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

[Mike Rivest]

The AMC Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas opened 25 years ago today.
AMC Grand 24 1995 05 19.jpg

[Eric Thuemmel]

And another one in Michigan - Grand Rapids Celebration Cinema next to the Woodland Mall, off of the Beltline and 28th Street. It ran 2nd run films for quite some time now.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rap...-NbnKjKxQctDP8

[Eric Thuemmel]

The Cadillac 4 Cinema is permanently closing. Located in Cadillac, a popular all-season vacation town of 10,000 in Michigan, rumors are they expect someone will buy it soon, as there is no other cinema within 40 miles.

https://www.9and10news.com/2020/05/0...s-permanently/

[Sean McKinnon]

What a shame the loss of Star Southfield is. When that theatre opened it was truly first class and the business the first few years really reflected it. Star had their former regional office there when Brian Blatchley was running the region for Loews.

As far as chains go I think Loews was the lesser of a lot of evils. As a Theatre Manager (assistant manager) at a 20 screen top 10 theatre (for the company) at 18-19 years old I was paid very well (salary 35-40k a year back in 2000) was expected to always wear a suit and tie and maintenance and upkeep on the buildings was very important. You were judged a lot on how your theatre looked. Compared to AMC and their hourly managers wearing uniforms and running these once beautiful buildings into the ground. In my opinion the theatres that David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group designed with the Loeks' and LCE were the best multiplex style theatres of the multiplex era. It is a shame what many of these buildings have become and it will be a shame to lose them all together if AMC dumps them.

[Jim Cassedy]

Source?

Check out Page 6 of the topic " Corona Virus Effect On Theaters In The USA" on this website which contains links to an article on the subject. Specifically, read Martin McCaffery's reply, & check out the link included in it.
Also, if you plug "AMC Bankruptcy" into your favorite search engine, you'll find a wholebuncha articles on the topic.

[Terry Monohan]

Ronda**Will probably hear more in the next few weeks once they release more information from the AMC home office and the legal people. A few of my friends that work at AMC have told me things do not look good for the future at AMC. So many leases to get out of and some sales of theatres that they no longer are interested in. I'd call the main AMC Theatre offices and tell them what cinemas you are interested in taking over the lease or buying the building as is equipment and all. Most are ready to re open when the virus leaves town. Most AMC Theatres may be closed but the equipment is still in place for now. Once bankruptcy starts things will start moving out on closed former cinemas if they can not work things out with any new movie people. Some areas of the USA like Regal Theatres has done will just walk away from the lease and leave most old projection and sound equipment inside.

[Ronda Love]

Rumor is AMC Theatres will be closing for good about 75% of all their cinemas when they file for bankruptcy soon. Only a few key city cinemas will stay open. AMC was in bad financial trouble before C19 hit them. They are not paying rent for April in many markets that they are pulling out of. Looks like the mall owners will get extra added space for other types of business rather then movie showings when the virus dust settles If It does this Christmas time. I doubt any new movie circuit will take the closed AMC cinemas over, most have troubles of their own these days.

Source? They have some locations we might be interested in...

[Terry Monohan]

Rumor is AMC Theatres will be closing for good about 75% of all their cinemas when they file for bankruptcy soon. Only a few key city cinemas will stay open. AMC was in bad financial trouble before C19 hit them. They are not paying rent for April in many markets that they are pulling out of. Looks like the mall owners will get extra added space for other types of business rather then movie showings when the virus dust settles If It does this Christmas time. I doubt any new movie circuit will take the closed AMC cinemas over, most have troubles of their own these days.

[Mike Rivest]

Grand opening ads:
MoviE Town from the Lancaster PA area on May 7th, 1999.
MoviE Town 1999 05 07.jpg


Also the Star Southfield 20 from June 20th, 1997.

Star Southfield 1997 06 20.jpg

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

I expect some, if not many, theatre circuits large and small to declare chapter 13 bankruptcy, cut loose with debt and unprofitable locations, and reopen after the zombie apocalypse is over. Many have done this in previous downturns in the economy.

In the worst case scenario, the profitable locations will re-open under new owners.

[Kenneth Wuepper]

Currently, the Saginaw Goodrich GDX 10 plans to reopen after the bug is under control. Notwithstanding the alleged bankruptcy information, this location announced the intent to reopen.

[Steve Guttag]

It would appear that COVID-19 has pushed an independent theatre into the "permanently closed" category. The MoviE-Town theatre in Elizabethtown, PA has closed permanently.

“Unfortunately, due to the recent COVID-19 regulations we are placed in the situation of an indefinite opening date without recent titles to offer,” the theater said in an announcement on Facebook. “This has forced our business to make the extremely hard decision to close permanently.”

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/0...-pandemic.html

Note, this site was run by the same company that ran the former "Cocoaplex" in Hershey, PA They closed that site at the end of 2019 to make way for an expansion of the Penn State Medical building.

This effectively ends that independent's involvement in cinema operations.

[Terry Monohan]

Opened in 1997 by Star Theatres of Michigan the huge AMC Star 20 Southfield Mich has closed a few weeks ago permanently. They did not renew the lease. AMC will keep most of their other theatres open once the virus leaves the Detroit MI area.

This was one of my favorite movie theatres in Michigan with the lobby having many huge cut outs of famous classic Michigan Theatres that lit up and photos of past famous area cinemas now gone.

Lets hope some other movie chain will move in once theatres can re open in Michigan.

Gone will be the great huge curved screens and giant deco type lobby.

When I was there many years ago I remember the old guy in a usher uniform with a hat taking tickets at the lobby door. He was the former retired manager of many Michigan downtown theatres from the past and always had a story to tell me about the torn down theatres and the 70mm roadshow 50's/60's days in Detroit.

[Mike Rivest]

Uptown 1936 10 28.JPG
October 28th, 1936

[Geoff Jones]

Uptown Theatre
Washington DC

This one makes me sad. It looks like a magnificent theater and I was hoping to visit it someday.


Uptown.jpg