This started life as the Seoul Theater on May 2, 1954 as a single-screen theater, and remained like that for the following few decades but with a couple of name changes from time-to-time. First it was known as the Segi Theater in 1960 and was renamed the Seoul Cinema in 1979. Then in 1989, the name was changed to Seoul Cinema Town, and the theater was split into three screens under the auditorium names “Venice”, “Academy”, and “Cannes”.
A few months later, all the three screens were eventually renamed “Seoul Theater” as it was unfortunately unified. The original Seoul Theater name returned in 1997.
Between 2002 and 2003, the theater expanded to 12 screens that was followed from major remodeling which completed at the end of 2003. It remained like that until another remodel in 2018.
The Seoul Cinema closed for the final time on August 31, 2021.
The Megabox COEX opened its doors with 16 screens and a 4,336-seat capacity on May 13, 2000, the same day the COEX opened its doors to the public. One of the opening attractions shown at the COEX was “Mission Impossible 2”, among others. The COEX is so successful that in July 2001, a record-breaking 30,000 people attend the theater in one single day.
As of October 2023, the COEX had a total of 19 screens, but only 10 of the screens are to the public. The largest screen being Screen 1 but its seating capacity was not the largest there in Screen 1 despite having Dolby Cinema installations as it had 378 seats. Screen 2 has the largest seating capacity of 432 seats. Screen 3 had 348 seats with CinemaScope proportions. Screen 4 had 332 seats, while Screen 5 had 281 seats with VistaVision proportions as well as a Mayer sound system. However in July 2021, a contract was signed with a fitness company and remodeled the screen into an indoor stadium but was restored back as a screen on May 24, 2022. Screens 6 and 7 had 285 seats while Screens 8 and 9 had 255 seats. Screen 10 (formerly Screen 11) had 166 seats, while the former Screen 10 had the same amount of seats as Screen 11 was demolished in June 2023.
Down below featured nine private screens. Three of which were Boutique Suites with a capacity of 32 to 36 seats. There are also two other screens nearby that were also listed as Boutiques but were located in the B1F section, all listing with 82 seats in both screens. Nearby is Screens A and B, which were all similar to the private sections of CHV Cheongdam Cine City. Screen A had only 36 seats, while Screen B had 30. And next to it are two private boutique screens. One only had eight seats and the other only had ten.
With that said, the theater (including the demolished Screen 10) had a total capacity of 3,535 seats. But since June 2023, it now has 3,369 seats. Its current functions are first-run and foreign features.
The Oskaloosa Drive-In opened its gates on August 26, 1949 with Glenn Ford in “The Return Of October” (unknown if any short subjects were added). The theater closed after the 1986 season.
The Ritz opened with Fred MacMurray in “Honeymoon In Bali” and Roland Drew in “Hitler Beast Of Berlin” along with the short “Bill of Rights” and the Merrie Melodies cartoon “Dangerous Dan McFoo”.
Some original information about the Ritz as of 1940 goes as follows: Some original installations include three doors to the main entrance and the ticket booth being located at the left in front of the office that was occupied by first manager Emilio Ouellette of Lewiston. First owners of the Ritz were Leon P. Gorman, Al Cohen, and Irving Cohen, all from Portland. Although the Ritz is not a first-run movie house for the start, it did have some striking features. The red-bricked top features a stunning look over the black glass front of the theater, featuring two ivory bands in the black glass front giving addition relief. The auditorium itself features red and gold draperies and attracts attention by its length, which is 120ft from the projection booth to the screen. There are exits in each side of the auditorium and the walls in color were fibrous compositions in five shades of tan and gray with chromium fixtures on the walls giving indirect lighting. The 800 maroon upholstered deep-slope coil-spring with blue mohair seats featuring enabled arm rests on each seat as of 1940 were placed with 23 in a row. There is also a very unique clock that lights up on the wall as well. Throughout the rest of the 1940s and into the first half of the 1950s, the Ritz screened double features.
When CinemaScope hit the screens in 1954, the Ritz immediately became a first-run movie house when the Ritz ultimately became the first movie house in Lewiston to install CinemaScope in March of that same year. Prior to the Ritz’s installations of CinemaScope, the Empire Theatre was the only (and dominant) first-run movie house in Lewiston.
