posted 06-26-2006 12:49 AM                    

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Region Gets New Cinema Chain

Harkins Theatres is opening a 16-screen complex today at the Moreno Valley Mall

10:07 PM PDT on Thursday, June 22, 2006

By JONATHAN SHIKES
The Press-Enterprise

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Harkins Theatres has 26 locations with 326 screens in five states.

The company employs 2,150 people, including 100 in Moreno Valley.

A long-awaited, 16-screen movie theater complex opens today at the Moreno Valley Mall, but the first person in line was determined decades ago.

Like his father before him, Dan Harkins buys the first ticket at every new theater his company builds. It's a tradition that has kept him busy recently.

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Harkins Theatres is in the midst of an expansion that has moved the family-owned chain outside Arizona for the first time. In the past two years, it has opened theaters in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and now California.

"We are looking to states west of the Mississippi (River) and mostly contiguous to Arizona, and in communities that are underserved," said Harkins, company president and chief executive. "Moreno Valley is the most underserved community in the Inland Empire."

Harkins Moreno Valley 16 features high-back rocking seats, wall-to-wall screens, a digital sound system, phone and Internet ticketing, and a snack bar with hot foods like cheese sticks and french fries in addition to traditional fare. It also has a child-care center, where theater-bound parents can drop off kids, ages 3-to-8, for $6.

"They have a lot of amenities not associated with their competitors," said mall General Manager Jim Fuson. "They are going to dominate this particular area."

There are two other theaters in Moreno Valley, both owned by Vista-based UltraStar Cinemas, which operates 102 screens at 13 sites in Southern California.

The 77,000-square-foot Harkins theater, which is attached to the mall, is expected to draw at least 1.5 million people in the next year, he added.

Damon Rubio, vice president of operations for UltraStar, said competition hurts both companies because they will have to take turns showing new movies.

To prevent one of its theaters from becoming a "discount house," Rubio said UltraStar has been experimenting with art films or other independent features. The company is also unusual because all its screens use digital projection.

On Sept. 1, Harkins plans to buy the first ticket at his second California theater, in Chino Hills. He also hopes to build a movie house in Indio in the near future. Over the next three years, the company plans an additional 12 theaters in the western U.S.

"They are one of the fastest-growing cinema companies in the United States," said Jim Kozak, spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners.

In June 2005, Harkins ranked 18th on the list of movie houses in the country with 278 screens, Kozak said. They would be 15th on that list today, and moving up.

The company pales next to giants such as Regal Entertainment Group, with 6,264 screens; AMC, with 3,308 and Carmike Cinemas, with 2,450

But its history, traditions and unusual features make it stand out, Harkins said, and helped it survive industry turmoil in 2000 and early 2001, when five major theater chains filed for bankruptcy. "That was a banner year for us," he said.

Founded in 1933 by Dan's father, Red Harkins, the company made a name for itself in the 1960s and '70s Arizona with the Cine Capri, an 800-seat theater. Over the years, it expanded around Phoenix and eventually throughout Arizona.

Although he has received buyout offers, Harkins said he wouldn't know what to do without the business.

"My dream is to own and operate the best motion-picture theaters anyone could operate, and I already do that," he said.

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posted 07-03-2006 07:00 PM                   

quote: Don Sneed

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DTS-XD10P processor

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posted 07-05-2006 03:53 PM                       

quote: Don Sneed

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Rave motion pictures-15 in Baton Rouge opening July-21... (10) Christie Digital & (5) 35mm proj., All digital house has DTS-XD10P processor, Crown XS-900 amps, JBL spks...all 35mm houses has same sound system with a DTS-XD-10 player...this is the 2nd Rave theatre in Baton Rouge LA.

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Dang! I know the guy who runs the first Baton Rouge theatre for Rave. I should give him a call.....

posted 08-28-2006 06:22 PM                    

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Glendora Turns out 'Big' for Diamond Ridge Ground-Breaking: 113 Persons Attend Event

(GLENDORA, Calif.) - Inclement weather stayed away, but Glendora residents, City Council members, local businesses and community leaders didn’t, as about 113 persons turned out today for the ground-breaking of the $75 million to $90 million, 29-acre, 360,000-square-foot Diamond Ride retail shopping center.

