United Artists Palm Beach Mall Cinema 4

The United Artists Palm Beach Mall Cinema 4 was a very successful operation in a very popular shopping destination in West Palm Beach lasting from 1972 until the expiry of its 25-year leasing agreement in 1997. It was created during the multiplex era in the cinema exhibition industry.

In the early-1970’s, the trend in cinema was switching from high-end luxury suburban single screen and two-screen facilities to cookie cutter twins, tri’s, and quads that were fully automated. Led by companies such as Network Cinema Corporation’s Jerry Lewis branded cinemas, National General Corporation, American Automated Theatres, and Syracuse-based Carrols Development Company. Carrols came into Florida in Eddie Debartolo’s Palm Beach Mall that had launched theatre-lessly on October 26, 1967. Five years later, that changed when Carrols opened its venue in the former ModernAge Furniture store anchor in the exterior half of the Mall’s west side.

Theatre seating count for Carrols was 1,085 with Cinema 1 holding 231, 2 and 3 with 294 and Cinema 4 at 266. The two opening films were shown on two screens each at launch with “Up the Sandbox” and “1776” shown on December 22, 1972. On February 20, 1974, Carrols - more known for fast food - created a subdivision for its 80 theaters called National General. The theaters were branded as such until July 13, 1976 when the non-New York cinemas were sold to United Artists Theatre Circuit. The four year old theatre became the UA Mall Cinema 1-2-3-4.

With its entry in the neighborhood and the multiplex era coming to cinema exhibition, UA would announce a new, six-plex theater across the street in 1977. AMC would also announce an 8-plex two miles away with its Cross Country 8. The cinema wars were on as theatre screen count would double in the West Palm Beach zone. In the crosshairs were ABC / Plitt and General Cinema’s whose turf consisted of 1960’s suburban luxury cinemas. General Cinema moved first triplexing its Cinema 70 in 1977. UA’s Movies at Village Green 6 would open months behind schedule in late-December 1978 and the AMC Cross Country 8 launched two months later.

Despite bidding wars for the best movie titles, the competition remained fierce with Plitt, General Cinema, AMC and UA going at it. But venues began to drop out of the zone as saturation had been reached and passed. Plitt exited the market closing its Plaza Twin Theatre along with its Dolphin Theatre in Palm Beach in 1984. General Cinema’s triplexed Cinema 70 hung on until closure on April 30, 1989.

The megaplex era of cinema exhibition arrived in the mid-1990’s and further shakeout in the West Palm Beach zone occurred. First out in the megaplex era was UA The Movies at Village Green 6 leaving at the 15-year midpoint of its leasing agreement on December 18, 1993. The two mall theaters both exited in 1997. The AMC Cross Country 8 closed on September 25, 1997. And just one month later, the United Artists Palm Beach Cinema 4 left at the end of its 25-year lease on October 26, 1997 with “Leave it to Beaver", “Spawn", “Five Down Below” and “Event Horizon". The Palm Beach Mall closed in 2011 and was demolished in 2013.

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