Studio Movie Grill Wheaton
301 Rice Lake Square,
Wheaton,
IL
60187
301 Rice Lake Square,
Wheaton,
IL
60187
1 person
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December 22nd, 1989 grand opening ad in photo section.
So should the status of this place be ‘open’?
Not demolished. Is now open as Studio Movie Grill.
http://wheaton.patch.com/articles/wheaton-liquor-commission-oks-licensing-for-movie-theater-restaurant#photo-9561436
Reopening June 8 as Studio Movie Grill
Has this place been demolished already? The status is shown as “Closed/Demolished” but I haven’t found anything about a demolition.
I believe Linens-n-Things totally ceased operations. If so, what is this building being used for now?
I believe the linens and things has closed.
By the way, this theater was far and away the best in the area when it opened, and was always well-maintained. A fantastic theater. However, the AMC Cantera 30 in Warrenville, just 10 minutes away, was even more state of the art when it opened in ‘98 with its stadium seating, rounded screens, and better sound, and Rice Lake just couldn’t compete. As much as I loved Rice Lake, I found myself driving the extra 10 minutes to AMC once it opened.
Does Linen & Things still occupy the building? I heard that Linens & Things went bankrupt and will close several locations.
This was initially announced as “Danada Square”
As did the Golf Glen, although that opened up as an Essaness, passed to Plitt, and then became a C-O. The G.G. was renovated into the C-O style, which it retained until it closed last year.
Paul:
I know River Oaks 1-6 in Calumet City still contains CO’s trademark 80’s design. If I’m not mistaken, North Riverside and Bloomingdale Court still got the 80’s design too.
Cinemark Fan,
Are any cinemas remaining in the Chicagoland Area with the C-O look of the 1980s (i.e. As you put it “Zig-Zag stuff on the auditorium walls, seats with cream colored backs, carpeting etc.”)? The only two possibilities I can think of are the Rivertree Court and the Lincoln Village.
I think that the last two Cineplex-Odeons opened in the Chicagoland Area were the 600 North and the Quarry (a.k.a. Hodgkins). But these of course were done in a ‘90s style, similar to the three ICE Theatres.
Okay, the AMC in Warrenville was closer to Rice Lake Square than the South Barrington. However, Streamwood was just 25/30 minutes away from RLS which had big auditoriums that sat about 500+ according to my brother. So when you look at it, Rice Lake was loosing patrons after 1994.
To Paul: It was a Cineplex Odeon in style and everything. I never went here, but according to some people I know, it’s decor looked almost like River Oaks 1-6. Of note: This may have been next-to the last Cineplex Odeon to be built with their typical 80’s style: Zig-Zag stuff on the auditorium walls, seats with cream colored backs, carpeting etc…You know, their trademark 80’s design by Mesbur & Smith. This place was killed off by the nearby Streamwood(Which had larger screens I’ve heard) and the AMC 30 in South Barrigton. Heck, just a year after Rice Lake closed, Streamwood was killed off by the AMC 30 too! How weird is that?
This sounds like it was THE place to see movies when it first opened. When I drove past here last week, I saw the Linens-n-Things and if I didn’t know any better, I’d'a never known such a short-lived multi-plex was ever in this place.
Was this place a Cineplex-Odeon or a Sony (M&R/Sony/Loews) when it first opened?
The Rice Lake Square is a perfect example of what’s wrong with the cinema industry these days. Too many “big box” theatres were built and then supplanted by “even bigger box” cinemas. Sort of like the “big box” stores (anybody remember Builders Square?).
I did a spreadsheet on Chicagoland theatres that have closed since 1999 and it is amazing how many of these “big boxes” are on the list—cinemas that were about a decade old or less. The spreadsheet includes Rice Lake Square, Bricktown, Casino, Streamwood, etc. All were built in the late 1980s-early 1990s and all are closed.
These huge shoebox megaplexs are going to eventually kill off our classic palaces, we need to stop this.
What killed such a modern multiplex in such a short time?