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Author Topic: Abandoned theater explorers Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 08-17-2015 04:57 PM                        There's a comment on the video which says the gained access through an open door or window, so they were not "breaking and entering". Trespassing is probably the worst crime. Got an education on B&E last year when we caught a person who was stealing things from cars in our parking lot. Although we caught the person, they could not be charged with breaking and entering because they were only entering cars which were unlocked. And since they were not found with any stolen items, they couldn't be charged with theft.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-17-2015 10:21 PM                     quote: Martin McCaffery Odds are the operator of those theatres and whoever was last operating this theater had leases that they defaulted on and the equipment is now the landlords' problem (what's it going to sell for?). And yet most landlords in this situation think the equipment is worth $2 million and haven't a clue, but they sure as shit get pissed off when you tell them it's junk and not worth anything.  |  IP: Logged Rex Oliver Film Handler Posts: 65 From: Greenville, NC. USA Registered: Apr 2013 posted 08-18-2015 12:23 AM                     I was wondering who would own all of that apparatus since the previous operator just seemed to walk away from the place and left it as it was.Someone will be surprized to learn the gear is just scrap metal unless someone offers them some money for the projectors and platters and such-say the person is some sort of collector or something.I would have to assume the equipment could be repaired and still used- IF you could still get films to play on those things.From the glimpses I could see of the explorers flashlights shining on things caught Xetron lamphouse/consoles and Strong projector heads?Some of the rack cabinets appeared to have been stripped of equipment-guess the sound gear and amps?Wonder if speakers will still be behind screens?.I could see some of the sorround speakers still on the walls in the auditoriums and some of them missing.That place hasn't been graffeited up-or vandalized-yet.Time will tell-If the place is easily accessed could it be considred an attractive nuisance?What if those guys did get hurt while fooling around there-who would be responsible?Possibly hazardous equipment left accessable and unattended.Just food for thought.And who is paying for the power-I am guessing someone is.If not think the power company would have removed the meter from that site.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-18-2015 05:42 AM                     For some more information about this location, it was part of the Las Olas Riverfront dining, nightlife and entertainment complex. I was working for GCC as an assistant manager when this complex was planned. My manager was asked for his opinion on the location and he asked me for mine before he reported back. I told him that I thought it was a terrible location for a movie theatre. Regal decided to build and I turned out to be right. It opened as a 23 screen complex in June 1998. Sunrise Cinemas subleased it from Regal sometime in 2003. From the time Sunrise Cinemas took over, they only operated 15 screens. Frank took over from Sunrise a few years later when they took over all of Sunrise's locations. Regal was eating a huge chunk of the rent and the location still didn't do very well for the latter two operators. I guess that's why they let it get so shitty. Sunrise Cinemas wasn't into major upgrades but they did typically maintain their locations well. They even had dedicated projectionists. This location being built did stop GCC from expanding/rebuilding their Galleria Mall 4 location to 14 screens. The Galleria was a much better location and would have destroyed the Las Olas Riverfront complex but GCC was way too conservative. As for the Las Olas Riverfront, there have been reports for years that the entire complex will be demolished and rebuilt as condos. It is a good location for condos with street level retail/restaurants. It is just not a good location for a destination entertainment complex.  |  IP: Logged Rex Oliver Film Handler Posts: 65 From: Greenville, NC. USA Registered: Apr 2013 posted 08-18-2015 06:04 AM                     If the place is by railraod tracks-wonder if it would be a good location for a condo-housing complex.How busy is the RR there?If not so busy the residents could tolerate the trains.I live by a RR track but it is owned privately by PCS Phosphate mining.The trains go slow thru there.Carry Phospahte products Northbound and fill dirt Southbound.Back to that cinema-if its part of a complex guess it would be hard to pull the power there if it wasn't being paid without disturbing the other clients.  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 08-18-2015 08:55 AM                     quote: Lyle Romer It is just not a good location for a destination entertainment complex. Why not? I used to love going there. Of course, that's just one man's opinion. I'm interested in knowing why others feel the way they do about the place.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-18-2015 09:39 AM                        I'm told by a co-worker here that during the period the Egyptian in Hollywood was closed between it being damaged by the Northridge Earthquake (it struggled on for a few years under private ownership afterwards, but the cost of repairing the building properly was such that they eventually walked away) and refurbished by the American Cinematheque in 1999, it was inhabited by homeless people. The found the more or less intact booth with a print of Home Alone 3 in it, and figured out how to thread and run the projector, but not how to play the audio (which I find a bit strange - if they were able to figure out a projector and platter, you'd have thought that they'd have been able to get the sound on). So apparently they watched this movie many times, in silence, over the course of a few months.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-18-2015 12:35 PM                     Ken, The reasons I thought it was a bad location were: -Lack of free parking -Too far from both I-95 and I-595 to go just for a movie -Disconnected too much from the trendy part of Las Olas Blvd. -Proximity to Courthouse/Jail and Bail Bonds -Lack of residential density in the vicinity (was even more the case when it opened in 1998) With the growth of Ft. Lauderdale, maybe it could work as a completely renovated, luxury, 8-10 screen complex now. However, I don't think the owners will give a long enough lease for anybody to make that type of investment because they want the option of sale/demolition.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-18-2015 12:45 PM                        Those Yelp reviews are hilarious. I don't think that I have ever seen a theatre that was reviewed so badly. This looks like it could have been a decent enough place from the video, although the reviews seem to indicate that maintenance was seriously lacking. I also question the quality of the soundproofing, given that the train horn was clearly audible from the inside.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-18-2015 07:54 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood I also question the quality of the soundproofing, given that the train horn was clearly audible from the inside. There has to have been something they could have done. The train tracks are literally 40 feet from the back wall of the building. Maybe they overlooked that during the design phase.  |  IP: Logged David Buckley Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 525 From: Oxford, N. Canterbury, New Zealand Registered: Aug 2004 posted 08-18-2015 08:10 PM                        The comments above about the value of a dead cinema are interesting. It looks like the place closed last Friday and everyone just walked out, will the last one out please switch off the lights. The only things that appear to have been removed are the amplifiers. Either purposefully removed, or perhaps filched, a rackload of QSCs has value any day of the week. What I'm curious about now is that the screens that haven't been used since 2003, was that just all left as it was from 2003 to 2012? That was before the digital revolution, and thus the film kit still had some value. Still, at least if someone sometime needs 35mm kit, there's a bit "in storage" that hasn't made it to the scrapheap - yet.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 08-18-2015 08:29 PM                     David, I will try to find out about the screens that were dark for all of those years and what equipment was left there. As for the amplifiers, I'm pretty sure that Frank Theatres removed them when they closed it down.  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-18-2015 10:09 PM                        I helped open this location and didn't recognize it. I think I've opened one too many theatres in my life....  |  IP: Logged Buck Wilson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 894 From: St. Joseph MO, USA Registered: Sep 2010 posted 08-18-2015 10:27 PM                     Is that at all depressing? Seeing theaters you helped open go to shit?  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 08-18-2015 11:49 PM                        quote: Scott Norwood Those Yelp reviews are hilarious. I don't think that I have ever seen a theatre that was reviewed so badly. Yelp: The Pavillion "Cinema" Brooklyn NY Yelp: The Kent Anti-Cinema, Brooklyn NY  |  IP: Logged

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