Back in the 2000’s, before or after seeing a film at the Regal South Beach, I used to get coffee and sometimes a sandwich at what may have been called Cafe Del Moro at the far end of the lobby that felt separate from any of the concessions. Across from this a door opened onto an outdoor patio, where I would head out to what felt like a balcony overlooking the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall stretching east into the distance, where I’d stand for a while contemplating the view, and people-watching from above. (There was also a similar patio on the third floor from which I would do the same thing.)
Most often I would make the trip over to the Regal South Beach for film festivals, though a couple times I went for releases that within the county were only playing there. The one I remember is “Shadow Magic”, a drama set in 1902 about the introduction of motion pictures to China.
The cafe space closed years ago, and its empty structure was still dormant, when I stopped going to the Regal South Beach mostly because it seemed the Miami Film Festival was no longer using it as a venue once the Silverspot Cinemas Metsquare in downtown Miami opened in 2018.
The last times I visited the doors to the patios were locked on both floors, making my favorite thing about this cinema inaccessible, (though online photos show they later reopened).
I hadn’t a reason to go back since, but felt nostalgic for these nuances when I saw a headline in the Miami Herald stating it will be closing.
This is where Cafe Del Moro used to be before it closed and remained unused for several years, as I reference in my comment posted on February 18th, 2023 in the comments section.
This remodel is a lot fancier, including seating, while at the cafe you’d buy then sit at tables near the door to the patio to the left of this photo or out on the patio.
“The Palm Cinema 3 was divided into three theaters: The Arts, which showed specialty films; The Variety, which showed discount-priced, second-run films; and Mugs and Movies, where beer and pub food were available.”
While preparing to visit the Guild Cinema during a trip to New Mexico in July 2019, I saw the Don Pancho’s Art Theatre mentioned on the Guild’s Cinema Treasures page.
In January 2020 I attempted to write a description myself using what I could find on the internet but felt dissatisfied with how it was turning out, so I put it aside and life went on.
Yours is much better, detailed and based on firsthand experience.
I hope you create listings for other Albuquerque cinemas that are still missing from Cinema Treasures.
The proximity of the ShowBiz Cinemas Homestead multiplex that opened towards the end of 2019 only three miles away was probably a contributor to the Flagship’s closing.
In 2020, due to the pandemic shutdown and unsustainable operational costs, management and operation of the Olympia Theatre was returned to the City of Miami as announced on their website (that also includes interesting historic photos):
The Halal Guys restaurant referred to in my first May 9th, 2018 comment is closed so the exact spot where the Sunset Theatre once stood before demolition is now an empty storefront.
Meanwhile a version of Fox’s has opened in the space where the original (that I’ve mentioned in my previous comments) had been with similar decor and dim lighting but a different floor plan. The neon Fox’s sign that had been on the front of the building since the 1940’s has been moved to the back above where the main entrance is now.
All Google Street View images for this address show a vacant lot that looks to have been empty for years. I believe the building that contained the 79th Street Twin II Cinema was demolished perhaps decades ago.
Wow, I’ve noticed that the web address for this entry ends in “theaters/1”, which seems to indicate that the Chinese Theatre was the very first cinema to be listed on Cinema Treasures.
And this comment of mine is #1650 (or #1642 according to the tally in the comments section), going back 20 years… : )
Says that the tradition of leaving imprints in the courtyard began 95 years ago today when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in freshly poured cement, then Sid Grauman who was giving her, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks a tour of the theater asked them to put their footprints, handprints and autographs. Also mentions the imprints have aged well due to a top secret cement recipe.
The episode includes Jim’s Crispy Fried Chicken as a place she had worked at as a teen and I see from Google Maps at least that is still open. : )
Wow, mine is the first comment on this page since 2008. Also it was fun responding to a comment that was left 15 years ago, and by someone who is still active on Cinema Treasures today. : )
The neon “Miami” sign can be seen above the marquee in archival photos on the Miami Theatre’s photos page such as this one and this one.
I took the “It’s a Miami Thing” photo above on August 21, 2021 like the other two I uploaded. The photo’s info was somehow changed to “March 13” when I clicked on the file’s “File Information” and I forgot to correct it before uploading.
Although it does not mention O Cinema, this Miami New Times article from October 5, 2021 describes the history of the changes to the Wynwood neighborhood that may have led to the cinema’s closure and the demolition of the building:
Click here to view a vandalized version of the auditorium I remember visiting in my comment above.
I wish there were photos from when it operated as the Grove Harbour.
