993 grand opening ad uploaded here.
No, it was a new build in 1993.
True.
Maybe not so confused. This might have been an aka for the Meadows theater.
I read an October 1979 story in the Daily Herald about the possible demolition of the Rolling Meadows Theater, which at that time was owned by the Kohlberg family. Since the introduction gives a 1993 opening date, the 1979 story leaves me a little confused.
I also remember going to see one of those Choose Your Own Movies here, where you had 4 options (red, green, blue, and yellow I want to say) and the audience vote decided what would happen next. My brother and I sat a bunch of seats apart and would walk down the row pushing whatever button option we wanted. I think I only saw 1 movie like that there, and have no idea what it was called or about. The theater itself had a bunch (6 or 8 maybe?) of large rear-projection TVs playin trailers and ads looping constantly, and when the Streets of Woodfield (formerly One Schaumburg Place) theaters opened, they moved 4 of the TVs to Woodfield, even though now-a-days physically huge TVs like those aren’t anywhere near as cool as a 50" flat screen.
-Brian
The Rolling Meadows was nice. I had to go there once for a corporate web cast. The company I worked for at the time rented the place for the afternoon.
I was very impressed with the design of Rolling Meadows, and I saw some outstanding “little known” (at the time!) films there, such as “Sling Blade” and the Ian MacKellen version of “Richard III.” I remember that I first got directions to the theatre because it was the only place showing “Sling Blade.” By the time I found it and got into the show, it had started. I was so awestruck by the opening interview/monologue by Billy Bob Thornton’s character Carl, I went back a few days later to watch the entire film again, just to see the first 4 or 5 minutes and the beginning of the speech!
It’s a shame that these nicer “little” theatres get swallowed up by the megaplexes (which generally have no personality), but the memories are fond.
They were about 3-5 minutes away from each other. But you’re right that they were the only ones around showing art/indie after the theatres inside woodfield closed and before Streets of Woodfield open. They certainly showed plenty of first-run action and the like too. Incidentally the electronic box office sign from Rolling Meadows now leans against an escalator at Streets of Woodfield, partly hidden and doing nothing. Not sure why they salvaged that…
But the Rolling Meadows Theatre wasn’t really all that close to Woodfield or One Schaumburg Place/Streets of Woodfield. And as noted above, it showed art and “indie” films—which the other theatres in the area didn’t do.
It should be noted that this theatre successfully competed with the Woodfield and One Schaumburg Place cinemas, as those were both operated by Cineplex Odeon (somewhat confusing in itself that Cineplex Odeon would operate two sets of theatres essentially next door to each other, this is probably why the Woodfield outlots and mall cinema were later closed). Once the One Schaumburg Place cinemas were also closed, the Rolling Meadows had the market essentially cornered… this was short-lived, however, after Sony and Cineplex merged with Loews, which then opened up the Streets of Woodfield in the former One Schaumburg Place building, with much better theatres than the Rolling Meadows offered.
This was opened as a Sony theater before being abosrbed by Loews/Cineplex.