What's the latest theatre to close or open you have heard about?

[Martin McCaffery]

Variety

AMC Takes Over Pacific’s Grove and Americana Theaters in L.A., Eyes August Reopening
Brent Lang
Jul 19, 2021 1:30pm PT

Two popular Los Angeles movie theaters are under new management after AMC Entertainment announced Monday that it will assume the lease of The Grove in West Hollywood and The Americana at Brand in Glendale.

News that AMC, the world’s largest exhibition chain, was in negotiations to take over the venues broke in June and came after its operator, the Pacific Theatres chain, was shut down permanently in April. The Decurion Corp., the owner of the chain, also shuttered the ArcLight Cinemas and is facing lawsuits alleging that the company breached its lease obligations to pay rent.

This week, AMC said it has reached an agreement with Caruso, a privately owned real estate company to take over the leases at the two Los Angeles area locations. The Grove Theatre is a 14-screen venue, while The Americana is an 18-screen theatre. AMC is expected to reopen the theaters in August.

The theaters have been closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a release announcing the deal, AMC notes that in 2018, The Grove Theatre was the second highest-grossing movie theatre and The Americana at Brand Theatre was the fifth highest-grossing movie theatre in the Los Angeles area.

AMC said it is in active discussions with other property owners regarding additional, currently closed locations. The theater chain struggled during the pandemic, but it has reemerged with its debt renegotiated and with its stock sizzling, the latter due to a social-media fueled run that has little to do with its business fundamentals.

“AMC is proud to be expanding in the movie-making capital of the world. And we are eager to get started as soon as possible, showcasing for our guests at these two theatres the exciting lineup of movies scheduled throughout the rest of 2021,” said AMC CEO Adam Aron in a statement.

[Martin McCaffery]

The Prattville (AL) AMC Classic Cinema 12 (formerly the O'Neil's Prattville Promanade, Carmike Prattville Promanade and New Visions Prattville Promanade) opened July 20, 2021 a week late due to Fire Marshall issues.
Prattville is, when convenient, part of the Montgomery AL market, and is closer to some parts of Montgomery than the AMC theatres.

[Mike Rivest]

Cineplex closes 30 screens in 3 locations in the Montreal area:
article:

translation in the Queen's English.
While theaters reopen their doors for spring break , we note that some Cineplex theaters in the Montreal area have remained closed: LaSalle, Cavendish and Boucherville.
We therefore inquired at Cineplex and here is what the press relations officer Mélissa Pressacco replied: “ I can confirm that the Cineplex Quartier Cavendish cinema, the Cineplex Odeon Place La Salle cinema and the Boucherville cinema will not reopen after the temporary closures decreed by the province, because we have made the difficult decision not to renew our leases. We thank the community for their support of these theaters over the years, and we will be happy to welcome them to a nearby theater. Positions have been offered to the current employees of these three theaters in neighboring theaters, including the Cineplex Forum cinema, the Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin cinema, the Cineplex Laval cinema, the Cineplex Odeon Brossard and VIP cinema and the Odeon St-Bruno cinema. These theaters offer newer facilities and enhanced movie experiences that our guests love, such as VIP theaters, "


She also adds: “ I want to make it clear that these closures have been part of our plans for some time now and have nothing to do with COVID-19 or the impact of COVID-19 on our business. "

[Tom Tomlinson]

My theatre down the street--north shore of Long Island,NY --Soundview Cinemas in Port Washington---local news reporting they are closing in Sept.

[Martin McCaffery]

The AMC Chantilly (formerly Carmike Chantilly, NewVisions Chantilly) reopened sometime this weekend (August 6-8). They announced they were opening on Friday, but tickets were not for sale on Fandango, and nothing was listed on the AMC website. No grosses were posted over the weekend. But they are selling tickets now, so I suspect that means they are open.

[Geoff Jones]

The Cine-Capri auditorium at Harkins Northfield is currently closed for "renovations" and "remodeling," with a November 2021 reopening target.

Will I have to find somewhere else to see No Time To Die and Dune, or will their release dates get pushed (again)?

