Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: O-Neil Theatres: new 12-screen for Athens, AL

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 04-20-2003, 10:35 PM:

Today's Athens News-Courier stated that a 12-screen theatre was in the works for Athens, AL, and the the new theatre was to be opened by April 2004 and would be managed and operated by O'Neil Theatres. The theatre is to have a seating capacity of 2400 (average 200 per auditorium), and have stadium seating and digital sound. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a reality.

Limestone County, the county in which Athens is located, has a population of around 67000 (including Athens). Athens has around 19000 people.

Some questions:

1. Is the population sufficient to support a 12-plex?

2. Is anyone familiar with any existing O'Neil multiplexes? Do they build good theatres? I know that one of their Nashville, TN locations that closed 2-3 years ago was in an old grocery store and they had 16 screens crammed in there. Do they cut corners by having small screens that are "one size only" without adjustable screen masking, or do they put all of the necessary features into their theatres? I'm wondering what to expect at this location.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 04-22-2003, 07:55 AM:

O'Neil Theatres operates a 12 screen theatre in New Braunfels about 30 miles from me. From the outside, it is a rather large complex. That appears to be built very nicely from the outside. I have never been inside. Might have to make a trip down there.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 04-22-2003, 09:48 AM:

This will be a new construction, I believe. There was one O'Neil theatre in Nashville that was 16 screens crammed into an old grocery store, but I have no idea how nice it was. It was a second-run theatre. However, it invoked memories of the Cobb Cinema 8 on South Parkway that operated from 1982-2000 that had all screens 2.00:1 except one and was horribly built. I don't know if the 2 O'Neil locations in Nashville were like that or not, since I never went to them. I hope none of our new constructions in north Alabama will be "cost saving" type of theatres with wrong sized or unadjustable screens, especially after Regal finally cleaned up the mess that Cobb made here.

Posted by Justin West (Member # 920) on 04-24-2003, 08:13 PM:

There is a drive-in theatre at Athens and the couple that owns it had wanted to build a hardtop...but I would not have pictured a 12-plex for that area.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 04-24-2003, 09:45 PM:

I talked to one of this couple on the phone earlier this evening. Evidentally, this drive-in will still be able to get new release first-run movies and run the same product as the new theatre. It will be interesting. They were considering a 5-plex.

Posted by Steve Anderson (Member # 364) on 04-24-2003, 09:59 PM:

The O-Neil Theater in Nashville SUCKED!!
Mono audio, old seats, poor presentations!

Other than that it was a fine place to go.
[beer]

Posted by Jeff Leyland (Member # 1092) on 04-28-2003, 10:35 PM:

The O'Neil theatre in New Braunfels has switched to Lone Star Theatres. They are the ones with the Starplex theatre in San Marcos.