Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Premiere Cinemas, Inc.: New 16-plex for Gadsden, AL

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 04-21-2003, 10:30 AM:

Premiere Cinemas, Inc. plans to put a 16-screen stadium theatre complex in the old JCPenney store at Gadsden Mall. The building's mezzanine will be be removed and the ceiling raised.

JCPenney closed in November 2001.

This mall already contains a 3-screen theatre, and it's interesting that Hope Turner, the general manager of Colonial Mall in Gadsden, said in the article that Gadsden Theatres, who has the 3-screen theatre, is still a mall tenant and she did not expect the new theatre to have any impact on it.

Some history (not from the article):

Gadsden Mall opened on July 31, 1974, and the Gadsden Mall Cinemas opened the same day as a twin Cinema. It was converted to a 3-screen during the October 1979 time period. The theatre was operated by Georgia Theatre Company, then by Gadsden Theatres s in 1975, and later by Carmike Cinemas in its final days before closing in 1999. It was reopened a year or two later by Quarles Theatres, showing first-run movies.

I saw the third movie I'd ever seen in a theatre at this location in 1987. It was "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles".

The old JCPenney store where the new theatre is going to be built was originally the Belk Hudson store when the mall opened. Around 1993, Belk built a new store across the hall from the original store and JCPenney moved into the old Belk slot.

The now defunct Gadsden Cinemas was opened next to the Agricola Shopping Center in 1970 by the Georgia Theatre Company as an 963-seat rocking-chair theatre. It was twinned in the late 1970s and later quadded. It closed for a while and reopened as a first-run theatre on November 5, 1999. It didn't last long, closing in mid to late 2002. It was in a very bad location. On a Saturday night, very few cars were in the parking lot. I guess people wondered if their cars would still be there after seeing a movie. :-)

The Rainbow Cinemas has been the "main" theatre in Gadsden for a long time. Built by FairLane/Litchfield and opening on December 21, 1979 as a 4-plex, the theatre has always shown first-run movies. It is located on a site formerly occupied by the Rainbow Drive-In, which opened in September 1952 and was destroyed by a tornado during or before 1978. The Rainbow Cinemas was increased to an 8-plex during the 1980s. Regal Cinemas took the theatre over for several years, then the cinemas were closed for a brief period in early 2001 when Hamilton Theatres (in business since around 1950) took the theatre over.

The only other theatre in Gadsden that gets mentioned is the Pitman on Broad Street, which operated from 1947 to 1981, and is in the state of limbo (preservation and mixed usage) that most old downtown theatres are.

There is a 9-screen theatre in Boaz (a few miles north on US 431) called the Nova 9, which opened a couple years ago, located in part of the old Boaz Outlet Center. It's hard for me to imagine what this theatre would be like, since I've never been to it, but the ceiling in that shopping center looked too low to be used for a theatre. I could be wrong.

Anyway, Gadsden has needed a new theatre for a long time, and it will be interesting to see how the new theatre will affect the others.

Posted by Greg Borr (Member # 386) on 04-21-2003, 04:06 PM:

Nova Cinemas, the operator of the Nova 9 in Boaz, has a couple of locations where they've retrofitted strip malls, stores etc., they do consulting on such designs as well. Buck Kolkmeyer from Nova visits the forum from time to time, he could give you a lot more insight on the theatre in Boaz.

As for Premiere, they opened a 12 plex in Temple, TX last year I've heard it is very nice but have never been there myself. They are currently renovating the old AMC 10 in Abilene to stadium and upgrading the lobby, it should be re-opening very soon. From what I know of Premiere it should be a very nice theatre.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 04-21-2003, 06:42 PM:

BIG QUESTION:

Is the company Premiere Cinemas or is it Premiere Theatres that is building this new complex? The reason I ask - is that I know the C.E.O. of a company called Premiere Theatres out of Melbourne, Florida.

Posted by Jeff Leyland (Member # 1092) on 04-21-2003, 08:22 PM:

It is Premiere Cinemas out of Texas. Their web site pccmovies.com has the information on their news page.