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

[Mark Ogden]

Astonishing that the Union Square in NYC will close. That has been the classic Manhattan major motion picture first frame exclusive run location since it opened, often co-booked with the AMC Lincoln Square.

Shit is getting real, fellas.

[Don Furr]

https://collider.com/regal-cinemas-closing-locations/

Doesn't sound good. Those closing include Sherman Oaks Galleria 16 (Los Angeles, CA). This use to be THE place to go back in the day.

[Martin Brooks]

Astonishing that the Union Square in NYC will close. That has been the classic Manhattan major motion picture first frame exclusive run location since it opened, often co-booked with the AMC Lincoln Square.

Shit is getting real, fellas.

I'm not convinced that it's really going to close. The announcement is a legality as part of the bankruptcy process to get out of paying the leases. It could well be a negotiating tactic to get the landlords to lower the lease price. Notice that the announcement specifically says that Regal is "rejecting the lease".

If you go to the Regal website, the Union Square is still accepting preorders for many films in the future, including screenings of "A Christmas Story" scheduled for December. Those can certainly be cancelled (and hopefully refunded) if they do close, but the fact that they're still accepting such purchases says to me that the theater might not be closing.

Also, while I have no tight numbers, it's seemed to me that the Union Square always did much better than the eWalk, especially recently, and the eWalk isn't on the list to be closed, even though the two best theaters in the eWalk building have been closed for many months.

But I guess time will tell what the reality is.

Another issue is that according to the articles published in the press, Regal says they'll save $22 million by closing the theaters.. But that's really nothing and doesn't even come close to solving any of their financial issues.

If Regal does abandon that theater and no one takes it over, it would cost the owner many $millions to reconstruct the theater into retail and there's no guarantee it would even be rented, so they'd be much better off just giving Regal a break on the lease, but NYC real estate companies never seem to think logically. That space is likely to be empty for ten years.

[Mark Ogden]

it's seemed to me that the Union Square always did much better than the eWalk, especially recently, and the eWalk isn't on the list to be closed, even though the two best theaters in the eWalk building have been closed for many months.

You're probably right, because in point of fact the E-Walk was on the closure list a few months ago, but it was removed along with a few other northeast locations (including one Hyannis, Massachusetts) after the landlords blinked.

Still, though, it's not healthy sign. With AMC pulling desperation moves like allowing people to use DoucheCoin at the concession stand and investing in literal gold mines in an effort to stay afloat, then, well, I stand by the last sentence of my previous post. In the movie exhibition industry, the fat lady, it would seem, is clearing her throat.

[Jim Cassedy]

THE LAST THEATER IN DOWNTOWN BERKELEY IS CLOSING

The closure of the last movie theater in downtown Berkeley has been confirmed, leaving just one cinema left
within city limits after the recent losses of the 10-screen Shattuck Cinemas and the 107-year-old California
Theatre , which is reportedly slated to become a 15 story mixed-use apartment building.

The shuttering of the 90-year-old Regal UA Berkeley on 2274 Shattuck Ave. is part of 39 planned theater
closures nationwide that are expected to roll out starting Feb. 15 after Cineworld, the parent company of
Regal Cinemas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last September. Business Insider was first tor reposrt
Cineworld’s plan to reject the leases of the Regal theaters beginning next month.
Legal filings obtained by Variety cited that the monthly rent per theater had increased by nearly 30%
from 2019 to 2022 and that the closures would save the company $22 million per year as it struggles
to claw back to its pre-pandemic box office earnings.

However, plans to close the theater were already underway. Last August, SFGATE reported that an
application submitted by San Francisco-based developer Panoramic Interests proposed plans for a
“partial removal of the existing commercial structure” that would allow for the construction of a 17-story
mixed-use apartment building in place of the theater. Two-hundred thirty-nine residential units, 24 of
which would be considered affordable housing, as well as a lobby and possible cafe on the ground level
were part of that plan, which would preserve the theater’s ornate facade, though it’s not certain how much
of its art deco interior will remain intact. The firm purchased the property for $7 million.

The Regal UA Berkeley (then called the United Artists Theater) debuted as a single-screen cinema on
Sept. 16, 1932, with a showing of David Butler’s Depression-era comedy “Down to Earth” starring Will
Rogers, Irene Rich and Dorothy Jordan. Admission was 45 cents, a Mickey Mouse cartoon and Metrotone
newsreel were also shown, and among those in attendance were Berkeley Mayor Thomas Caldecott and
Bing Crosby, who reportedly rushed over from a performance at the Fox in Oakland so he could make it.
At the time, the Berkeley Gazette called the opening “the greatest theatrical event in the history of Berkeley.”

