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

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

no, whats happinin with mr londy?

He passed away last year from non-smokers lung cancer. The Cinema has been closed and the property has been sold. Movieworks is still open but now operated by some local independent group. Far as I know his wife is still living in the big house, and Meg is managing Movieworks. The odd thing is you could see the crud in the air on the NEC filters, which they bought by the case because they had to be changed three times as often. Too many fireplaces belching smoke into the air there, especially in winter. The air there is ok in the summer, but still not great. Traffic summer is now like downtown Chicago at Rush Hour! If you want to make it any place you HAVE TO know all the back roads and In winter the air is literally toxic.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/valle...5ad3d476a.html

[John Eickhof]

no, whats happinin with mr londy?

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

another small town plex bites the dust...the wood river cinema 4 in Hailey Idaho has closed, unsure if it will be resurrected. it was originally opened by Marshall smith of Jackson Hole Wyoming. i think it was operated by Regal the last few years. that leaves 4 screens open in Ketchum Idaho a few miles north. unsure of the actual close date but a friend let me know .

Marshall actually lives in Hailey... I know Rick up in Ketchum will be happy that he won the battle... I don't think Marshall built theaters with the intent of running them over the long haul. He sold Aspen to another chain and of course he and Bob D. were originally partners in the two screens down stairs, and he no longer holds the theater in Canada either. Then Bob went bankrupt and Marshall gutted that space and Rick leased the two screen space and we put them back together for him...

Did you hear about Frank in Jackson Hole?

[John Eickhof]

another small town plex bites the dust...the wood river cinema 4 in hailey idaho has closed, unsure if it will be resurrected. it was originally opened by marshall smith of jackson hole wyoming. i think it was operated by regal the last few years. that leaves 4 screens open in ketchum idaho a few miles north. unsure of the actual close date but a friend let me know .

[Mark Ogden]

The 260 seat Barrymore Theatre will open in Fort Lee, New Jersey this weekend, four years after its groundbreaking. Built to commemorate Fort Lee's place as the cradle of US cinema, the theatre is equipped with Century JJ projectors on Strong Highlight ll consoles, with Barco(?) digital projection as well. The theatre is being administrated by the former New Jersey independent exhibitor Nelson Page.


barry.jpg

[Tim Androes]

sad to say...the Guild II in the Wallingford district in Seattle is no more...it has been recently demolished and all that is left is a concrete pad...the Guild I is still there but the marquee has been removed.

[Jon Dent]

The average celebrity child name is usually far worse. At least Ima and Ura can marry out of that name. Traditionally.

[Carsten Kurz]

They probably thought it was funny. Which is true.

[Frank Cox]

I don't remember if I posted about this before, but back when I was in school we had the Hogg sisters. Ima and Ura.

Really.

Sometimes you gotta wonder what parents are thinking....

[Leo Enticknap]

“I’m bittersweet about it, is what I’d say,” said Dwain Wacko, who has owned and operated the Chaba Theatre since 1972.

Poor guy! I had a high school history teacher, Mr. Nartsey, but that is arguably even worse.

[Frank Cox]

Apparently that theatre I posted the equipment for sale about is the Chaba Theatre, not the Chabb Theatre. I just found this news article about it closing last February after almost 100 years in business.

https://www.fitzhugh.ca/ezadmin/chab...to-restaurant/

Jasper’s movie theatre will screen its last feature at the end of this month as it comes under new ownership and is slated to become a restaurant.

The Jasper Brewpub will take possession of the Chaba Theatre on Feb. 25.

“I’m bittersweet about it, is what I’d say,” said Dwain Wacko, who has owned and operated the Chaba Theatre since 1972.

“I’m sorry for the community that it’s losing the theatre, but I don’t see a way forward at this time for a cinema.”

The Chaba Theatre has a history in Jasper spanning nearly a century.

The original theatre opened its doors in 1928, with the Wacko family taking ownership in 1946 and a new twin theatre later replacing the old building in 1989.

However, while the pandemic had made operating a small-town theatre challenging, it had already become difficult to sustain in recent years due to dwindling attendance.

“The industry seems to be relying on the big titles,” Wacko said, noting that smaller titles were now going to alternative platforms such as streaming services.

“In a small situation like Jasper, there just isn’t enough of them to sustain us. There generally would only be three or four big titles that are hugely popular, and it’s not enough. We just don’t have a big enough population base for that to be enough.”

The property itself has a heavy tax burden due to the high demand for land in Jasper and thus the higher assessment values.