I'm glad to know Harkins is putting money into the location. I assume they are replacing the seats with recliners. I've given up on them adding 70MM.



Hopefully they won't do anything to screw up Colorado's best motion picture screen, they way Regal did with the Continental...

[Mike Rivest]

It's quiet here, so I uploaded a classic grand opening ad. It for the Odeon.

Odeon Leicester Square 1937 11 01.jpg

[Leo Enticknap]

There can't be many cinemas that opened in 1937 and which still exist, and are operating as cinemas, in more or less their original form (inside, at any rate - the frontage of the building facing the square itself was totally redone about 20 years ago and no longer looks anything like what it did originally). The last film I actually saw there was Terminator 2 in the early '90s: while the auditorium itself is still an impressive space, I remember the screen as being disappointingly small, likely because of the way the stage area had to be remodeled when widescreen came along.

[William Kucharski]

Hopefully they won't do anything to screw up Colorado's best motion picture screen, they way Regal did with the Continental...

The RPX at the Continental is still my favorite screen in the state except maybe the IMAX at Colorado Center; how did Regal screw it up?

[Geoff Jones]

how did Regal screw it up

They removed a magnificent 78-foot-wide deeply curved D-150 screen that put you in the movie and replaced it with a much smaller screen.

They removed their high-resolution 35mm and 70MM film projectors and replaced them with 2k digital projectors (Have they upgraded to 4K since then? There's no actual confirmation at Regal's website).

They took a beautifully-sloped auditorium with prefect sight lines and replaced it with an awkward echo-y stadium. Now, if you want to sit close enough for the screen to actually fill your field of vision, you have crane your neck up instead of looking forward. And of course, as with all stadium auditoriums, the seats in the center are now gone, replaced by big wide row for people to walk through.

except maybe the IMAX at Colorado Center

Last I heard (many years ago), they'd removed the IMAX projectors at Colorado Center and replaced them with 2k LieMax. Have they since upgraded to 4K laser? Regal's website doesn't say one way or another and Imax's website lists it as "Imax 2D," (i.e. 2k) and not "Imax with Laser" (i.e. 4k).

The last (and only) movie I've seen in 2k LieMax (in 2012) was on a much smaller screen than the one at Colorado Center (unless they have since downgraded their screen), and even so, it was still like watching a movie through a screen door...

[Martin Brooks]

There's that word again, and about the Cinerama Dome, no less.

I remember that in 1996 Disney paid Pacific to install a temporary 'scope aspect ratio flat screen in the Dome for the premiere of Evita, because neither the director, or the cinematographer, or Madonna wanted the picture to play on the 80' curved main house screen because of the soft focus, horizon sag and distortion. In their eyes, their film was shown properly, but it didn't stop a shit-fit from happening in Widegauge Magazine (which I of course helped to fuel [Vol. 10, Issue 13, page 4]) over the curtains being closed and the main screen not being used, because it was the historic Cinerama freakin' Dome for chrissakes. The whole thing went to show that when it comes to historic theaters, one person's proper projection is another person's sacrilege.

As a place to see an original three-strip Cinerama production the Dome can't be beat. But for everything else, the projection there has never been anything to brag about. I haven't been in years, but in the film era it was a somewhat dim and not very sharply focused picture, albeit a big one.

Sometime in the 90's, I was there to see a revival of Lawrence of Arabia and not only did I experience the curved screen distortion, but due to the round building, there was slap back echo. So while I love that theater and do hope it reopens, it's not the ideal presentation experience, although I suppose the large screen is more important than the distortion at the sides to many. I don't remember the image being dim or soft. Given a choice of the Dome or a typical theater today with 100 seats and a 30' screen, I'd still opt for the Dome (if I was in L.A.).

According to some film historians, Michael Todd left the employ of Cinerama and formed Todd-AO because he was upset with the horizon sag and vertical lines separating the screen panels of 3-strip Cinerama.

