Lewiston Cinemas

Esquire Theatres of America announced the low-cost Promenade Mall Twin Cinema in March of 1974 just four months after the Promenade Mall had opened its first two stores, a Bradlee’s Discount Department Store and a Shaw’s grocery store. The theatre went from construction permit to opening in less than four months launching as the Lewiston Twin Cinema July 24, 1974 with Warren Beatty in “The Parallax View” and Jack Nicholson in “Chinatown". Theatre I sat 280 patrons and Theatre II sat 316 patrons for 596 total seats. The venue was at the rear of the mall allowing for easy entry and exit for movies even when the mall was closed for the day.

In 1978, Cinema Centers Corporation of Boston took on the venue and created another twin at the Auburn Mall location in November of 1981. Cinema Centers owned all five local theatres. In 1986, Hoyts Entertainment took on the 111-screen Cinema Centers Corp. acquiring the Promenade Mall facility. It was renamed slightly as the Lewiston Cinemas.

As the multiplex and megaplex eras were upon them, Hoyts decided to close out aging twin and single-screen operations. Hoyts operated the Lewiston Cinemas until December 13, 1990 closing with Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky V” and Kathy Bates in “Misery". Hoyts opened the 10-screen Auburn Cinemas the next day while additionally closing the Auburn Mall twin screen and the Northwood Cinemas along with the Lewiston Cinemas.

In 1999, Flagship Cinemas would open a new 10-screen facility in Promenade Mall taking over the dead Bradlee’s anchor. That 10-plex would go out of business at the end of February of 2015. It has its own Cinema Treasure entry. By 2015, the mall had reached greyfield status – a term associated with a “dead” mall in which retailers had abandoned the property. The ghost Lewiston Twin cinema at the rear of the mall stayed in place with signage for more than a decade as the mall operators did not want to spend the money to remove the signage.

In 2018 the by then dead Promenade Mall was renamed Gendron Place shopping center.

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