Speedway Cinema 1 & 2
5692 Crawfordsville Road,
Indianapolis,
IN
46224
5692 Crawfordsville Road,
Indianapolis,
IN
46224
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The Speedway Cinema 1 & 2 opened on December 22, 1972 with Mark Lester in “Oliver” & Robert Redford in “Jeremiah Johnson”. This was a true twin with seating at 456 in each auditorium. It featured first run attractions at what was advertised “Popular Prices”. General Cinema closed the theatre at the end of their 20 years lease on July 23, 1992. It was reopened on July 31, 1992 by an independent circuit. Taken over by other operators, the Speedway Cinema 1 & 2 was closed in February 2000. The building is in other uses.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
This was open by General Cinema but didn’t close until spring/summer ‘92. The manager transfered to Greenwood Park and later Clearwater when it opened. General Cinema sold the theatre to a local theatre company but the never opened it because they couldn’t work out a lease. It was in the sale that they had a month to make a deal on the lease or forfeit everything. The month got extended to over 6 months but never happened. I can’t remember the companies name but they were the largest independent in Indiana. They were also leasing the Pendleton Pike drive in from GC.
General Cinema ran it as a bargin house the last 3 month or so it was open. After it reverted back to General Cinema they sold it again this time to a company from Michigan but I don’t know how long they ran it. They had planned on adding screens to it shortly after it over.
I was working at Glendale 1 & 2 when I was sent over to except deliveries prior to opening. I was there when the doors were opened to the public and construction workers were still laying carpet on the upstairs restroom areas. One of the opening movies was JEREMIAH JOHNSON.
December 22nd, 1972 grand opening ad in photo section
Located just a half mile from where the famed Indy 500 race takes place was the “500” Speedway Shopping Center announced in 1954/5 with a scheduled but missed opening date in September of 1956. The not so speedy project finally opened theatre-less on November 30, 1960 anchored by a J.C. Penney, S.S. Kresge, Kroger grocer (whose presence lasted into the 2020s), and one of the final stores in the, then, century-old Vonnegut Hardware Company local chain. They were joined by a Topps Discount City “big box” store in 1962.
Ten years later, General Cinemas opened its newest area twin-screen facility, the Speedway Cinema I & II on December 22, 1972 with “Oliver” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” The venue featured two identical auditoriums with 456 seats each for a total of 912 seats. The GCC Speedway also featured an art gallery in the lobby as many of its theaters did in that period. It was one of seven theaters GCC had announced in the Indy area in 1972, alone.
General Cinema repositioned the Speedway as a sub-run discount house beginning on August 30, 1991. GCC closed the venue at the end of a 20-year lease point on July 23, 1992. CTS Heaston Circuit took on the venue on July 31, 1992. That only lasted until November 19, 1992 when CTS Heaston moved on. G&M Entertainment of Merrillville took on the venue next on August 25, 1993 after a refresh with a soft-launch and free showings of “The Sandlot” and “Hot Shots! Part Duex.”
About two operators later, Movie Craze Inc. was the last brave entrepreneur to take on the aging Speedway Cinema 1 & 2 which appears to have sputtered closing in February of 2000. Movie Craze announced bankruptcy in the tumultuous year of 2000 for the movie industry.