[Scott Jentsch]

The latest updates:

North Platte, NE: Golden Ticket Cinemas - Platte River 6 Now Open [Sep 3, 2021]

Los Angeles, CA: AMC Reopens Former Pacific Theatres at The Grove [Aug 26, 2021]

New Braunfels, TX: Santikos New Braunfels Opens in Former Alamo Drafthouse Location [Aug 23, 2021]

Chicago, IL: Cinema Chatham Powered by Emagine Now Open [Aug 20, 2021]

Parsippany, NJ: Cinepolis Parsippany Closed Permanently [Aug 16, 2021]

Eugene, OR: Bijou Art Cinemas Closed Permanently [Aug 3, 2021]

Tampa, FL: Studio Movie Grill - Tampa Closed [Aug 2, 2021]

Harrisburg, PA: Regal Harrisburg Mall Stadium 14 Closed [Aug 2, 2021]

[Mike Rivest]

World’s largest IMAX opened in time for the new 007 film in suburban Stuttgart

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/66034

it’s 125 feet wide!

[Martin McCaffery]

Cinemagic Theatres in Athens, AL. Not gone yet, but...
https://www.al.com/business/2021/10/...-for-sale.html

Alabama drive-in movie theater up for sale

By Matt Wake | mwake@al.com
Published: 7:07 a.m.Cinemagic Theatre drive-in in Athens, Ala. (Courtesy Cinemagic Theatre)

After 38 years, Ralph Freehaus is ready to roll credits on his career in the movie theater business. “I think it’s time for me to retire and let the internet experts take over for me,” says Freehaus, who owns Cinemagic Theatre in Athens. He tells AL.com he put Cinemagic up for sale about a week ago.

The Cinemagic parcel is about four acres. It includes a single drive-in screen with drive-in capacity for around 80 automobiles, as well as an indoor theater with five screens, 722 seats and roof-mounted solar panels that provide about 25 percent of the theater’s electricity. The asking price is $1. 75 million.

“We haven’t shut the business down,” Freehaus says. “The business is still going and will continue to keep going, and hopefully I can sell to someone that wants to take over showing movies from me.” Before founding Cinemagic with wife Carline Freehaus, who managed the drive-in before retiring a while back, Ralph worked at several different movie theaters in Huntsville and Decatur.

Cinemagic opened in 1997 as a single-screen drive-in. “Jurassic Park” sequel “The Lost World” was the first film shown there. A year later, Freehaus added a second, smaller drive-in screen after the latest “Godzilla” reboot bombed but Cinemagic had committed to running “Godzilla” for several weeks. Freehaus wanted to prevent any future duds from tanking the theater’s entire box-office ever again. The smaller second screen was removed a few years later. An indoor theater was built and then opened in 2006.

Over the years, Freehaus has seen a few movie-worthy moments occur in real-life at his drive-in. People trying to sneak-in other people hidden under blankets in the backseat. People trying to sneak beer in. Naked people in cars. “We find a lot of empty beverage cans on the ground after the movies are over,” Freehaus says.

Recent films shown at the drive-in include “Black Widow,” “Jungle Cruise” and “Paw Patrol: The Movie.” Cinemagic welcomes around 100,000 customers each year and employs a staff of five, Freehaus says. “I still enjoy standing in the lobby as the movie gets out, and watching the people with smiles on their faces, and hearing the discussions about the movie they just saw. I entertain people with movies. It doesn’t get much better than that.” His personal all-time favorite films include 1991 music drama “The Commitments” and 1987 fantasy comedy “The Princess Bride.”

In retirement, Freehaus, who is 74-years-old, plans on taking his 1964 Chevrolet Impala to car shows. He and Carlene also want to travel to the last four U.S. states they’ve yet to both visit: Oregon, Washington, Rhode Island and Alaska.

Asked if at-home streaming and the ongoing pandemic, two Death Star-sized challenges the movie industry is facing, influenced his decision to sell Cinemagic, Freehaus says no. “But it’s going to require some more modifications, and so we need a younger person to take over now and adjust with the flow.”

[Martin McCaffery]

Variety

Alamo Drafthouse Finally Announces Opening for Long-Delayed Manhattan Location (EXCLUSIVE)

By Rebecca Rubin
Plus Icon
Alamo Drafthouse Variety Cover Story
Ian Allen for Variety
Alamo Drafthouse, the movie theater du jour of cinephiles, is finally ready to open the doors to its first Manhattan location.

