Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Floyd Theatres

This is topic Floyd Theatres in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 12-18-2003, 10:00 AM:

Has anyone ever heard of this chain? My theatre used to be a Floyd theatre before Carmike bought it. I'd like to get more info if anyone knows where to find it.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 12-18-2003, 06:03 PM:

Floyd Theatres was a chain of with its peak in the late 1950 - 60's with primarily drive-ins in most of their locations. The majority where in Florida with a few Georgia locations. In the early 1990's it was sold to a corporation which owned cable tv systems and started building a few multiplexes. The company is now gone and their former general manager, Harold Spears, operates a few remaining drive-ins such as the Fun Lan Drive In in Tampa, a location in Lakeland and I think one more.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 12-18-2003, 10:05 PM:

Richard(s),

I am aware that Carmike purchased the Floyd chain in early '95. I was part of the acquistion team sent to help facilitate the transition. I wound up in a little town, Arcadia, between Sebring & Port Charlotte. When I tell you that there was NOTHING in this town... I mean it. Well, there was a Wal-Mart, but it was consistently out of everything.

The theatre sat in an older strip mall and was a twin. The equipment was some of the oldest I had ever seen, but folks seemed to fill the place on the weekends. I guess they had to. It was either that or drive 40+ miles to the next town. I recall lots and lots of Hispanics in the area, probably due to the huge citrus groves/farms surrounding the town.

No, I do not miss the place at all... [Cool]

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 12-18-2003, 10:08 PM:

Thanks For the Info.

I think we are the only theatre in the immediate area that is 8 screens and is entirely manual

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 12-19-2003, 12:23 AM:

Funny, I remember dealing with Floyd Theaters at one point in which my boss at the time and myself where proposing automating some of their locations and they thought it was too costly. The Arcadia I remember doing a service call some time ago; that place is really in the boonies with some Florida "gators" as paying customers [Big Grin]