Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Theatre closed for a week or two?

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Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-25-2003, 12:25 AM:

Our gigantic larger than life mega theatre The Coronet here in San Francisco is closed as of today. There are no listings in the paper or on the Internet, and I drove past and the marquee is blank. However, they still have posters up in the cases in front advertising The Matrix Revolutions and Lord Of The Rings 'Coming Soon (to the) Coronet Theatre'.

They were open as of last night (as far as I know). They had been showing House Of The Dead for the last two weeks. (Although who's been going to see that?)

So what's happened? Could they really have shut down for a week and a half? Gone on vacation? OR, is it possible they could not book anything for a week and a half, and just decided to close down to cut costs?

I mean, there's tons of movies out there. They could have gotten *something* to play I'm guessing? Was it possible they overbooked House Of The Dead for 3 1/2 weeks until the Matrix will come out, and then nobody was showing up to see the movie so it was yanked, with no replacement? This is the first time in over 50 years the tower marquee has been dark on a Friday night. It is so bizarre...

The Coronet is a UA/Regal operation. Their other theatres down the street (Alexandria and Stonestown) have no trouble turning over movies every week or every other week. So what is up with The Coronet? I just don't understand... [Confused]

Also, if indeed they plan on re-opening Nov. 05th for Matrix Revolutions, they could have at least put that up on the marquee instead of leaving it completely blank.... [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-25-2003, 01:26 AM:

The Coronet has been scheduled to close permanently as of several years ago- Perhaps its time has finally run out... [Frown]

It is supposed to be razed to become an office complex.

-Aaron

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 10-25-2003, 03:09 AM:

i heard it was going to be an old folks' home or somesuch. maybe revolutions and l.o.r. are going to another ua and they didn't have the right "snipes".

be sure and post if interesting things start piling up in their dumpster. i wonder what will happen to that length of (faded!) 70mm film in the window. anyone know what it's from?

carl

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-25-2003, 01:30 PM:

Yes, The Coronet is scheduled to close and be bulldozed to make way for a senior center, but last I heard that wasn't going to happen until mid 2004....

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 10-25-2003, 02:16 PM:

Time table just been moved up.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-25-2003, 09:35 PM:

Here's what I'm talking about...

The marquee is blank, yet there are 'coming soon' posters:

There is also a Lord Of The Rings poster that actually has a sign on it 'Coming Soon Coronet Theatre'. (I could only upload two pictures to the forum.) Also, the box office still has power on to the ticket machine, and the computer monitor has the Regal Logo screen saver bouncing around on it. Yet... the theatre is closed... [Confused]

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-25-2003, 10:41 PM:

When Blumenfeld closed both Regencys, the Royal, and the Alhambra, they cleared the marquees, but left the posters in the outside cases, the schedule sign with the showtimes posted in the box office, and most of the standees, etc still sitting on the lobby floor.

Most likely the decision to close was given (it can happen THAT fast and without warning- it did just that in the case of some of the Blumenfeld locations) and the people that have the keys to access the cases were not available to unlock the cases and remove the posters.

If there was no signage giving a reopening date or saying 'temporarily closed', you can be sure its closed for good, at least under that management/ownership.

-Aaron

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 10-26-2003, 01:10 AM:

Hell, we had a theater here that belonged to the old company I worked for years ago. A big truck pulled up in front of the building and notified the manager that they were going to be loading up the concession equipment and dismanteling the projection booth as soon as the last show was over. The manager was shocked did not know anything about it. Had to make emergency phone calls to find out what was going on. That is how fast they can shut them down. Yo can be sitting in the movie and someone comes along, exscuse me sir can you stand up a minute. Next thing you know your seat is gone. [Big Grin]

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-26-2003, 03:34 AM:

Darryl, thats pretty much the same thing that happened when we dismantled the Meridian Quad 6 a few years ago. The equipment was still warm as it was headed out to the trucks, and the platters were dismantled as soon as the last films on them were broken down...

-Aaron

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-26-2003, 10:19 AM:

Ok, I see. But why then would they leave the computers on and running in the box office?

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 10-26-2003, 11:45 AM:

That's weird. You'd think they'd at least put something on the Marquee.

Why would anybody close a theatre a week and a half before one of the largest movies of the year is set to come out?

Perhaps they're taking the time to clean up the theatre and prepare. Who knows? I doubt they've left altogether.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 10-26-2003, 12:16 PM:

Keep in mind that REG closed the UA Colma 6 just a week ago. Granted, the Colma 6 had already been beaten into submission by the Century Daly City 20.

I've been called in to close theaters on a week or less notice. "Um, yeah, you don't have bookings this week." or "Um, yeah, you know those bookings you received on Monday? Well, you won't be opening for business tomorrow [Friday]. I'm here to audit you and make your final deposit." Some theaters deserved it, but the employees usually didn't.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-26-2003, 12:23 PM:

The newspaper today still lists the theatre, but simply says 'no shows today'.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 10-26-2003, 02:32 PM:

quote:
But why then would they leave the computers on and running in the box office?