Throughout time, the capacity of the theater was downgraded to 650 as of the 1970s. In 1974, the Ritz dropped its normal features and switched over to an adult-film policy. However in 1979, the Ritz did briefly returned as a first-run theater but failed miserably on October 31 of that same year. However, its “Rocky II” run did give a hit at the Ritz, but “Alien” and “Superman” did gave poor attendance at the Ritz. This immediately flipped back to adult features. The Ritz closed for a time on March 22, 1984 but reopened on June 5, 1984 under new management, still picking up the same format.
I cannot find info on when the Ritz closed as an adult theater, but the Ritz was renovated in September 1992 and reopened under the Public Theatre a short time later, running performing arts and live performances.
However, shortly after the Lisbon Drive-In closed, things went totally wrong. On November 2, 1986, vandals broke into the screen room and heavily damaged a Coastal Energy truck who was parked on the traces of the theater. The vehicle was severe damaged after the vandals smashed a grill, broke the lights, destroyed the wiper blades, and ripped the antenna off causing $1,000 in damages.
The Amusu Theatre opened as early as 1921, and it became the State Theatre in 1939.
On December 31, 1941, the State Theater was destroyed by a fire, leaving the Kilroy and the Ritz the only movie houses in Winnsboro for a short time. After a full-reconstruction, the State Theater reopened its doors on April 22, 1942 with a total capacity of 635 seats.
The State Theater closed in 1968 for a full year, but reopened in September 1969 under new management of two Dallas men (Joe Foster and Gene Dickerson), one of which was also a resident from DeKalb. This didn’t last long at all, and the State Theater closed for the final time a few months later.
Shortly before the Paramount 7 Theatres was constructed, there was some mystery cinema that had quite a lost timeline located east of the city of Indianola and was unknown if that theater operated or not.
During the first week of November 1988, the Fridley chain announced that the Tomahawk Theatre would close the following year after construction of a then-new 793-seat triplex cinema (with 370 seats at Screen 1, 217 seats at Screen 2, and 206 seats in Screen 3) started at the site of a former Ford dealership located east of downtown, and replied that there will also be a video rental store next to the theater.
As shown above, I don’t know if the triplex actually had life or not.
The actual opening date is November 6, 1936 with Pat O'Brien in “China Clipper” along with the Buster Keaton short in “The Chemist” and the Popeye cartoon “What! No Spinach?”. It was first managed by Will H. Eddy.
Some information about the theater as of 1936 features a black and agate art glass box office, cream-colored walls inside the lobby, gold-colored walls inside the auditorium, and scarlet inside the stage. There are also original installations of 15 amber, blue, green, and red light fixtures creating 15 different combinations, as well as a 2600-pound fan for air-conditioning proposes.
On June 16, 1974, the Empress Theatre closed with “Where The Lilies Bloom” for a few months. The theater reopened as the Tomahawk Theatre on October 3, 1974 with “Conrack”.
In November 1988, it was announced by Fridley Theatres that the Tomahawk Theatre would close the following year due to the construction of a triplex cinema being built east of the city located on the site of a former Ford dealership. Unfortunately, it was unclear if that triplex theater actually opened or not due to lost information, as Indianola and Fridley Theatres would later open the Paramount 7 Theatres on August 31, 1990.
The Elite Theatre opened in 1915. The theater was once abandoned for a few years when it was once closed on December 31, 1957 until the theater reopened in early March 1964. The Elite closed its doors for the final time during the first week of February 1975.
Shortly before the East Bend Drive-In started construction in 1998, former WCPO-TV staff engineer David Schwarberg of Hamilton, Ohio, originally planned on constructing a drive-in theater in Maysville, Kentucky but the land deal fell through. Schwarberg immediately then found an ideal piece of farm land across the Ohio River near Decatur.
Schwarberg opened up the East Bend Drive-In along with his manager Wally Kemmeyer during a weekend of August 2000 as a single-screen drive-in. Schwarberg replied that what’s weird about the East Bend Drive-In is that the concession stand is in a tent rather than an actual building, and its ticket booth was located inside the owner’s barn. Another weird fact is that there are no strips of traces being found, as Google Earth shows only the screen (later screens), the barn, and the projection booth which was its actual small booth building.
But unfortunately on March 13, 2001, its 100x50ft screen was completely destroyed by severe thunderstorms. Schwarberg did not have any money to rebuild, so area residents and officials came to the rescue organizing bake sales and other fundraisers in order to rebuilt the screens.
On the 4th of July 2002, the East Bend Drive-In reopened its gates with an 80x40ft screen and two radio frequencies for sound (88.1 and 95.5 FM). According to Schwarberg, they replied that the current films they screened were not as bright and it takes a lot of light to project the screen. A second screen was added in mid-2005.