Diamond Ridge Project Director and event emcee Brian McConnell said that weather permitting, grading on the project should begin this week, with a grand opening slated for May 2007. McConnell said the project will include retail tenants 24-Hour Fitness, Pet Smart, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Old Navy, Tilly’s, Lane Bryant, Staples, Beverages & More, Chili’s and other sit-down restaurants – with an AMC 12-screen theater also being a potential major attraction at the shopping center..

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posted 08-28-2006 08:21 PM                       

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YORK BEACH, Maine --For 78 years, no summer was complete for locals, seasonal residents and visitors alike without taking in a movie at the York Beach Cinema. Like tasting that first Goldenrod kiss of the season, it was tradition.

But in a few short weeks, as August gives way to September, this beach stalwart will be closing its doors for good. Soon, it will be torn down to make way for a function hall for the neighboring Union Bluff Hotel, which owns it.

It will be a sad day for Troy Williams, the 19-year-old manager of the cinema, who learned the trade from longtime manager Bill Davies, known as the "mayor of York Beach," who died of cancer last year.

"I'd come in an hour early every day, and we used to sit on the curb and talk," Williams said. "He knew a lot of the history and he'd tell me about the place."

The "place," more than 150 years old, was first a horse barn and then an ice house before it was converted to an opera house around the turn of the 20th century. In 1928, it became a movie theater and has remained open summer in and summer out ever since.

After the history lesson, Williams would learn the quirky, sometimes unexpected twists and turns of running a movie house with camera equipment used for silent films, in a cavernous auditorium that doubles as a storage area for the Union Bluff, with a concession stand that sells popcorn made in an aging machine of another era and a men's room that has no sink.

As old as the cinema may be, the movies have always been first runs. The new "Pirates of the Caribbean" showed earlier this past week, as did "Monster House." Williams says it's getting tougher and tougher to get these releases, though, because the movie industry is not interested in supplying films to small, seasonal houses like the York Beach Cinema. They simply are not cost effective.

"They're trying to put us out of business, and they're succeeding," he said. Chain theaters offer a new release for three or four weeks. York Beach Cinema shows one film for two or three days because it's all that the market will bear.

"If there had to be a time for it to close, now is the time," Williams said.

And then there's the always interesting situation of showing films on projectors intended more for Rudolph Valentino than Johnny Depp.

Most chain movie houses still get movies in individual reels, but then splice them into one giant and seamless reel for showing. No such thing at the York Beach Cinema. The two Peerless Magnarc projectors hold one reel each, and the projectionist must time the end of one with the beginning of the other seamlessly.

Light is generated from the touching of two carbon rods, which illuminate the camera's mirrored interior. The rods, now available at only one supplier in Miami, are replaced regularly during the showing of the film. Change them too late, and the screen goes blank. The projectionists must also oil the sprockets continuously during the movie.

"If I see a perfect show, that's awesome," he said. "People don't expect glitches, but they don't understand what's going on in the projection room."

The projectors are already spoken for, Williams said, and although he's not sure who is getting them, "they'd be perfect for some movie industry guy." Most everything else -- the signs, the seats, the popcorn machine, the concession stand -- is going on sale in September.

Williams said customers have told him they're upset this institution is closing.

"A lot of people have been coming here since they were kids," he said.

He can understand their feelings.

"I love this place," he said. "There's a lot of magic here. People actually clap at the end of movies. Where else does that happen anymore?"

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posted 08-29-2006 09:37 AM                       

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EDWARDSVILLE — Like many films, the Gateway Cinema’s run has come to a close.

After a final showing Monday night, the six-screen movie theater closed because it was unable to compete with the new Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 and Cinemark in Moosic, said manager Dan Jones and assistant manager and projectionist George Bobbey.

The Gateway Cinema has been a landmark on the West Side for the last 41 years. For the last two weeks, the cinema has been showing discount movies for $1.50, but Jones said business still has been “awful.”

“Cinemark took a major portion of our business when they came in, and then when they added 14 screens three miles away, that was the final nail in the coffin,” Jones said. “There are not enough movies to go around and not enough customers to go around.”

Two full-time and six part-time workers at the cinema will lose their jobs. Jones plans to retire after 46 years in the movie business. His career began with the Comerford movie chain.

