What's the latest theatre to close or open you have heard about?

[Bobby Henderson]

So I guess that means Harkins is phasing out the Cine Capri concept? According to their web site they're down to just 2 Cine Capri locations now, the Scottsdale 101 14 in Phoenix and the Bricktown 16 in Oklahoma City.

One other Cine Capri site I visited previously a couple times, the Harkins Southlake in the DFW metro closed in 2020. Now the building is being remodeled into a EVO Entertainment venue. It's supposed to combine cinema, bowling, video games and other stuff under one roof. I'm not sure how that can work, but I guess we'll see. The chain has its own premium big screen "EVX" concept, which includes Dolby Atmos. So maybe they'll retain the Cine Capri auditorium mostly as is and just re-brand it under a different acronym. EVO is also working on another location in the Prestonwood area. Are they messing around with the former LOOK Cinemas location? (quick Google Earth search, that would be a YES).

At one point a couple or so years ago I thought Harkins was planning a second OKC location on the North side of the city. As far as I can tell plans for that have been put on hold, like the Alamo Drafthouse location that was proposed for the trendy Chisholm Creek development on the North side.

The low end was very loud, rattling my seat. It seemed a little "muddy" to me - lots of deep rumbling without a real distinctness to it that I have heard at some of the best-tuned theaters (e.g. the Stag).

I don't know what it is about modern stadium seated auditoriums, but I have yet to visit one where the sub-bass was "dialed in" just right. The sub-bass is always yielding one of two characteristics (or both). The sub-bass is either thin, lacking and weak overall in character. Or it is powerful yet slobbidy flobbidy muddy. The Cine Capri screen in OKC or the IMAX branded AMC house we have here in Lawton goes into that powerful yet sloppy zone. The issue seems really challenging to overcome in large auditoriums with especially tall ceilings. The best sub-bass I've ever heard in a large auditorium was the GCC Northpark #1 THX screen in Dallas. That sound system had very deep, very powerful sub-bass that would punch you in the chest hard. But the sub-bass character was very tight and punchy. It had a very pleasing (and startling) dynamic to it. Our old (and long dead) Carmike 8 theater in Lawton had two THX screens that sounded pretty damned good back in their prime during the mid to late 1990's. Then Carmike started cutting corners (and maintenance) during the 2000's.

There has to be some way to re-create that kind of Northpark #1 sub-bass in a large, stadium seated house. I don't know if that means more sub-bass enclosures, throwing more wattage at the problem, doing even more with wall treatment. I'm not a sound engineer. But I know what I'm hearing. That Northpark cinema was remarkable for how good it sounded for ALL kinds of movies, not just bombastic action movies. Of course they routinely re-tuned the B-chain frequently and kept up with maintenance. Despite innovations like Dolby Atmos I really think commercial cinema chains have really dropped their focus on surround sound quality in recent years. I think the movie distributors are guilty of it as well. I could be imagining things, but it seems like the movie mixes of today are quite a bit more restrained compared to 5.1 mixes of the 1990's going into the early 2000's. It seems like much of the public is more geared to listening to movies thru sound bars under the TV screen or thru headphones. I'm getting the itch to buy a new AV receiver and speaker system for my living room, maybe even a 7.2.4 kind of setup. But it's a big (and costly) project to undertake. However, contemporary movies need to make such an investment worth it. I've been to enough "Dolby Atmos" movies at the Bricktown 16 theater that sounded like Atmos in name only to make me gun shy at investing in a home-Atmos setup.

[Geoff Jones]

The Cine-Capri auditorium at Harkins' Northfield location in Denver is open again after a half-year remodel. It has been rebranded as a "Cine1 XL" auditorium.

They have installed a new laser projector and replaced the rockers with reclining seats, which reduced the seat count from around 500 to around 300.

All-in-all, it remains the best place to see a movie in the front range. The image is bright and sharp on their 70-foot-wide screen and the sound is clear and immersive.


A couple of things kept it from being perfect.