Starting on Oct. 18, customers will be able to visit the Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan to get their fix of popcorn, buffalo cauliflower and beer while watching the latest blockbuster unfold on the big screen. The soft launch period will run through Oct. 21, a time during which guests will receive special discounts on select food and non-alcoholic beverages while staff members train and find their bearings. Located in the Financial District at 28 Liberty Street, the 14-screen multiplex and 598-seat theater is the company’s third New York-based operation following Yonkers and Brooklyn.


“The last 18 months have been a rollercoaster for our industry, but through it all we’ve believed in the future of this industry,” says Alamo Drafthouse CEO Shelli Taylor. “Opening our Lower Manhattan theater is an expression of our belief that audiences will always seek elevated, communal moviegoing experiences like ours.”

It has been an especially turbulent period for Alamo Drafthouse, which struggled to recover from COVID-19 closures and filed for bankruptcy. Through a sale to Altamont Capital Partners, Fortress Investment Group LLC and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League, the Texas-based company that’s known for its dine-in service and anti-texting stance was able to emerge from its Chapter 11 process. Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan will kick off a string of new Alamo Drafthouse locations due later this year or in 2022 in Staten Island, St. Louis and Washington D.C.

Alamo Drafthouse’s Manhattan debut comes as movie theaters across the country are finally starting to see a meaningful uptick in attendance. Hollywood has welcomed several hits in the last few weeks, including Marvel’s superhero adventure “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Sony’s comic book adaptation “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and MGM’s James Bond sequel “No Time to Die.” The hope is that Universal’s thriller “Halloween Kills,” Warner Bros.’ “Dune” remake, Wes Anderson’s comedic drama “The French Dispatch” and Marvel’s “Eternals” will continue the surge in moviegoing and end a dreary 2021 on a high note.

Drafthouse won’t rely on blockbusters alone to draw crowds though. The new location will be home to The Press Room, which is a museum, letterpress print show, bar and private event space. The all-in-one area is unique to the Manhattan location and will display sections from a vast archive of more than 60,000 letterpress film advertising plates spanning the 1930’s through the 1980’s. For those looking to get crafty, the Press Room’s 1938 Vandercook letterpress will be inked and ready to go for special screenings with limited edition greeting cards, private events and classes for those daring enough to learn the art of letterpress printing.

If manual labor isn’t your thing, or if perhaps all that letterpressing has left you parched, the Press Room will be fully stocked with wines and spirits, including a tap wall of 48 draft beers, as well as the option to customize a bespoke cocktail.


“The Press Room bar’s archive of over 60,000 vintage newspaper movie ad plates spans the history of 20th century cinema, and is a testament to Alamo Drafthouse’s ongoing commitment to making moviegoing a truly special experience,” League said.

Alamo Drafthouse is also crafting a film series that pays tribute to the city that never sleeps. The program, curated with movies from the past century set in and about New York City, begins on Oct. 15 with “Speedy,” “King Kong” and “On the Town.” It continues with “Rear Window,” “Barefoot in the Park” and “Putney Swope” on Oct 22; “God Told Me To,” “Smithereens,” “Ghostbusters” and “The Addiction” on Oct. 29; and “Inside Man,” “Good Time” and “Shiva Baby” on Nov. 15.

Additionally, on Nov. 3rd, Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan will participate in the company’s “Godzilla Day,” with plans to exclusively premiere Toho’s new 4K restoration of Godzilla’s 1954 debut film “Gojira.” Over the holidays, Alamo Drafthouse has signature holiday programming in store, commencing with “Elf,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “Love Actually,” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and other seasonal favorites.

Though Alamo Drafthouse’s profile is rising, the movie theater chain isn’t losing sight of its scrappy roots. “We’re undeniably a chain,” League told Variety in a recent cover story. “But the idea was to expand and not feel like a chain but more like a loose network of neighborhood and community theaters that have some oversight to make sure that we’re all marching in the same direction.”