Eastland Mall Cinemas

5471 Central Avenue,
Charlotte, NC 28212

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dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on December 3, 2021 at 12:06 pm

General Cinema closed here on March 21, 1996 with “Hellraiser IV,” “Homeward Bound II,” “Muppet T.I.” and “City Hall.” A new operator came in and wanted to reduce seats. It had a seat give-away and would become a short-lived franchise under Cinema Grill Systems Circuit of Atlanta in 1999 and closed.

It was reopened here on April 28, 2000 as Cinema Grill Eastland once again. It was more successful than the previous incarnation - by a hair - closing after just one year after the first location lasted just months. It then reopened as El Cine Eastland on August 30, 2002 screening Hispanic and subtitled American films.

rivest266
rivest266 on February 20, 2020 at 6:31 pm

Another try as a Spanish-language cinema opening on August 30th, 2002. Otro intento como estreno de cine en español el 30 de agosto de 2002

Charlotte's first Spanish cinema, El CineCharlotte’s first Spanish cinema, El Cine Sat, Aug 31, 2002 – 15 · The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina) · Newspapers.com

rivest266
rivest266 on February 20, 2020 at 5:54 pm

Last showtimes for the Cinema Grill appeared in the Observer on January 28th, 2001.

rivest266
rivest266 on February 20, 2020 at 5:15 pm

This reopened as the Cinema Grill on May 12th, 2000 after it was closed by General Cinema in 1996. Another grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 24, 2020 at 5:10 pm

Slight correction: opened on September 30th, 1975.

PatriciaCarol
PatriciaCarol on September 22, 2019 at 12:03 pm

The history is a bit off for GCC. I’ll also try to add a little more about the theatre’s end. The General Cinema Corporation owned & operated two (not three as implied in the history) theatres in Charlotte when Eastland opened, the Charlottetown Cinemas and the Southpark Cinemas. GCC would not operate a 4th theatre in the Charlotte area until Tower Place opened in Pineville in 1986. The Eastland Mall theatre was last used as a church, Renovatus, in 2009-10 (church left that space in June 2010). GCC closed the Eastland Theatre in 1996 (per Charlotte Observer, June 27, 2010, p8A of 1A article, “Why Eastland went from bustling to bust”, also the source for when the church left the theatre space).

DENNISMAHANEY1
DENNISMAHANEY1 on July 10, 2019 at 9:38 pm

THEATER AND MALL BOTH GONE

raysson
raysson on September 15, 2014 at 2:04 pm

I have the original ads from its 1975 grand opening.

raysson
raysson on December 18, 2013 at 8:14 pm

Patsy, In regards to your question about the current status of this theatre? The Eastland Mall Cinemas closed in October of 2008. The Eastland Mall itself closed in 2010 and was completely demolished in 2011. The only thing that stands is a vacant deserted lot where Charlotte’s Eastland Mall once stood.

The current status of this theatre is that it is demolished. Eastland Mall is now a faded memory in Charlotte history.

Opened in March of 1975

Closed in June of 2010

Demolished in April of 2011.

Patsy
Patsy on December 18, 2013 at 5:17 pm

What is the current status of this theatre?

raysson
raysson on December 18, 2013 at 5:05 pm

A lot of blockbuster movies got first-run showings ranging from BEVERLY HILLS COP to BACK TO THE FUTURE and the first original BATMAN movie.

The Eastland Mall Cinemas showed RETURN OF THE JEDI first-run on May 25,1983 where it played on 2 screens.

Also reissued THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK upon its re-release in 1985.

PatriciaCarol
PatriciaCarol on November 3, 2013 at 9:32 pm

Hello – surprised not to see this already posted here but Eastland Mall is now being demolished (started about a month ago maybe?). They said it would take about six months to level it.

raysson
raysson on May 24, 2013 at 4:13 pm

RETURN OF THE JEDI played at Eastland Mall Cinemas on two screens on May 25,1983.

Jay Morong
Jay Morong on July 26, 2012 at 11:21 pm

I am working on a project on “Lost” Charlotte Movie Theaters for UNC-Charlotte where i am a faculty member. Would love to get in touch with anyone who as insight into this theater (stories, pics, whatever). You can send me an email at and hopefully we can talk about your interest or info on the lost theaters of Charlotte. – Thanks

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 21, 2011 at 8:35 pm

I wish GCC was still with us,heck, I might have even drove over and took a Chief of Staff position part time.But they are gone and heck you can’t go back anyways,right Tisloews.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on March 21, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Thanks for posting the links PatriciaNC.

mfelsher
mfelsher on February 28, 2011 at 4:36 am

I remember this being a very dark place as well. I frequented this theatre during my teenage years in Charlotte (roughly 1986 – 1991) and when the mall was still a thriving mall.

I remember seeing PREDATOR 2, BACK TO THE FUTURE 2, and a whole slew of first run movies there. After a while though the mall became more and more run down and empty, and I stopped going.

bobbyafc
bobbyafc on January 3, 2011 at 2:03 pm

I went to Renovatus for a few weeks before car problems caused me to not have a way.

Being a native of East Charlotte I remember seeing movies at Eastland when I was a kid in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the mall fell on some pretty tough times later on and never really recovered from it.

I started going to Renovatus in January of 2010 and hung out with one of the members of their staff there sometimes, as far as I know they never got the screens operating again. Their plan for the mall was, honestly, very noble and I wish they could’ve pulled it off. They’d envisioned turning Screen “A” into the sanctuary, Screen “B” into a nursury and using Screen “C” to show G-rated movies either for free or at an extremely reduced cost. That plan never came to be due to a number of things, not least a frozen pipe bursting and flooding the place. Eventually they moved in with another Church in west Charlotte when the mall was closed.

It was still in good shape while I was there, they’d converted the lobby into a kind of coffee house/chill out place. The bathrooms were still operable as well.

PatriciaCarol
PatriciaCarol on May 20, 2010 at 9:55 pm

Eastland Mall to close at end of June 2010.

Patsy
Patsy on March 28, 2010 at 2:15 pm

PatriciaNC: Good research and thank you.

PatriciaCarol
PatriciaCarol on March 28, 2010 at 12:21 pm

Renovatus (Church) is still operating out of the theatres according to their web site. View link
A search will eventually land you at their photo gallery and you can choose the one about their first Sunday there in October 2009— offers a very limited glimpse of what’s still there. Looks like they still make use of the concession stand but they have brightened up the walls so that it is not so dark. It also looks like they use their own screens (two smaller ones as opposed to the theatres' screens…)
I could find no current photos at the site.

Patsy
Patsy on March 28, 2010 at 8:34 am

I just read a recent article about the theatre at Eastland Mall being a church now.

PatriciaCarol
PatriciaCarol on March 28, 2010 at 12:14 am

I don’t know! It has been close to five years since I’ve been to Eastland but I can find out.

Patsy
Patsy on March 19, 2010 at 2:25 pm

PatriciaNC: Is this theatre still at the Eastland Mall?