Lakehurst Cinema 12

jonrev on September 20, 2023 at 8:55 am

According to a Lake County News-Sun article dated December 17, 2003: an IMAX expansion was once in the works for Lakehurst 12.

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Lakehurst Cinema opens path to add IMAX theater

December 17, 2003 | Dan Moran

The history of the Eisenhower Interstate System tells us that communities were made and broken by the decision to put exits in some places but not in others. And, as time went on, even the villages lucky enough to get an exit had to compete with those who could put up the holy trinity on their blue signs: food, gas, lodging.

Well, don’t look now, but Waukegan – which already informs Tri-State motorists about their OTB – is on the verge of getting another bragging point for its exit sign: IMAX.

For the locals, this has to come as good news in a consumer world where bigger is increasingly perceived as better. Where it was once a sign of status to have a multiplex, the next step could be to have not only a lot of screens but also a really big one.

“The IMAX would nuzzle up nicely to the 12-screen theater,” said Bruce A. Fogelson of Chicago-based Paramount Homes, which is partnering with the Lakehurst Entertainment Corp. in pursuing an IMAX wing for the venerable Lakehurst Cinema – a true granddaddy of American multiplexes.

According to Fogelson, the current thinking in Hollywood is that IMAX screens are no longer considered a breed apart from the traditional moviegoing experience. Proof of this was witnessed last month, when The Matrix Revolutions was simultaneously unleashed on both IMAX and traditional screens.

Prior to that, mainstream films made it to IMAX only after a tasteful cooling-off period, big-ticket movies that included Star Wars Episode II and The Matrix Reloaded. Fogelson said this was because IMAX has always been thought of as “a different market, a different marketing draw from the (traditional) screen. But they complement each other, so now we’re seeing major motion pictures make the leap right into IMAXes.

“Seeing something on an IMAX screen enhances the moviegoing experience. The market is going in both directions,” he added. “People want to see something bigger than life before they buy the DVD and end up watching in on their 15-inch screen.”

So Waukegan, like any good consumer, apparently wants to run out to Best Buy and get one of them new IMAXes. Preliminary plans for a general makeover of the property around Lakehurst Cinema sailed through the City Council Monday night, though the plans didn’t specifically detail construction of an IMAX.

“The way things work for a developer is you get an idea, then you get permission and then you get going,” Fogelson said. “We have the permission (to resubdivide the land), and now we can get going, but it’s too soon to say when we’ll get there.”

If and when this happens, the Lake County movie landscape will continue an evolution that has seen a number of memorable events in the generation after single-screen movie palaces went the way of the Chevy Bel Air.

It was 10 years ago this month that Marcus Gurnee Cinema opened with 10 now-modest screens. By 1995, Gurnee upped the ante to 14 screens and tacked on six more just a year later – expansions that included the county’s first stadium seating.

Since then, Regal has swooped in with an 18-screen outlet in Round Lake Beach and a 20-screener in Lincolnshire, which also boasted the county’s first general-admission IMAX (unlike the one at Six Flags Great America, which arrived nearly 20 years earlier but requires 40 bucks just to get near it).

All the while, the Lakehurst Cinema sat on Waukegan Road and became something of an afterthought as the Naval Base cabs went to Gurnee Mills and the neighboring shopping mall went to seed. But Fogelson pointed out, with accuracy, that Lakehurst Cinema was once the largest multiplex in the nation. Originally a three-screener when it opened in 1974, the theater added five more in 1984 and another seven in 1987, making it the largest collection of movie screens under a single roof. Briefly, anyway.

But that was then, as they say, and IMAX is now. We’ll see if Waukegan will join that big new world sooner rather than later.

50sSNIPES on July 5, 2022 at 7:18 am

Opened in May 1974.

LAlers on September 2, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Hey there KLUNKE!!! I remember you back then those were great times there and I stayed til 1997. You’ll remember me as Janssen’s Adm Asst.

CinemaAssociatesTheatres on September 1, 2008 at 9:37 am

Actually, in response to Aaron Wood’s comment, the largest screen in the northern suburbs is at the Regal Cinemas Lincolnshire IMAX Theatre… it’s 5-stories tall and 89-feet wide.

Paul Fortini on July 21, 2007 at 5:53 am

The description above implies that this place expanded to 12 screens when it was operated by Village Theatres. Is this true?

CatherineDiMartino on January 15, 2007 at 12:49 pm

Hooray for you, Cinemark Fan! When do you thing Bloomingdale Court will be closed?

Which one comes after the Bloomingdale? I pick the Lincoln Village (see my comments on Village Theatres under that listing).

kerryL on January 1, 2007 at 3:02 pm

I worked at Lakehurst Theatre from 1992-1993.At that time, General Cinema ran it well and it was a top-tier theater. Today, the theatre is a joke. During my last visit in Dec. 2006, I had to ask them to turn on the heat and ask them to turn on the movie! Ugh. Rumor has it that it will be closing in the next few weeks. The only thing bad about its closing is that they are putting up a “no-tell motel” on the property. The area is being ghettofied thanks to the Super Wal-Mart.Bah!

Hermie on June 3, 2006 at 3:58 pm

The theatre is still near the bowling alley, and between a Tires Plus and a McDonalds (which was constructed on a part of the theatre’s parking lot).

The theatre building will eventually be demolished, once it finally closes. A motel is supposed to be built there.

Hermie on June 1, 2006 at 5:10 pm

Lakehurst was the first multi-screen theatre in northern Lake County, and ironically, helped speed up the demise of the two single screen theatres in downtown Waukega: the Genesee and the Academy.

It opened up with ‘The Exorcist’, ‘The Three Musketeers’, and ‘Serpico’.

It also had only two union projectionists on staff running all three shows: one day shift and the night shift. At GCC’s Deerbrook Cinema, there were two projectionists for each theatre, so you could have at least four union guys at one time. Part of the reason was the type of equipment used. Lakehurst was more modern and there were far less reel changes to be made. They were paid pretty well, and as a result, matinees were dropped during the week during non-summer months, since attendance wasn’t large enough to offset the labor costs. However, the Lakehurst theatre did not drop matinees because their union contract maintained the same staffing. The Deerbrook union local was run out of Chicago, while the Lakehurst local was run out of Milwaukee. If the Chicago local had prevailed, there would have been at least 6 projectionists in the booth, and more than likely Lakehurst would also have restricted matinees to weekends and holidays.

Lowcoz on August 26, 2004 at 9:10 pm

Waukegan is going to have a new theater opening soon later this year. It is The Genesee Theater ( http://www.geneseetheatre.org/ )in downtown waukegan. This theater is going to be better than any theater that is out in the lake county are by far.

richardportalatin on April 24, 2004 at 10:32 am

Lets not forget about Waukegan first cinema. It was called the
Belevidere mall cinema it open in 1968. It was the area first
indoor mall cinema. It was sold in the mid 80’s to a independent
theater chain. It was converted from a singal screen to three
screens and remain open till Nov. 2003 when it was closed for
remodling. It is still close at this time

whslc on April 2, 2004 at 1:14 pm

This cinema has the best prices. I like the fact that sometimes you can go and it feels like you have the whole theatre for you and your friends. They always show the newest films.
My only disapointment with this cinema is their lack of focusing the films before they start the show. One time they even showed a bootlegged copy of a film but they gave me a refund. The food isn’t so good either

MovieMan26 on February 16, 2004 at 5:34 pm

This cinema has the largest screen in the north suburbs.