With these challenges, Wacko said he understood why the new owners couldn’t continue the theatre model.

He added how the business in the last few years hadn’t been successful enough to provide him with a comfortable retirement, whereas selling the real estate would.

“I’ve put off lots of things that I’ve wanted to do in my life to keep it going, and I just don’t feel like I want to wait any longer,” he said.

“And I don’t know, how long is it going to take to recover? I no longer want to wait for a possible recovery. I don’t know if it will happen.”

Socrates Korogonas, one of the local founders of the Jasper Brewpub, said he and co-founders Brett Ireland and Alexander Derksen all grew up in Jasper and how the Chaba Theatre had been a big part of their early childhood.

“It’s going to be incredibly sad to lose something like that from a community perspective,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the reality of the business model for cinema is kind of dwindling, and I don’t know what the future holds for small-town cinema, not just in Jasper but in a bigger context.”

Korogonas said they had been looking for a space to build a new restaurant for some time and decided to purchase the Chaba Theatre, noting how commercial space was scarce in Jasper.

“We’ve gone through the process of applying for a change of use for the space. We’re looking to add another complimentary restaurant, food-and-beverage establishment in that space. We’re also looking at a little retail space to go in there as well.”

The exact theme of the restaurant has yet to be finalized, nor has a timeline been determined for the renovations that will be required.

The Brewpub did research to see if a theatre could be incorporated into the business somehow but was unable to find a viable path forward for cinema in Jasper.

Korogonas said they are currently exploring options to see if the old equipment can be moved out of the Chaba Theatre and if screenings can be hosted in another location.

He added how they wanted this transition to yield something new and positive for the community.

“We don’t have any experience in the cinema business, but we would like to create something that (would) definitely help tell the Jasper story.”

[Harold Hallikainen]

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2022/...n-luis-valley/


Overnight Drive-In Theater Opens In Colorado's San Luis Valley





Colorado is, without a doubt, a pretty darn cool state. There’s plenty to do, but nearly all of those activities are, well, active. Now don’t get me wrong, I love being outdoors and experiencing the different forms of nature Colorado has to share, but sometimes you just want to watch a movie or spend the night at a cool location.

If you’re ever making the drive down 285 heading towards Great Sand Dunes National Park, it may be worth it to check out The Frontier Drive-Inn, a drive-in movie theater/inn experience. First opened in 1955, the Frontier Drive-Inn initially lasted a solid 30-years, closing in 1986. In 2016, the shuttered theater was taken in by a new owner with the goal of bringing back the joy it once created. After restoring the original 40′ screen and neon sign as well as adding several overnight possibilities, the Frontier Drive-Inn has re-opened.



Currently, there are two room options available for guests. The Steelmasters fit 1-2 guests and have an en-suite bathroom, heated floors, and semi-private deck. The Yurts also fit 1-2 guests, but do not have an en-suite bathroom. Instead, they’re clustered around a bathhouse and gas fire pits. Each Yurt has an in-unit pellet stove, queen bed, and a sitting area. More housing options will be added as time goes on. Guests are meant to bring their own food and cook inside the communal kitchen. There’s also an option to rent out kitchen supplies.

There’s a ton more additions planned for the future of the Drive-Inn, including different art installations and other attractions for guests. All in all, the locations isn’t meant to be a week long camping adventure, it’s meant to be a wicked cool experience for you to stop and enjoy while checking out the other cool locations in and around the San Luis Valley. I certainly hope to make my way down there and stay for a night or two in the very near future.

[Martin Brooks]

Apple Cinemas is promising refreshed projectors, Dolby Atmos, and a full menu. Meh.

What's wrong with that?

[Frank Cox]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saska...atre-1.6562240

Final curtain call approaches for beloved local Regina cinema

Rainbow Cinemas owner says attendance is down; last film to screen Sept. 25




Laura Sciarpelletti · CBC News · Posted: Aug 26, 2022 1:05 PM CT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago




Rainbow Cinemas in Regina will screen its last film on Sept. 25. (CBC News)


The corn will soon stop popping at Rainbow Cinemas in Regina, a retro theatre that has served discount films to the masses since 1998.

Magic Lantern Theatres, which owns Rainbow, told the CBC in an email that the theatre's lease in the Golden Mile Shopping Centre has expired. Rainbow is set to screen its last film on Sept. 25.

