Starplex Movies 8

1301 William D Tate Avenue,
Grapevine, TX 76051

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Hollywood Theaters, Rand Theatres, Wallace Theaters

Firms: Theatre Concepts

Previous Names: Movies 8

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This nondescript 8-plex theatre began as part of one of the nation’s fastest growing chains in the 1980’s, Rand Theatres based in Little Rock. It opened December 16, 1988. The theatre was ensconced from the busy 114 Highway with one’s only hope of visibility being its frontage road attractor. Operator Tony Rand was trying to go from around 60 screens to 300 in Dallas using distinctive practices which ultimately led in the shuttering of the chain in 1990.

The theatre soldiered on operated by Hollywood Theatres from April 27, 1990. It closed on May 18, 2000 operating as a discount house. On November 2, 2000 it was taken over by Wallace Theatres. On December 21, 2001 it was taken over by its final operator, Starplex Cinemas, and the theatre was the rock-bottom price leader in the marketplace at just 50 cents per showing in 2002 prior to closing. A sign off phone recording out survived the theatre by almost a year. It was briefly taken over by a church and was demolished in 2006.

Contributed by dallasmovietheaters

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

rivest266
rivest266 on June 27, 2018 at 3:45 pm

This opened on December 16th, 1988. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on March 31, 2021 at 4:52 am

This nondescript 8-plex theatre began as part of one of the nation’s fastest growing chains in the 1980’s, Rand Theatres based in Little Rock. It opened December 16, 1988. The theatre was ensconced from the busy 114 Highway with one’s only hope of visibility being its frontage road attractor. Operator Tony Rand was trying to go from around 60 screens to 300 in Dallas using distinctive practices which ultimately led in the shuttering of the chain in late 1989 and just into 1990.

This Rand Theatre closed with a flourish worthy of the big screen after a police raid was launched in hopes of trying to collect back taxes followed by a lock out on October 7, 1989. The features were not the freshest - Hollywood was onto the circuit - and the newspaper stopped carrying their ads “on account” that weekend so the till was probably a bit sparse. All three Rands closed that night with lockout notices for failing to pay taxes. But the theatre wasn’t done yet.

Hollywood Theatres continued the operation as Grapevine 8 on April 27, 1990 as a first-run theatre. In December of 1995, Cinemark dropped a 17-screen megaplex across the labyrinthian highway forcing Hollywood to drop the theater to sub-run, discount status at that point. The theater closed on May 18, 2000.

The venue officially became part of Wallace Theatres still as a discount house on November 2, 2000 closing quickly as every dollar bill had been wrung from the facility. Starplex Theatres reopened with one final business plan to wrest every quarter it could with super discount, all seats all times 50 cent admission as Starplex Movies 8 on December 21, 2001. It was the best theater in DFW for those on a budget. But less than a year into the plan, Starplex dumped the facility with a nice sign off on its telephone answering machine. That message stayed almost a year after its closure. Though one hoped that another circuit would attempt to revive the facility with 25 cent or even dime pricing, it just wasn’t meant to be.

The theatre was home to the Hope Church for a brief period. A 2006 revision plan was signed allowing the theater / church to be razed in favor of a chain Tex-Mex restaurant that opened in 2007.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on January 25, 2023 at 9:44 am

Architect - Theatre Concepts with 1,830 total seats, one 350, one 280, and 6 200.

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