On Tuesday, Jones and Bobbey watched as stacks of popcorn boxes, cups, other concessions and janitorial supplies were moved out of the cinema. The items will be transported to another cinema in Lewistown, Jones said.

Jones answered continual phone calls Tuesday from people, unaware of the closure, inquiring about movie times. Bobbey took apart movies Monday night and prepared them for shipment Tuesday.

“A lot of people would have liked to see us stay,” Bobbey said. “The movies we did get weren’t the greatest. If you don’t have the movies people want, they don’t come out.”

The Gateway also had trouble competing with digital projectors, state-of-the-art sound systems and stadium-style seating offered at Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 and Cinemark.

“That (stadium seating) is a good asset, but it depends on how you weigh it. The kids like it, but the seniors don’t want to climb,” Bobbey said.

Bobbey worked as the projectionist at the Gateway Cinema for the last seven years, taking a job there after the Churchill Cinema in Hazleton closed. He doesn’t know what he is going to do next, but he said he would “take it day by day, one step at a time.”

As items were moved out of the Gateway Cinema, 19-year-old Bridget Flynn of Larksville stood outside on Route 11 holding a giant sign that read “Save the Gateway.” Passing motorists honked. She asked people to sign a petition to keep the Gateway Cinema open.

“I’ve been going here since I was little,” Flynn said. “I saw my first movie here and my mom saw her first movie here. It’s much cheaper. People say there are more comfortable seats at the other movie theaters, but I pay for the movie, not the chair.”

Diane Luzny, manager of Grotto Pizza in the Gateway Shopping Center, also was saddened by the closing. Grotto worked with the Gateway Cinema to offer a movie deal that allowed customers to buy a large pie, two drinks and two movie passes for $17.95.

“It’s going to affect our business a great deal,” Luzny said. “Families and children would go to a movie and come to the Grotto.”

Tony DeCosmo, marketing manager for Grotto Pizza, said it is a shame the cinema closed at a time when new businesses have been opening nearby. The new movie theater is good for Wilkes-Barre’s progress, but the Gateway Cinema has been the “heart of West Side for so long,” he said.

Java’s Brewin’ Coffee Shop is scheduled to open in the Gateway Shopping Center before September and a doctors’ office and surgery center is expected in January.

Joe Amato, who owns the building housing the Gateway Cinema as well as the entire Gateway Shopping Center, said he plans to build a strip mall behind the former cinema. The building might be torn down, Amato said. He does not believe another movie theater will locate to the site of the now closed cinema.

While the $31 million Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 cinema received public funding, the Gateway Cinema did not. Amato said it would be “cost-prohibitive” to put a new movie theater in Edwardsville, especially with the added competition.

“It’s a sad day,” Amato said.

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EAST HARTFORD -- Suffering from fewer moviegoers, Showcase Cinema, a town fixture and eyecatcher along I-84 for more than 30 years, will close Sept. 4 after its last showing.

Company officials were preparing a press release about the theater after employees said they were told Tuesday about the closing.

"It wasn't a huge surprise but everyone was pretty sure it was going to stay around for a while," said Chris Devaux, an employee who has worked at the 14-screen theater since 1997.

Robert Moch, theater manager, said he could not comment and was told to refer all inquiries to Dedham, Mass.-based National Amusements Inc., the owner of Showcase Cinemas.

"The word is out there," said Devaux. "Employees have been telling customers as they buy tickets, but I guess the company wants to make a big announcement."

Mayor Melody A. Currey said company officials have not notified the town about the closing or returned phone calls to her.

"I think obviously it was decision they made a while ago and they're moving on," she said. "I'm disappointed they chose not to upgrade the site. The last time was 1995. It's a great location with great visibility."

Devaux said he and about 30 of his colleagues who work at the theater said they were told they would be offered jobs at other Showcase theaters.

National Amusements operates 133 movie screens in 11 theaters, including the East Hartford location, in Connecticut.

The East Hartford theater opened in 1973 with four screens and was expanded in 1995.

In 1998, Showcase Cinemas built a 16-screen theater at Buckland Hills in Manchester just a few miles from its newly-renovated 14-screen complex in East Hartford. Company officials said there was plenty of business to support both theaters.