SOURCE:

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Regal-UA-Berkeley-movie-theater-closure-bankruptcy-17734695.php

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I watched Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom in 70mm at a theater in Berkley in 1984. I can't remember if it was at the United Artists or what ever theater. I do know that the 70mm system had just been installed for the movie though.

[Ian Puffenberger]

https://www.ffxnow.com/2023/02/02/tysons-galleria-dine-in-movie-theater-cmx-cinebistro-is-now-open/

CMX opened a Cinebistro at Tysons Galleria in Tysons Corner, VA, on Jan. 27. This is the third theater in a less than one square mile area--with 38 screens between them--with another eight screen theater a couple miles down the road. Yes Tysons is a major regional destination and yes each of these is targeting different audiences, but in this era it's hard not to think this area has become over-screened.

[Leo Enticknap]

The Mission Tiki drive-in, in Montclair, CA, has closed down.

The last cars have driven out of the Mission Tiki Drive-In.

Opened in 1956, the open-air theater in Montclair showed its last films — “M3GAN,” “Plane” and “A Man Called Otto” — on Sunday night to a modest number of people willing to sit in their cars in 40-degree temperatures to see a movie.

Although the theater’s days were numbered after the owner sold the land in 2019 to an industrial developer, its last night was not announced in advance.

Still, word spread among the diehards. Variety’s Chris Willman tweeted the rumor Sunday morning.

RELATED: Warehouses, industry to replace Montclair’s Mission Tiki Drive-In

“Hearing tonight is the last night of operation for the Mission Tiki Drive-In, which was sold years ago but somehow lived on borrowed time till now, being discovered by new generations during the pandemic,” Willman wrote. “Been going there regularly for 30 years; it’s like a death in the family.”

I might have gone myself Sunday night, but a flat tire earlier in the day put the kibosh on going anywhere. Ah, well. I’d been there before and enjoyed it. Drive-ins are a piece of Americana that’s fading away as land values rise.

The Mission, its original name, kept plugging away decades after other nearby drive-ins — the Bel-Air in Fontana, the Mount Vernon in San Bernardino and the Mt. Baldy in La Verne, among others — packed it in. One reason is that the theater successfully reinvented itself more than once.

In 1975 the Mission expanded to four screens, one at each corner of the property. Montclair’s indoor multiplexes had all died off by the turn of the 20th century, but the Mission’s owners doubled down on their drive-in, giving it a makeover in 2006 in time for its 50th anniversary.

Rebranded as the Mission Tiki, the drive-in got brighter screens, fresh asphalt and an FM radio sound system to replace individual speakers. The makeover included a ticket booth and concession stand resembling grass huts, tiki idols set amid lush foliage and Hawaiian shirts for the staff. Huell Howser visited for a TV segment.

In 2013, the drive-in was doing well enough to upgrade to digital projection, an expensive proposition when you have four screens.

In car-centric Montclair, the drive-in was pretty much the city’s only cultural offering, unless the Bowlium counts.

Still, the plan all along was to eventually sell.

Frank Huttinger, CEO of De Anza Land and Leisure, the drive-in’s owner, put it this way to me by phone Monday: “We’re sad, but the company was founded by the original partnership, who were former movie distributors, with the idea they would buy substantial acreage in outlying areas of major metro areas and watch the land appreciate.”

De Anza has by now sold the majority of its drive-ins around the country. Montclair’s 27 acres eventually appreciated enough in value to fetch $34.4 million.

The buyer, however, allowed the drive-in to continue operating until plans and permits were approved by Montclair City Hall. That was originally going to be fall 2020, giving the drive-in one last summer. Then progress was paused by the pandemic.

Coronavirus gave the Mission Tiki a final blaze of glory.

In April 2020, after a short closure, the drive-in was allowed to reopen by city officials. Couples and families flocked there to enjoy a movie from their car. I saw “Knives Out,” which I’d missed during its theatrical run pre-COVID.

As Huttinger told me that May: “We’re seeing weeknight business like it’s midsummer with schools out and big movies. Folks want to get out of the house.”

And the long goodbye meant people had a rare window — or windshield? — to appreciate the drive-in experience before it went away. Some brought their children, who got to visit a drive-in for the first time.