This article from the Abandoned Florida website says it was used for theater classes by the Academy of Arts & Minds school when it occupied the property, which has been abandoned since it closed in 2018:
Back in the 2000’s, before or after seeing a film at the Regal South Beach, I used to get coffee and sometimes a sandwich at what may have been called Cafe Del Moro at the far end of the lobby that felt separate from any of the concessions. Across from this a door opened onto an outdoor patio, where I would head out to what felt like a balcony overlooking the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall stretching east into the distance, where I’d stand for a while contemplating the view, and people-watching from above. (There was also a similar patio on the third floor from which I would do the same thing.)
Most often I would make the trip over to the Regal South Beach for film festivals, though a couple times I went for releases that within the county were only playing there. The one I remember is “Shadow Magic”, a drama set in 1902 about the introduction of motion pictures to China.
The cafe space closed years ago, and its empty structure was still dormant, when I stopped going to the Regal South Beach mostly because it seemed the Miami Film Festival was no longer using it as a venue once the Silverspot Cinemas Metsquare in downtown Miami opened in 2018.
The last times I visited the doors to the patios were locked on both floors, making my favorite thing about this cinema inaccessible, (though online photos show they later reopened).
I hadn’t a reason to go back since, but felt nostalgic for these nuances when I saw a headline in the Miami Herald stating it will be closing.
The person at the far end of the lobby in this photo is sitting at something new where Cafe Del Moro used to be.
A photo from Google Maps shows the second floor patio/defunct cafe became the “Regal VIP” area since I had last been there.
Here is the edge of the patio from which I’d gaze down upon Lincoln Road.
The person at the far end of the lobby is sitting at something new where the Cafe Del Moro used to be that I referenced in my comment posted on February 18th, 2023 in the comments section.
To the left is the door leading out to the patio from which I’d enjoy gazing down upon Lincoln Road.
A photo from Google Maps shows the whole area encompassed in this photo was the “Regal VIP” section.
This is where Cafe Del Moro used to be before it closed and remained unused for several years, as I reference in my comment posted on February 18th, 2023 in the comments section.
This remodel is a lot fancier, including seating, while at the cafe you’d buy then sit at tables near the door to the patio to the left of this photo or out on the patio.
The Paper article from January 2023:
“The Cinema With No Name: No Name Cinema Promotes ‘Outsider’ Film in Santa Fe”
Interesting, this article, “Palm Cinema 3 Screens Go Dark”, from the October 7th, 2016 issue of The Ledger says:
“The Palm Cinema 3 was divided into three theaters: The Arts, which showed specialty films; The Variety, which showed discount-priced, second-run films; and Mugs and Movies, where beer and pub food were available.”
Wow Mike Rivest266, how do you find these short-lived cinemas that one might assume would have been obscured by their brevity? : )
This one might be the second shortest I’ve heard of behind your listing for the Theater 42.
I wonder how many others are or um, were out there.
rjbuffalo/Ranjit Sandhu,
Thank you for creating this listing.
While preparing to visit the Guild Cinema during a trip to New Mexico in July 2019, I saw the Don Pancho’s Art Theatre mentioned on the Guild’s Cinema Treasures page.
In January 2020 I attempted to write a description myself using what I could find on the internet but felt dissatisfied with how it was turning out, so I put it aside and life went on.
Yours is much better, detailed and based on firsthand experience.
I hope you create listings for other Albuquerque cinemas that are still missing from Cinema Treasures.
Wow!
Does anyone know if this holds the record for the cinema with the shortest life?
Having occupied a former legal office, they could have programmed a festival of courtroom dramas. : )
From October 3rd, 2022, a news segment from Miami’s NBC affiliate:
“City of Miami to Terminate Miami-Dade College’s Tower Theater Lease”
and a Miami New Times article:
“Miami Protestors Oppose City Takeover of Tower Theater”
and a Youtube video:
“Save Tower Theater Miami 2022”
An internet search will turn up more articles/information.
The proximity of the ShowBiz Cinemas Homestead multiplex that opened towards the end of 2019 only three miles away was probably a contributor to the Flagship’s closing.
I agree. The theater should be updated to closed. No longer listed on the Flagship Cinemas website: https://flagshipcinemas.com/
I have uploaded a photo of the Rio on the cover of the book “Cinemental Journeys”, almost 10 years after AMStar mentioned it in a comment above.
After taking the photo above, I donated this copy of the book to O Cinema South Beach, where it may be on the bookshelves of their auditorium.
