Harkins Belltower 8

4907 W. Bell Road,
Glendale, AZ 85308

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50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on May 21, 2022 at 11:46 am

Mann Theatres opened the Bell Tower 8’s doors on January 31, 1986 and operated the Bell Tower until the first week of June 1993 in connection of Hawkins buying out all the Mann Theatres in the Phoenix area. It literally became a Hawkins operated theater.

The Bell Tower 8’s name was changed to the Bell Tower Luxury 8 not too long afterward in December 1993 (but the original Bell Tower 8 name was left attached as secondary usages).

The Bell Tower closed for the final time in August 2000.

rivest266
rivest266 on November 16, 2015 at 6:22 pm

January 31th, 1986 grand opening ad in photo section.

azducky
azducky on November 29, 2012 at 7:14 am

I worked here in 1990-1991. It was a decent theater and the big house was really top notch for its' time. The old marquee used to be on the right hand side though, before the facade was installed. I used to have to update it weekly and it was closer to the exits on the right than the box office which was on the left. The AMC on 59th was the biggest competitor but for those three intersections (59th, 51st, and 43rd) there was a theater on each corner. (AMC, Mann, and UA on 43rd). The original dollar theater on Bell was all the way at 27th Ave, but the UA became a dollar theater eventually because the AMC and our theater were busier.

Allan
Allan on July 16, 2011 at 3:40 pm

You are right, Darebear. It was always a first run theatre. The dollars movies were on the NE corner of 43rd Avenue and Bell which would put it in Phoenix. It was demolished and there is now a strip center there.

darebear
darebear on June 18, 2011 at 12:45 pm

I don’t remember this ever being a dollar theater, but there was a dollar multiplex a mile to the east on 43rd avenue that changed hands a few times and was eventually torn down. I don’t recall the name of the theater. Bell Towne, maybe?

darebear
darebear on June 18, 2011 at 12:41 pm

The elaborate pipework facade was added by Harkins in the ‘90s, and used to be decorated with neon lights. Mann’s marquee board went in the big recess behind it.

chrisxxx
chrisxxx on June 13, 2011 at 7:18 pm

I used to take a young boy that I babysat here. It was only a dollor even for adults…very affordable. The movies were older ones but they were new to us. Good memories…