The East Bend Twin Drive-In closed after the 2012 season and was demolished a short time later that same year.
The Ben Bolt Theatre also opened with the Bugs Bunny cartoon “Mississippi Hare”, the FrizPatrick’s Traveltalks short “Calling On Michigan”, and Pathe News.
In 1971, Commonwealth Theatres took over operations of the Ben Bolt, and in March 1985, an attempt on converting the single-screener into a triplex by adding two more screens in the upstairs section of the building failed for unknown reasons.
The Ben Bolt Theatre closed for the final time in February 1999 when the Grand 6 Cinemas opened on North Grand Drive, and was sadly demolished in September of that same year.
However in April 1999 while the theater was still abandoned, a group of members of the Fine Arts Theater Group of Kansas City rescued scavenged parts of the theater and managed to save items before demolition.
The Colonial Theatre was built as a replacement of the Lyric Theatre (also in Osage) that got burned down in July 1920. The Colonial Theatre opened its doors on October 15, 1920 with a seven-act vaudeville presentation of “Raffles”. The theater housed an original capacity of 425 seats.
On November 5, 1937, the Colonial Theatre was renamed Osage Theatre following extensive remodeling, reopening with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in “Pick A Star” with no extra short subjects. Some of these include nu-wood treatment been used throughout the auditorium and foyer, as well as an updated marquee featuring neon lights around the entire face and the neon sign reading “Osage”. Structural glass in ivory and gray were used as the entrance. The box office features an ivory glass exterior, and updated establishments of sound equipment were featured embodying wide-range and high-fidelity.
Closed.
This started life as the Seoul Theater on May 2, 1954 as a single-screen theater, and remained like that for the following few decades but with a couple of name changes from time-to-time. First it was known as the Segi Theater in 1960 and was renamed the Seoul Cinema in 1979. Then in 1989, the name was changed to Seoul Cinema Town, and the theater was split into three screens under the auditorium names “Venice”, “Academy”, and “Cannes”.
A few months later, all the three screens were eventually renamed “Seoul Theater” as it was unfortunately unified. The original Seoul Theater name returned in 1997.
Between 2002 and 2003, the theater expanded to 12 screens that was followed from major remodeling which completed at the end of 2003. It remained like that until another remodel in 2018.
The Seoul Cinema closed for the final time on August 31, 2021.
The Megabox COEX opened its doors with 16 screens and a 4,336-seat capacity on May 13, 2000, the same day the COEX opened its doors to the public. One of the opening attractions shown at the COEX was “Mission Impossible 2”, among others. The COEX is so successful that in July 2001, a record-breaking 30,000 people attend the theater in one single day.
As of October 2023, the COEX had a total of 19 screens, but only 10 of the screens are to the public. The largest screen being Screen 1 but its seating capacity was not the largest there in Screen 1 despite having Dolby Cinema installations as it had 378 seats. Screen 2 has the largest seating capacity of 432 seats. Screen 3 had 348 seats with CinemaScope proportions. Screen 4 had 332 seats, while Screen 5 had 281 seats with VistaVision proportions as well as a Mayer sound system. However in July 2021, a contract was signed with a fitness company and remodeled the screen into an indoor stadium but was restored back as a screen on May 24, 2022. Screens 6 and 7 had 285 seats while Screens 8 and 9 had 255 seats. Screen 10 (formerly Screen 11) had 166 seats, while the former Screen 10 had the same amount of seats as Screen 11 was demolished in June 2023.
Down below featured nine private screens. Three of which were Boutique Suites with a capacity of 32 to 36 seats. There are also two other screens nearby that were also listed as Boutiques but were located in the B1F section, all listing with 82 seats in both screens. Nearby is Screens A and B, which were all similar to the private sections of CHV Cheongdam Cine City. Screen A had only 36 seats, while Screen B had 30. And next to it are two private boutique screens. One only had eight seats and the other only had ten.
With that said, the theater (including the demolished Screen 10) had a total capacity of 3,535 seats. But since June 2023, it now has 3,369 seats. Its current functions are first-run and foreign features.
First known as the Welling Dreamland Theatre, opening on September 5, 1938.
The Oskaloosa Drive-In opened its gates on August 26, 1949 with Glenn Ford in “The Return Of October” (unknown if any short subjects were added). The theater closed after the 1986 season.
Actual opening date is October 10, 1944 with Walter Brennan in “Home In Indiana” along with a cartoon.
Closed on February 5, 1998 with “Fallen” at Screen 1 and “Titanic” at Screen 2.