I found the blacks to be a little washed out. I believe this is due to new recessed lighting on the side walls, which remained on during the feature.
Cine1 Oval Lights.png

Additionally, curved concentric lines are visible across the top left quarter of the screen when the screen is bright. They look a little like wrinkles. (I don't believe they are wrinkles, that's just the best way I can describe them.)

The low end was very loud, rattling my seat. It seemed a little "muddy" to me - lots of deep rumbling without a real distinctness to it that I have heard at some of the best-tuned theaters (e.g. the Stag).

I passed along my feedback about the contrast/ wall lights and the wavy lines, but didn't mention the bass because that felt overly subjective.

Despite the issues, which were minor, I was pleased with the presentation and am eager to see more movies there.

[Jim Cassedy]

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[Jim Cassedy]

"Gone Wth The Wind" ?

[Rusty Gordon]

The entire city was wiped off the map. There'd literally be nobody living there to come watch a movie at the Princess Theater anymore. https://www.princessofmayfield.com

[Ed Gordon]

A damaged theater in Mayfield Kentucky. I found this photo on CNN this morning. The description provided does not include details. There are only four theaters listed at Cinema Treasures and three of those were closed before the tragic storm struck.

A damaged theater is seen in Mayfield midwest-weather-knetucky-1211.jpg

[Scott Jentsch]

The Cinemark Roseville Galleria Mall and XD in Roseville, California (18 miles NE of Sacramento) opened November 11, 2021. Photo Gallery.

Subsequently, the Century Roseville 14 and XD about two miles away closed. It originally opened June 19, 1998 as the Century Roseville 14. Cinemark purchased Century Theatres in 2006. The XD screen was added in 2010.

[Ed Gordon]

Seattle needs a hero to save beloved Cinerama

By The Seattle Times editorial board

King County vaccination rates topping 80%? Check.

Movie theaters open across the region? Affirmative.

Big budget sci-fi epic now on screen? It’s here.

All that’s missing is Cinerama, Seattle’s premier place to watch a movie. For generations, families and film buffs caught the latest blockbuster, cult classic, or festival at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street. Its state-of-the-art projection and immersive audio — not to mention iconic chocolate popcorn — promised an experience second to none. This was where “Star Wars” fans camped for weeks before a premiere.

Closed since the pandemic, Cinerama is in limbo. The prospect of this beloved movie house slowly decaying — or worse, going under the wrecking ball — is too horrible to contemplate. Seattle needs a hero to make this right.

The theater is owned by Vulcan, which was founded in 1986 by Paul G. Allen and his sister Jody Allen to “make and leave the world a better place.”

Allen, who died in 2018, was known for his eclectic interests and love of music, history and movies. He purchased Cinerama in 1998. First opened in 1963, it is one of the few remaining cinemas worldwide originally built to showcase three-projector Cinerama technology. It underwent major renovations in 1999, 2010 and 2014.

Where it ranks in Vulcan’s diverse portfolio today is unclear.

In May 2020, Vulcan announced that it was closing its Arts + Entertainment division, as well as its filmmaking entity, Vulcan Productions. Cinerama, which was closed for renovations, was suddenly shuttered “for the foreseeable future.”

Asked about the status of the theater last week, a spokesperson for Vulcan said there was “no news to share at this time.”

Maybe because things are slowly getting back to normal, or maybe it’s the debut of the epic adventure movie “Dune,” but now seems an opportune time to advocate for Cinerama’s resurrection.

A “Save Seattle Cinerama” change.org petition started two weeks ago notes the theater “has been a Seattle institution for over half a century and has offered the city’s most uniquely great movie theater experience since its inception.”

With about 2,000 signatures so far, it calls for Vulcan to invest in the historic theater and get it back up and running. It also wants the Seattle Neighborhoods Department Historic Preservation Program to designate Cinerama a Seattle Landmark, protecting it from demolition.