In 2020, due to the pandemic shutdown and unsustainable operational costs, management and operation of the Olympia Theatre was returned to the City of Miami as announced on their website (that also includes interesting historic photos):
https://www.olympiaarts.miami/olympia-theater.html
Van Gough: The Immersive Experience has been occupying the Olympia for a while now. I hope it is keeping the theater going.
The Halal Guys restaurant referred to in my first May 9th, 2018 comment is closed so the exact spot where the Sunset Theatre once stood before demolition is now an empty storefront.
Meanwhile a version of Fox’s has opened in the space where the original (that I’ve mentioned in my previous comments) had been with similar decor and dim lighting but a different floor plan. The neon Fox’s sign that had been on the front of the building since the 1940’s has been moved to the back above where the main entrance is now.
All Google Street View images for this address show a vacant lot that looks to have been empty for years. I believe the building that contained the 79th Street Twin II Cinema was demolished perhaps decades ago.
The Star Twin discussed in the comments on this page has its own page on Cinema Treasures.
Wow, I’ve noticed that the web address for this entry ends in “theaters/1”, which seems to indicate that the Chinese Theatre was the very first cinema to be listed on Cinema Treasures.
And this comment of mine is #1650 (or #1642 according to the tally in the comments section), going back 20 years… : )
CBS Saturday Morning news segment, “The History of the Forecourt of the Stars,” from April 30th, 2022:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-history-of-the-forecourt-of-the-stars-the-tcl-chinese-theatre/#x
Says that the tradition of leaving imprints in the courtyard began 95 years ago today when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in freshly poured cement, then Sid Grauman who was giving her, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks a tour of the theater asked them to put their footprints, handprints and autographs. Also mentions the imprints have aged well due to a top secret cement recipe.
The “It’s a Miami Thing” exhibit was extended to September 4, 2022.
One of the neon “Miami” signs from above the marquee of the Miami Theatre visible in archival photos such as this one and this one is the centerpiece of the “It’s a Miami Thing” exhibit at the HistoryMiami Museum that has been extended to September 4, 2022.
I have uploaded photos of it to the photos page from my visit to the museum.
To add to Patsy’s comment above from March 5, 2007, I watched an episode of “20/20” reviewing the life of Anna Nicole Smith broadcast on August 13th, 2021 in which her childhood friend explains to Anna Nicole’s daughter that there was little to do while growing up in Mexia and that “There’s no movie theaters”. I looked up the town on Cinema Treasures to see if there had ever been any and it appears all four were gone before her time, (though as I post this comment this page does not indicate when the Mexia Theater closed).
The episode includes Jim’s Crispy Fried Chicken as a place she had worked at as a teen and I see from Google Maps at least that is still open. : )
Wow, mine is the first comment on this page since 2008. Also it was fun responding to a comment that was left 15 years ago, and by someone who is still active on Cinema Treasures today. : )
The neon “Miami” sign can be seen above the marquee in archival photos on the Miami Theatre’s photos page such as this one and this one.
I took the “It’s a Miami Thing” photo above on August 21, 2021 like the other two I uploaded. The photo’s info was somehow changed to “March 13” when I clicked on the file’s “File Information” and I forgot to correct it before uploading.
Although it does not mention O Cinema, this Miami New Times article from October 5, 2021 describes the history of the changes to the Wynwood neighborhood that may have led to the cinema’s closure and the demolition of the building:
“Gentrification Complete: Will Wynwood’s Progress Be Its Downfall?”
Click here to view a vandalized version of the auditorium I remember visiting in my comment above.
I wish there were photos from when it operated as the Grove Harbour.
This article from the Abandoned Florida website says it was used for theater classes by the Academy of Arts & Minds school when it occupied the property, which has been abandoned since it closed in 2018:
https://www.abandonedfl.com/academy-of-arts-minds/
The Mr. Moe’s bar/restaurant that I had mentioned as being across the street is also closed.
After decades of dormancy, the Ace Theatre has received funds from the National Parks Service History of Equal Rights grants program to begin restoration!
Detailed Miami Herald article from October 18, 2021:
“A Theater With Deep Roots in the Grove’s Black Community Will ‘Finally Get its Voice Again’”
Miami Times article from July 21, 2021:
“West Grove ACE Theater Awarded Nearly $400K For Restoration”
Caribbean News article from July 17, 2021:
“West Grove’s ACE Theater Foundation Receives Award From the National Park Service”
Ace Theatre Facebook page.