"While at one time Rainbow Cinemas was a very popular location for cheap entertainment — you could see a movie cheaper than rent a movie at Blockbuster —like Blockbuster, its appeal had faded. COVID, of course, accelerated this decline," said Magic Lantern Theatres president Tom Hutchinson in the email.

"Because of this, I suspect its loss means little for cinema in Regina."

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Regina resident Jay Sotkowy said he feels the loss deeply. He describes himself as a local filmgoer, film lover and filmmaker who visits Rainbow at least four times a month.

"Rainbow Cinemas here is a great hub for film lovers who can go and see these smaller films that don't play at the bigger theatres. You know, your Cineplexes, your Landmarks. They skip over those. But Rainbow would pick them up and play them at a great price," Sotkowy said.

Rainbow Cinemas boasted the cheapest prices in town.

"The absolute shining star of the Rainbow Cinema was Studio 7, which would house more of the smaller art house festival circuit films which are absolutely bar none the best films of the year," Sotkowy said.

Rainbow has also been known to hold small screenings of local films, and even special events for Halloween and Christmas.



Magic Lantern Theatres, which owns Rainbow Cinemas, said its lease in the Golden Mile Shopping Centre has expired. (CBC News)


Sotkowy said the Regina film community will have difficulty recovering from the loss.

"This is just another stab, another gunshot wound in the cinematic landscape of Saskatchewan. You know, it's just telling me, 'Get up, move. Go somewhere else. This place is not for you, it's not for cinema lovers.' And that's very disheartening because this place could be so fantastic for film."This is just another stab, another gunshot wound in the cinematic landscape of Saskatchewan.

- Jay Sotkowy, Regina.

Sotkowy agreed with Magic Lantern that the community was not flocking to Rainbow, but said it could have done a better job advertising and had a much better social media presence.
The movie-going experience


Sotkowy has a soft place in his heart for Rainbow's concession popcorn, consistent matinees and "retro" coming attractions advertisements.

"They did such a fantastic job. All the movies started on time. The concessions were always fantastic. The popcorn … beautiful. I'm going to extremely miss that popcorn."

At the end of the day, Sotkowy said Rainbow was simply a unique movie-going experience in the city.

"It has its own heartbeat," Sotkowy said.

"With all the bells and whistles that come with the bigger Cineplexes and Landmarks, sometimes it's just nice to sit in an older cinema with hard candy stuck to the floors. The sounds bleeds through the wall sometimes, but you don't mind because it was like four bucks to go and you're still watching a pretty sick movie."

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Sotkowy said Rainbow's closure will disrupt what he chooses to do with his time and interests.

"It's just going to leave a big empty spot in my day and my film education and everything like that. I'm going to be so far behind now."

He said lovers of art house, local and documentary films will now rely more heavily on the Regina Public Library Theatre at the city's central location.
Regina Public Library Film Theatre


The RPL film theatre is free to moviegoers, and features art house and independent cinema, among other things.

"Something that we're really proud of is that we work a lot with our locals, either local Regina filmmakers or regional film makers," said Amber Christensen, executive director for the RPL central library.

"We are so focused on trying to work to bring and showcase things that you're not going to necessarily see other places."



The Regina central library screens local and independent films for free. (Alexander Quon/CBC)


However, Christensen said RPL will likely not play the films that Rainbow's Studio 7 was known for, because that is not the business model and RPL does not work with big distributors like Lionsgate. She said Studio 7 will be missed.

"It will be a loss to the city. They worked in a very specific first-run commercial art house distribution model."

Christensen said she believes people are still nervous about going to theatres due to COVID-19, and that's why attendance is generally down at theatres. She also pointed to streaming.

"You know that song Video Killed the Radio Star? Streaming kind of killed the film theatre. It is killing the film theatre experience to some extent."

[Martin Brooks]

The New Main Street Cinemas in the Kew Gardens Hills/Flushing area of Queens, NY is shutting its doors after Labor Day weekend.

The approximately 550 seat theater opened in 1941. It was twinned in 1985, quaded in August of 1998 and sixplexed in November of 1998. It's a first run operation with tickets as low as $6 at certain times. But it looks like a dump from the outside and photos posted on Cinema Treasures make it seem pretty bad inside, although I don't know how old they are. The neighborhood is primarily comprised of Orthodox Jews and most won't attend a movie theater. All the adjoining retail establishments are closed from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

That leaves the borough of Queens with 11 theaters and 89 screens to serve 2.4 million people. Those 11 theaters have approximately 9800 seats in total. One would think that would make the remaining theaters crowded. It doesn't.