Currey blamed the popularity of DVDs for the demise of the town theater.

"Bottom line is every time you drive by there's few cars," Currey said.

"I know it's never good news to have a business close but with Cabela's coming to Rentschler Field and all the other development going on in town, this is a good time to market the theater," Currey said. "We've gotten lots of inquiries from companies wanting to locate in town."

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posted 09-02-2006 06:38 AM                       

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After 78 years, the York Beach Cinema will close its doors tonight.

"I had some kids in town offering to chain themselves to the place in protest," said the cinema's 19-year-old manager, Troy Williams. "But I figured it was better to exit by inviting everybody back for one last show."

He's hoping the theater will be filled to the brim tonight for "Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest," the house's final showing.

The closing of the movie house is, for many locals, the passing of an era when restaurants and dance halls dotted the shoreline of this coastal community and talkies were just starting to make movie houses the standard of American entertainment.

Marjorie Donnellan, who calls herself "the oldest timer in York Beach" at age 85, has been summering in a cottage there since she was a child. She was just 7 years old when the theater showed its first flick, in 1928.

Donnellan couldn't remember the title, but a ticket, she recalled, cost just 10 cents. "This was quite a place, you know," she said. "It was very nice inside. It was really very nice just up until the last few years."

Since its opening, the theater has shown all of the new films each summer, though the ticket price has risen to $7.

The large wooden building that houses the theater dates to the 1850s. Before becoming a cinema, it was a horse barn, an ice house and an opera house. When Don and John Holland bought the building in 1913, they installed driftwood flooring, built a stage and installed wood and wrought-iron seats that can still be found in the balcony.

Since then, the floor has been covered with concrete, the balcony has been closed and ownership has passed through various families. The Union Bluff Hotel, next door, bought the building in 1998. It plans to knock down the theater in October to make way for a large function hall.

The building's significant historical artifacts include two 1927 Peerless Magnar C film projectors and Western Electric sound projectors in the projection room.

"There's only a handful of theaters in the entire country that use these projectors," said Williams, adding that the trend in mainstream theaters is toward running everything digitally.

"In other theaters, the projectionist actually gets to watch the movie," he said. "But here, he's got to keep the flame going, grease the machines, change the reels and make sure the rods don't burn out."

The projectionists ­ Chris Kruse, 19, and Lewis Chevalier, 22 ­ learned the trade from former theater manager and legendary local sage Bill Davies, who died of cancer last year. At tonight's showing of "Pirates," which plays on nine reels, "they're going to be working their butts off," Williams said.

Williams said he has fielded requests from as far away as Ohio for the projectors. "I'm sure there's going to be a bidding war," he said.

Several locals have expressed interest in buying movie house memorabilia. Williams plans to hold an invitation-only auction later this month. Those interested in receiving invitations should leave their names with him at the door tonight.

Richard Donnellan, 48, said he probably will bid on some of the old chairs. "It was the highlight of the whole beach," he said, remembering when he and his brothers and friends would make a night out of a soda, candy and a movie. "I saw 'Planet of the Apes' there, 'The Dirty Dozen' and all those war movies. Š What are the kids going to do now when it's bad weather out?"

"They had all the top movies," said Pat St. Aubin, who took her children and her grandchildren to the theater. "The kids, someone would go in and pay, and open the back door to sneak their friends in."

These days, Williams said, the children are missing. "Unless their parents bring them, kids are mostly playing Xbox or at the big houses, where the picture never gets fuzzy and the screen never blacks out," he said. "But others come not so much for the movies, but for the experience."

Donnellan said he and his brothers will be there tonight, despite the fact that they have seen "Pirates" three times.

"It's the last big place in town, other than the Wild Kingdom," he said, referring to the zoo and amusement park that came to York Beach in the 1960s. "If that goes, then the mystique of York Beach will be gone."

Williams admitted that tearing down the theater is probably a smart business decision. But for the last night ­ and for a reduced rate of $3 a ticket ­ Williams hopes to fill the house.

"People want to be here for the last show, to reminisce," he said. "This place will really be missed."

Staff Writer Karoun Demirjian can be contacted at 791-6368 or at: kdemirjian@pressherald.com

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