Assuming that they never turn any of the computers off (many places don't), they probably are awaiting their final audits from corporate, thus they just left 'em on.

-Aaron

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 10-26-2003, 04:12 PM:

The Coronet will re-open November 5th.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 10-26-2003, 04:51 PM:

Let's get this in the public record as well:

The Oakbrook Theatre (originally a single screen 70mm house, later chopped into Oakbrook 1-4), Oakbrook, Illinois, in the Chicago western suburbs is about to come down. This is a former Plitt / Cineplex Odeon / Loews Cineplex venue on the periphery of the Oak Brook Center open air shopping mall. The protective barricades are up and the heavy equipment is there so it looks like it will be coming down in the next few days.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 10-26-2003, 05:28 PM:

Don't forget that the Ziegfeld in midtown Manhattan was closed for 2 weeks before it opened Brother Bear. [Wink]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-26-2003, 05:38 PM:

Thats too bad about the Oakbrook.....Same fate as the UA Cinema 150 across the street. I can remember seeing "In Harms Way" there when the Oakbrook first opened....in fact I believe that was the first film to play there. I also saw "Deliverance", "Papillion", 1941 in 70mm, and "Midway" in Sensurround there and can remember standing in line with friends waiting to get in and feeling the outside of the building shaking from the high level low frequency. After it was carelessly twinned it went from a quality place to really awful. A dividing wall was put up and the two JJ's were just re-aimed to the new screen locations, the keystoning was soooo bad. It was a typical Plitt Hack job back then, I went once after it was twinned but never again after that. The Cinema 150 across the street was also a great place but thats a whole other sad story in itself.
Mark

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 10-28-2003, 08:40 AM:

Well, the GCC Orlando Fashion Square is officially dead as well. The projectionist that works at our place (also a former GCC) used to work there a long time ago. I beilieve it was one of the first THX installations in the country as well. EFW bought it for a while (and ran it with GCC signage apparently, since the marquee STILL reads GCC) then closed it.

A few months ago, that same projectionist came in all excited. "They're doing something with Fashion Square 6!!" he said. Indeed, they were doing SOMETHING...

Yesterday he came in sad. "They're doing something with it allright, but it's not going to be a theater. There are windows cut all around the building now..."

Sure enough, a drive past (my first time, mind you. The damn thing is tucked so far back from everything) revealed the transformation of a theater into office space. [Frown]

Windows cut all around and peeking in you could see they had lowered the cieling to make it 2-story all around. No more box office or lobby. The whole front was remodeled. Makes me wonder where all that equipment went. We needed some parts a while back that were all at that location from being shuffled around by EFW when they owned the two places. So much for that.

The marquee is still there, but probably not for long. The office building is pretty much done already. [Frown]

=TMP=

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 11-20-2003, 10:28 AM:

The Coronet's life has been extended, and will now remain open through the END OF 2004!!! [beer]

Heck, if more extensions keep happening, it might even make it to that Star Wars film in 2005. [Big Grin]

Posted by Edward Jurich (Member # 1787) on 11-25-2003, 11:11 AM:

I got to thread up one of those 70mm films at the Oakbrook the first year it opened. I knew one of the operators (George, can't remember his last name) and he let me thread up reel one between shows. The thing I remember most was how heavy 2000' of 70mm is lifting up into the upper magazine.

Posted by Gary Crawford (Member # 2038) on 11-26-2003, 01:17 PM:

Great to hear the Coronet has received a stay of execution.

Theatre closings happen. In the early 70s we had six houses open in Asbury Park NJ. In 74 Walter Reade's flagship Mayfair and the next-door St. James were taken down. The Paramount on the boardwalk closed. The Savoy closed. The Lyric was twinned (up-and-down, with the balcony becoming #2). The Baronet struggled on and then closed. In nearby Ocean Grove the Strand was torn down along with the North End Hotel.

Today the Paramount holds regular stage events but the booth is stripped. The Baronet exists as an occasional art house, with the stage reopened. The Savoy is intact but closed for almost 30 years. The Lyric continues as an XXX twin. The Baronet (opened in 1913 as The Ocean) is in danger of being torn down as Asbury Park rebuilds itself.

Nearby, the old Neptune City Theatre has just been rebuilt into a senior center. The Shore and Eatontown Drive-Ins are long gone. The Community in Eatontown is gone, as is the old Seaview Square in Ocean Twp.

In Long Branch NJ, the old Paramount on Broadway, a 2400 seat atmospheric palace from the old days, may be restored to a performing arts center, but just talk now. In the meantime its stage continues on as the warehouse for Siperstein Paint Co.

We used to have a lot of places around here. A lot of people made a good living working them. So much for progress.