The 16 months from spring 2020 to fall 2021, Huttinger told me Monday, “were probably among the best grosses our theater chain had ever seen. It was fun.”

By fall 2021, indoor theaters had reopened, streaming remained popular and few new releases seemed to appeal to the drive-in audience. “It’s been two years of diminishing returns,” Huttinger lamented.

After recently getting all necessary approvals from the city for a technology-focused industrial park, the buyer notified De Anza in early January that the theater would need to be out by the end of the month, Huttinger said.

The end was kept low-key, but loyal customers figured it out.

Offerings at the snack bar grew scant. First one screen went dark, then a second, to allow the projection equipment to be disassembled and crated for possible resale. If you searched the website for showings from Monday on, no results were returned.

“We didn’t really want to have people put up a hue and cry about losing a drive-in theater. We didn’t want to have to hire security to keep people from pilfering,” Huttinger explained.

The swap meet’s last day is Sunday. Vendors have been encouraged to migrate to the other local De Anza-owned drive-in, the Van Buren in Riverside.

The Van Buren seems solid for now. “The theater is a good performer,” Huttinger said. “Even with three screens it generally outperformed the Mission.”

Chris Nichols, a chronicler of midcentury Southern California, tweeted a farewell: “Goodbye to the Mission Tiki Drive-In theater. Thank you for 67 years of movie magic under the stars.”

[Paul H. Rayton]

Mission Tiki closes 4 screens ... and if you look in the "For Sale" category here on F-T, by some coincidence, you'll see there are a set of 4 projectors listed as available, being sold by somebody at the owning entity, DeAnza Co. (DeAnza.com). They sure didn't waste any time trying to clear them out!

[Martin Brooks]

Astonishing that the Union Square in NYC will close. That has been the classic Manhattan major motion picture first frame exclusive run location since it opened, often co-booked with the AMC Lincoln Square.

Shit is getting real, fellas.

It's not necessarily closing. If you read the original document, it cites a "lease rejection' and mentions that they hope the leases can be re-negotiated. This is a negotiating tactic. I saw a posting on FB where someone claimed they spoke to the manager and it's not closing. Furthermore, if you go to the Regal website, the Union Square is still accepting pre-orders for a showing of "A Christmas Story" on December 13, 2023 (as well as other films between now and then).
It's also reportedly been a far higher grossing theater than the EWalk on 42nd street, which was not on the list.

So while anything is possible, I won't believe it's closing until they post a closing date and take the pre-orders off of the website.

Furthermore, the cost to the building owner to reconfigure the space would be quite high as they'd' basically have to strip the space down to the frame and start over. All the sloping floors and stadium seating structures would have to be removed. It would be far easier just to give Regal a lower lease price. But having said that, real-estate companies frequently operate in insane ways, like leaving retail space empty for years rather than settling for a lower lease cost.

[Rick Cohen]

Franklin Drive-In closes permanently, Franklin, KY, located north of Nashville, just over the TN state line.

Via Facebook: "Moviegoers, it is official the Franklin Drive-in has been sold and will no longer operate as a drive-in. This was a difficult decision for our family. Many of you may not know but this drive-in has been in our family for 33 years and we bought it from the original family who built it. We would have loved to keep it as a drive-in, but the location has changed so much since it was first built in the late 60's. There is so much more traffic and light noise and this continues to increase year after year. In addition to traffic and light noise many are now taking advantage of bringing 1st run movies into their homes so we are now competing with the very studios that make the movies and show them on their own streaming services. We want to thank all that have supported us over the many years and for allowing us to be a part of your memories. We do think drive-ins still have a place but not on a busy highway like ours. Just because it is best for us to retire from the drive-in business it could be an opportunity for someone else. If anyone is interested in our projector, screen or concession equipment please send an email to questions@franklindrive-in.com
We will miss you all."

[William Kucharski]

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science remodeled their theater during COVID.

