Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Carmike Closing Policies

This is topic Carmike Closing Policies in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Timothy Ervin (Member # 733) on 08-17-2005, 02:38 PM:

I was wondering if anyone here has ever worked for Carmike and have their theatre sold to another company. What are Carmike's policies on selling the equipment to the new owners? Does Carmike keep the General Manager and transfer them elsewhere? Does Carmike leave the POS system? Does Carmike give the management and staff notice of the sale in advance? How about Assistants, are they hourly or salary, or does that depend on the location?

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 08-17-2005, 03:03 PM:

As far as I know the manager is given the opporutity to re-locate. Not sure on the assistant.

Carmike's POS system is propritary so it won't stay at a closed location. Depending upon the lease all equipment is likely to be stripped from the building, including seats.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-17-2005, 04:13 PM:

Not too sure about corporate policy, but here's what happened when our local Carmike shut down last fall.

The building, located in a shopping center was stripped of all projection equipment, cash registers, POS, etc. and the equipment was all loaded onto a semi trailer parked behind the building. Everything else was bulldozed.

In many situations where things are permenantly attached to the floors or walls (i.e. seats & screens), they will remain behind as they are considered permenant fixtures of the building.

I have been into a recently closed down Regal location where "mysteriously" the screens and seats that had to remain with the building all ended up being slashed. All of the lobby neon somehow got broken too. It "was" a pretty nice theatre until they did that. That's been several years ago, and the building still sits empty.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-17-2005, 05:30 PM:

..did the same around here with Carmike pulling out - completely stripped out the building. And now the building is a clothing store. - Monte

Posted by Christian Volpi (Member # 2370) on 08-18-2005, 01:44 PM:

I've heard the Carmike will go as far as to pull wires out of the building. [Eek!]

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 08-18-2005, 11:00 PM:

Tim, check your email, I sent you something.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-18-2005, 11:34 PM:

I've seen companies remove the seats, then sledgehammer the mounting studs so they couldn't be reused.

Posted by Jon Morgan (Member # 3059) on 08-19-2005, 05:40 PM:

I hear they bulldoze it then salt the earth so nothing else can grow.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-19-2005, 08:49 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
And now the building is a clothing store. - Monte

One thing is for sure... That clothing store is better run than the theatre that was there.....

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-19-2005, 11:05 PM:

They closed a twin in Billlings Montana when they built their Wynnsong 10 across the parking lot from it. The thing has sat there empty ever since 1997. Haven't heard whether they gutted it or not, but I'm surprised nothing else has gone in there since it's in a prime retail area.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-20-2005, 02:37 AM:

The hardest thing about re-leasing a dead theatre building is the sloped floors. Many shopping center developers built the theatre per specs provided by the original tenant. Once the original tenant moves out, and the latest trend in theatre design has moved to stadium style seating, there's not a lot you can do with it. Sure it may be in a prime retail location, but it's hard to sell a sloping floor to any prospective tenant.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-20-2005, 12:18 PM:

I guess what I meant was, I'm surprised it hasn't either had its floors jackhammered out and flattened, OR been torn down and replaced. I mean it's right in the parking lot of the busiest mall in the state of Montana and it's amazing that the space isn't being used for something.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 08-20-2005, 07:14 PM:

There are two former Carmike locations here in Lawton: The Video Triple and Showcase Twin.

The Video Triple opened in the early 1970s and closed in the late 1990s). It ran first run movies until the Carmike 8 opened in 1994, then went to bargain shows. When the place was closed all equipment was removed and the building was sold to Locke Supply, a hardware store.

The Showcase Twin opened in the 1960s and closed in the mid 1990s. I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" there in 1980. It stopped showing first run movies in the late 1980s. When the place closed the entire building was gutted and converted to a Blockbuster Video location.