If this isn’t something Vulcan wants to do, how about someone else giving it a try? A reluctant champion who steps in to save the day, and is owed a debt of gratitude. Sounds like a story made for the big screen.

With a grand reopening, we could mark our 2023 calendars for “Dune: Part Two” where it’s meant to be seen — Cinerama.

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[Martin Brooks]

The Regal Tangram 4DX 7 is opening on November 12th in a new mixed use Condo / Retail development in Flushing, Queens on 37th Avenue off of College Point Blvd. after a long delay. 7 screens including 1 4DX screen, total of 849 seats (not including wheelchair seats, but including wheelchair companion seats). Screen #3 is the largest auditorium with 157 seats. From November 12-17th, tickets are only $3.

Considering the neighborhood, they really should be dedicating at least one screen to Chinese films.

That brings the total number of commercial theaters in Queens to 12 with 95 screens and about 10,400 seats for a population of about 2.33 million in the borough and 179,000 within Flushing itself.

[Steve Guttag]

Warehouse Cinemas Leitersburg is opening tomorrow (10/29/21). This is the same site, same building as the Leitersburg 10 cinemas that was run by NewVision, High Rock, RC Cinemas and others previously.

They put the Warehouse Cinemas anointments to the space and are updating it in phases. Phase 1 got the 8 smaller cinemas renovated with heated recliners, with the interior of the cinemas getting a whole new look, new screens. Phase 2 will concentrate on the two larger cinemas...which should happen in early 2022.

https://warehousecinemas.com/leitersburg

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

In the Alamo Yonkers location, the dim lights under the table bothered me a lot less than the waiters walking back and forth blocking the screen.

The best dine-in theatre design I have encountered for not interfering with the movie is the iPic Cinemas (Fort Lee NJ) and back in the late 1980’s The Cinema Pub in Virginia Beach (Is it still there?).

[Martin Brooks]

598 seats divided between 14 screens? That works out to roughly 42 to 43 seats per auditorium. Freaking tiny. The IMAX-branded screen at our local 13-plex here in Lawton has nearly that many seats in just that one big room.

Given the location, Lower Manhattan, I would expect ticket prices to be appropriately ridiculous.

It's also interesting to see two different private equity companies have helped dig Alamo Drafthouse out of bankruptcy. There is not telling how that will work out since getting in bed with bean-counting firms like that can be akin to selling your soul to the devil.

Theater #7 is 184 seats. All the others are small. In their Brooklyn theater, screen #7 is 183 seats and has a pretty large screen and is a very nice auditorium EXCEPT for the fact that there are lights under the tables (for eating) and they're kept on for the entire film which bugged the hell out of me. I don't know if the screen in the Manhattan theater is the same size.

[Mike Croaro]

Landmark Theatres has lost their lease on the California Theatre in Berkeley. The following link leads to the article.

https://www.dailycal.org/2021/10/24/historic-california-theatre-permanently-closed-after-denied-lease-renewal/

[Bobby Henderson]

Here in Lawton, OK the AMC Patriot 13 theater, our only first run theater, was temporarily closed on Saturday, apparently due to a broken water pipe. I had seat reservations to watch Dune on the IMAX-branded screen at the first show Saturday at 4:15pm. The theater was still running a limited number of showtimes. When I arrived at the theater some customers were talking to each other in the front parking lot. Staffers at the entrance laid out the situation: theater closed. No telling when it will re-open. I don't know how bad the situation may be, but one person in the parking lot was talking about the building foundation shifting. If that detail is true this theater will be closed for a long time, or maybe even permanently if the damage is bad enough. AMC seems to be looking for any excuses to close down former Carmike locations. The Patriot 13 is still a relatively new multiplex, but given the limited show time schedule, it wouldn't surprise me if AMC unloaded that site off its hands.

[Martin McCaffery]

Alamo has been counting beans for ages. I remember at a conference they were explaining some software they had that kept constant track of the employee to customer ratio. If the ratio was too high, people were sent home. I don't know if they were called back in if the ratio dropped.