It turns out they tore out their former IMAX screen and equipment and it is now a D3D Cinema Theater:

New Features include:

• A new, high gain 2.9 MDI Premium HGA silver 3D cinema screen, which will provide natural and immersive 2D and 3D experiences with projection system.
• The Infinity Theater has a new surround sound. A premium QSC 5.1 point-source sound system, putting out a combined total of 28,600 watts via 39 speaker drivers.
• New audio and visual accessibility features, such as a multi-channel surround sound, hearing induction loop and updated closed captioning system.
• New lobby entrance finishings which will be enhanced even further starting in 2023. Hint: Think lush forest!
• New concessions area offering popcorn, drinks and sweets.
• New laser projection system (see D3D Cinema) capable of crystal-clear imaging. The new laser projection system will be able to show both 2D and 3D films.
• Enhanced programming: In addition to documentaries, we will show Hollywood classic movies, independent movies, livestream concerts and performances, other multimedia shows and have the freedom to use the theater for a variety of other events.
• More sustainable finishings and procedures (examples include eye glass washing equipment and process, LED lighting, energy efficient projection system).

https://www.dmns.org/visit/infinity-theater/

[Steve Guttag]

I'm sorry...did I just read that right? 2.9 gain scren providing "natural"... and "QSC 5.1 point-source sound system" Is this an advertisement for mediocrity? I'm not dinging on 5.1 sound but being the standard, it isn't something one can really brag about. And a 2.9 gain screen implies that their image sucks with a significant hot-spot.

[William Kucharski]

I'm sorry...did I just read that right? 2.9 gain scren providing "natural"... and "QSC 5.1 point-source sound system" Is this an advertisement for mediocrity? I'm not dinging on 5.1 sound but being the standard, it isn't something one can really brag about. And a 2.9 gain screen implies that their image sucks with a significant hot-spot.

To those who don't know anything it all sounds impressive.

Sadly what they had was very impressive and needed no significant changes; in particular they claim "enhanced programming" yet the theater ran both regular and IMAX Hollywood content regularly.

Now IMAX content will not be presentable, so as far as I know their big new screen will be limited to 4K DCP and whatever D3D magic they provide:

Ever since digital cinema has become a reality for giant-screen theaters, D3D has become an industry leader through the design and integration of digital theater systems in over thirty former IMAX® giant-screens and multiple new build giant-screen venues. D3D systems prove reliable in performance and help expand the utility of the theater with far reaching alternative content packages. Using a holistic and client centric approach, D3D delivers state-of-the-art system designs that are both operator and CFO friendly while providing an unforgettable audience experience.

https://d3dcinema.com/museum-cinema/

In short, museums used to be able to leverage IMAX studio releases and show them in their theaters; now it seems they will be limited to 4K and whatever D3D provides in their own format.

[Harold Hallikainen]

https://www.9news.com/article/life/s...0-b2c2216cd83c

Colorado movie theater chain permanently closes

Colorado movie lovers are sharing their memories and sadness about the theaters' closure. Author: Alexander Kirk, Kelly Reinke (9NEWS)
Published: 5:05 AM MST March 2, 2023
Updated: 9:47 PM MST March 2, 2023

ARVADA, Colo. — Elvis Cinemas has permanently closed.

The Colorado family-owned movie theater chain announced the closure on its website and social media Wednesday.

"Elvis Cinemas has closed for good," Elvis Cinemas said in a statement.

"Thanks to everyone who was a part or was a patron for the last 23 years. We will miss all of you."

Elvis Cinemas had operated locations in Arvada, Littleton and in Denver on East Hampden Avenue.

While Elvis Cinemas had screened discounted second-run movies in the past, the company had switched to first-run films in recent years. The chain had been showing current Hollywood hits including "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," "80 For Brady," and "Knock at the Cabin."

Karolina Shiery worked at the Arvada location for almost a decade.

"From my understanding, the rent during COVID was not paid for. There was a complication and an issue there with the complex," she said.

Elvis Cinemas was known for selling tickets at low prices. On weekdays, adults could see a movie for under $10.

"I really hope there can be a future for an affordable theater," she said. "It was my favorite job. It was the only job I ever loved."

Movie lovers have flooded Elvis Cinemas' Facebook to share their memories and sadness about the theaters' closure:

"Thank you for making the cinema experience accessible and enjoyable for all of us, no matter our budget," said Joseph Perales. "You made so many memorable date nights, friend nights, and family nights memorable and I will be forever grateful for that! Thank you for everything."

"Thank you for all the movies I watched, filmed, and screened there. I will miss you guys," Zack Beins said.

"This is terribly sad," Eliz Dolcé said. "So many memories of my dad taking us here as a single parent. Thanks for providing a wonderful opportunity, especially for single parents on a tight budget. We will miss you!"

"Is there anything we can do to keep it open?" Debbie Abeyta-Pratt asked. "Possibly a GoFundMe? Elvis Cinema is a huge part of Colorado history. You will truly be missed."