NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA — Never changing from its 4-screen format, the Norwin Cinemas is finally succumbing to the competition and closing its doors.

Norwin Cinemas made its debut with advanced technology for its time, but because of slow business throughout the years, the theater was never upgraded to newer digital technology, Kight said.

After almost 30 years, the theater still uses its original 35 mm projection equipment, which in 1980 was a step toward better quality special effects with less granularity.

Even when it first opened, Kight said, the owners did not predict great success for the theater because it was competing with a larger, more popular one at Eastgate shopping center near Greensburg.

Read the full story at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

EAST STROUDSBURG, PA — After a brief few months with its future in doubt, the Pocono Cinema should return in the fall.

The vacant Pocono Cinema — closed since April — has been sold, and the new owners plan to reopen the North Courtland Street theater this fall.

There is no official date for the opening, but two of the partners behind the new opening, Dan Dunn, 62, of Stroudsburg, and Ray “Skip” Scheetz, 60, of Stroud Township, said they believe it will be open sometime in October.

Read more at the Pocono Record.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems Inc. is working on perfecting technology that they can sell to theaters to put sensors in seats so management can monitor paid attendance.

The group has been working with Flexpoint since early this year to develop and test a series of prototypes for this application. The two companies have agreed upon a working prototype that is now in the final testing and quality assurance phase. Flexpoint has recently provided pricing information to the customer.

“This is a very interesting application for Flexpoint and demonstrates the versatility of our sensor technology,” stated Clark Mower, CEO of Flexpoint. “The demand for this technology is extensive. This system can be applied to new theatre construction and can also be retrofitted into existing movie theatre complexes."

Read more at Market Watch.

HOLLYWOOD, CA — In September, the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Cinemas will present “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 70mm Cinerama and “How the West Was Won” in 3-strip Cinerama. Don’t miss this chance to see these classics in the historic Cinerama Dome as well as get a rare opportunity to see a true 3-strip Cinerama film. Buy advance tickets at the ArcLight website and thanks to Cinema Sightlines for providing the news.

SAG HARBOR, NY — After a 30 year run, Gerald Mallow is calling it quits and looking to sell the Sag Harbor Cinema to someone interested in maintaining the tradition.

Mr. Mallow, 72, announced recently that the movie house in the midst of Main Street’s shopping district would be for lease or purchase for $12 million.

About 75 films a year are shown there, but Mr. Mallow said he hoped that whoever takes over runs it “on a much more ambitious level” as a community performing arts center.

Read the full story in the New York Times.

(Thanks to haccamopooly for providing the photo.)

CHICAGO, IL — According to this article from the Chicago Tribune the Fine Arts Theaters (also known as the Studebaker and the Playhouse Theaters) are going to be restored by the current owner and returned to use as smaller theatrical venues. They were used as cinemas in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but both have a long history as legitimate theaters.

The colorful owner of the historic Studebaker Theatre inside the Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Avenue has recently hired Chicago’s most prominent theater architect and says he plans to quickly restore and reopen the landmark performance venue “without using a penny from the city.”

It’s unclear whether the restoration and renovation will be sufficiently extensive for the theater to attract major shows and function as the Broadway-style house that downtown Chicago so badly needs and is cost-prohibitive to build.

Great news for Chicago and certainly a boost for the Loop area. Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune.

COSHOCTON, OH — With new nearby competition hurting the Hollywood Studios Theatres business, the owner decided to shut it down for a few weeks to rework their model.

He said the reason for the closing was a “reorganization” of his theater businesses.

“You get to the point where you need to reorganize, so you shut down, reorganize, reopen and hopefully get back on your feet,” he said.

Siegel said that grosses were down 15 percent this year from the year before and that last year’s grosses were down 15 percent from the year before that.

Read more in the Coshocton Tribune.

EL PASO, TX —  A once in a lifetime event is being held at the beautifully restored Plaza Theatre. Sixty four classic films are being screened now through August 24th. Classics from every period include “Casablanca”, “King Kong”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Singin’ in the Rain”, “North by Northwest”, “Giant”, “The Exorcist”, “Frankenstein”, “An Affair to Remember”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “Bonnie and Clyde” and “2001 A Space Odyssey.” 

The cost of the screenings range from $2.00 to $6.00. For a full list of films see The schedule at the Plaza Theatre website The screenings will be split between the main restored theatre and the adjacent smaller auditorium built in a style reminiscent of the original auditorium.

Also check out an extensive gallery of photos before and after the restoration. The restoration is absolutely remarkable.

KENOSHA, WI — More news on the sad future of the Roosevelt Theatre.

Kenosha is tearing down one of its historic movie houses over the objections of the building’s owners.

Kathryn Hanneman and John Gee, owners of the Roosevelt Theatre since 2000, pleaded with city officials to spare the building. They want to turn the movie house into a studio for shooting commercials and television pilots. But after eight years, they’ve made no progress.

Worse, say city officials, the owners let the building deteriorate to a condition beyond repair.

Read the full story at the Daily Reporter(reg. reqr’d)

SAN DIEGO, CA — For those with fond memories of the Drive-In theatre experience in its heyday the San Diego Weekly Reader has an extensive article entitled Drive-In Theaters in San Diego: Complete Illustrated History 1947 thru 2008.

The article is huge and lavishly illustrated with photographs and newspaper ads of the time. It also covers their peak years in the 1950s when there were over 4000 operating in the United States, their adaption to new technologies such as Cinemascope and 70mm, their alternate daytime uses such as swap meets, farmers markets and church services on Sunday and, sadly, their eventual decline. It is well worth the time spent to read the entire article.