Eastwood Cinema
663 E. Main Street,
Peru,
IN
46970
663 E. Main Street,
Peru,
IN
46970
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: AMC Theatres, Jerry Lewis Cinemas, V.I.P. Theatres
Previous Names: Jerry Lewis Cinema
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This was one of the original 350-seat, single screen Jerry Lewis cinemas, opening on April 22, 1971 with Barbra Streisand in “Hello Dolly”. Designed for the novice to operate as a Mom and Pop theater with a concept for G and PG (M and GP) movies. The Jerry Lews concept was soon in trouble and the theater was closed in March 1973 until it reopened under independent operators in May 1973 as the Eastwood Theatre. In January 1974 it was taken over by V.I.P. Theatres. It was later sold off to the Kerasotes Theatre group. It has been the only theater in Peru for decades.
After Kerasotes aquired the location, they added three walls to the west side of the orginal building and added a second screen. The theater played first run movies until September 1980, when the company switched to discount pricing and charged $1 per admission. This is believed to be the first such location for the company. A few shaky months after the price change, and the consideration to close, the business took off and the theater operates today, though not at a $1. Inflation for discount movies did occur. AMC took over Kerasotes, and they closed the Eastwood Cinema on November 28, 2010.
Contributed by
moviemad4life
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The 1963 motion picture almanac lists Alliance Amusement theaters in Peru as the Peru Drive-In, the Wallace, the Roxy and the Miami Open Air Drive-In. The Eastwood was not an Alliance theater, obviously, but this gives you an idea of the different theaters in Peru in the early sixties, before the Eastwood became the only show in town.
AMC has been operating this theater since it acquired most of the Kerasotes theaters. A report in the Peru newspaper on 11-11-10 says that the theater is closing. I am not posting the link because the Peru Tribune charges for content).
The theatre is closed and a new complex has opened in Peru.
It has been 34 years since I took over as manager. I really enjoyed working there.
The theatre looks to be intact on the exterior. Even the showcases are there. On the east side of the town, at least a couple miles from the downtown. An odd location, and back quite a ways from the street, which is not a main thoroughfare. Many Lewis theatres were strangely located, difficult to see, behind buildings, off main roads, and so on. 3 photos attached, taken Aug. 2019.
From the recently posted photos, the theatre is certainly still in reasonable outside condition without any graffiti. It might not be for sale or lease because of a non-compete condition attached to it.
The Jerry Lewis Cinema opened its doors on April 22, 1971 with “Hello, Dolly!” and received a short two month closure from March 1973 until May 1973 due to the chain’s bankruptcy. The husband-and-wife team of Martin and Loretta Doucette reopened the theater as the Eastwood Cinema during the final week of May 1973.
The Doucette couple operated the theater for almost a year until January 1974, when V.I.P Theatres (who operated around 250 theaters including 14 in Indiana at the time) took the theater over.
Kerasotes would then take over the theater a few years later and was twinned around that same time. Kerasotes operated the theater for many decades, which is almost the entirety of the theater’s history. It was last operated by AMC until closing on November 28, 2010.
VIP Cinemas and V.I.P Theatres are two different theater chains. The V.I.P Theatres chain would have its own CT page soon.