Varsity Six
11301 N. Nebraska Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33612
11301 N. Nebraska Avenue,
Tampa,
FL
33612
4 people
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Added an updated photo of the theater circa 1979. The signage spells out the word “six” in the theater name instead of using the numeral “6”
The AMC Varsity 6 closed on August 7, 1997.
This was the home of Phil Singleton’s AMC manager training academy in Florida.
I never liked this theater. The screens were small and for a film in scope the staff had to add the masking at the bottom of the screen.
I was a manager there in the mid 90s. A treasure it was not but there were some funny stories. It was on a block that had a lot of prostitutes so their customers would buy tickets to the midnight showings of the worst attended movie and try to do their business in the back rows.
This opened on December 20th, 1974. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
I always hated this theater. Terrible screens.
During the early 1980’s Dolby Stereo was installed in one of the larger auditoriums. When “A Hard Day’s Night” was reissued in 1982 it played exclusively at the Varsity in Dolby Stereo and sounded great. The film was was held over for a 2nd week but moved to a smaller auditorium with mono sound and the volume at a much lower level. I complained no less than 3 times to the assistant manager as well as two ushers asking them to please increase the volume. Although each one said they’d take care of it nothing was ever done. I was not a happy camper and could never understand their refusal to raise the audio level.
I absolutely LOVED the grunginess of this theater, which I first went to when I moved to Tampa in 1982 and still found my way there after I moved away in 1995. This theater was dark, cozy, filled with life, and had the BEST buttered popcorn served in the big tubs, not those ripoff bags so many theaters switched to. Of all the theaters I saw close in Tampa during the 1990s, this one bothered me the most.
Some of the many films I saw there:
48 Hours (1982) The Dark Crystal (1982) Jaws 3D (1983) The Evil Dead (1983) Christine (1984) Friday the 13th IV (1984) 1984 (1984) Rocky IV (1985) Maximum Overdrive (1986) Predator (1987) Indiana Jones/Last Crusade (1989) Total Recall (1990) Aladdin (1992) Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) Short Cuts (1993) Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Pulp Fiction (1994) The Mask (1994) Casper (1995) Toy Story (1996) When we were Kings (1997)
Just drove by there yesterday. Front is all boarded up but you can see where the ticket window was. The parking lot was decrepit, there were scary types walking around, and a cop car parked in front of the flea market. I was not brave enough to go inside!
I loved this place! Went here all the time with my boyfriend in the 80’s! I remember seeing Total Recall there in 89 or 90 and a big storm came in. The power went out and we got our money back! We immediately went to another theater to finish watching the movie!
I was an usher at the Varsity Six in the late 70s. The place did incredible business and had some fun promos, midnight movies, etc. Once we had a boxing ring set up in the parking lot with local boxers for the opening of Rocky. Sorry to see it is no more.
Thanks for additional stories sad looking picture,but looks like theatre still.
April 2010. The marquee was up until a few years ago.
Yes, it’s the same theatre. The exterior of the building still resembles a theatre but the interior was completely gutted a few years ago and the walls separating the theatre from the flea market were torn down. The former theatre space is now part of the wide open flea market. I visited the flea market several months ago just to see what (if anything) had been done with the theatre space and all traces of the Varsity 6 are gone. It blends in with the flea market perfectly. You’d never even know the space was a former movie theatre.
I’ve completed some research on the Horizon Park 4 and Twin Bays 4 (opening/closing dates and some additional info) that I’ll be posting this evening. And I have more coming on the Varsity 6 which was also an AMC theatre.
It is the same theater Chuck. Any info on theother two theaters listed, Twin Bay 4 and Horizon Park 4?
Thanks guys for the info.
Ad from 1990.
Here is another Nick,Glad I live in Augusta and not as many theatres to work your histories on,but I know you will have alot more to add.