The Ritz opened with Fred MacMurray in “Honeymoon In Bali” and Roland Drew in “Hitler Beast Of Berlin” along with the short “Bill of Rights” and the Merrie Melodies cartoon “Dangerous Dan McFoo”.
Some original information about the Ritz as of 1940 goes as follows: Some original installations include three doors to the main entrance and the ticket booth being located at the left in front of the office that was occupied by first manager Emilio Ouellette of Lewiston. First owners of the Ritz were Leon P. Gorman, Al Cohen, and Irving Cohen, all from Portland. Although the Ritz is not a first-run movie house for the start, it did have some striking features. The red-bricked top features a stunning look over the black glass front of the theater, featuring two ivory bands in the black glass front giving addition relief. The auditorium itself features red and gold draperies and attracts attention by its length, which is 120ft from the projection booth to the screen. There are exits in each side of the auditorium and the walls in color were fibrous compositions in five shades of tan and gray with chromium fixtures on the walls giving indirect lighting. The 800 maroon upholstered deep-slope coil-spring with blue mohair seats featuring enabled arm rests on each seat as of 1940 were placed with 23 in a row. There is also a very unique clock that lights up on the wall as well. Throughout the rest of the 1940s and into the first half of the 1950s, the Ritz screened double features.
When CinemaScope hit the screens in 1954, the Ritz immediately became a first-run movie house when the Ritz ultimately became the first movie house in Lewiston to install CinemaScope in March of that same year. Prior to the Ritz’s installations of CinemaScope, the Empire Theatre was the only (and dominant) first-run movie house in Lewiston.
Throughout time, the capacity of the theater was downgraded to 650 as of the 1970s. In 1974, the Ritz dropped its normal features and switched over to an adult-film policy. However in 1979, the Ritz did briefly returned as a first-run theater but failed miserably on October 31 of that same year. However, its “Rocky II” run did give a hit at the Ritz, but “Alien” and “Superman” did gave poor attendance at the Ritz. This immediately flipped back to adult features. The Ritz closed for a time on March 22, 1984 but reopened on June 5, 1984 under new management, still picking up the same format.
I cannot find info on when the Ritz closed as an adult theater, but the Ritz was renovated in September 1992 and reopened under the Public Theatre a short time later, running performing arts and live performances.
Twinned in November 1979. The Mid-Valley Cinema closed during the first week of February 1987 when UA opened the nearby 10-screen theater.
First known as “UA Movies At Newburgh” when it opened on February 6, 1987. It was renamed “United Artists Newburgh Cinema 10” later that same year.
Closed on August 29, 1985 with “Goonies”.
Closed in March 1957.
The actual closing date is September 26, 1986.
However, shortly after the Lisbon Drive-In closed, things went totally wrong. On November 2, 1986, vandals broke into the screen room and heavily damaged a Coastal Energy truck who was parked on the traces of the theater. The vehicle was severe damaged after the vandals smashed a grill, broke the lights, destroyed the wiper blades, and ripped the antenna off causing $1,000 in damages.
The Amusu Theatre opened as early as 1921, and it became the State Theatre in 1939.
On December 31, 1941, the State Theater was destroyed by a fire, leaving the Kilroy and the Ritz the only movie houses in Winnsboro for a short time. After a full-reconstruction, the State Theater reopened its doors on April 22, 1942 with a total capacity of 635 seats.
The State Theater closed in 1968 for a full year, but reopened in September 1969 under new management of two Dallas men (Joe Foster and Gene Dickerson), one of which was also a resident from DeKalb. This didn’t last long at all, and the State Theater closed for the final time a few months later.
Opened on December 22, 1976, closed on July 8, 2001.
Shortly before the Paramount 7 Theatres was constructed, there was some mystery cinema that had quite a lost timeline located east of the city of Indianola and was unknown if that theater operated or not.
During the first week of November 1988, the Fridley chain announced that the Tomahawk Theatre would close the following year after construction of a then-new 793-seat triplex cinema (with 370 seats at Screen 1, 217 seats at Screen 2, and 206 seats in Screen 3) started at the site of a former Ford dealership located east of downtown, and replied that there will also be a video rental store next to the theater.
As shown above, I don’t know if the triplex actually had life or not.
The actual opening date is November 6, 1936 with Pat O'Brien in “China Clipper” along with the Buster Keaton short in “The Chemist” and the Popeye cartoon “What! No Spinach?”. It was first managed by Will H. Eddy.
Some information about the theater as of 1936 features a black and agate art glass box office, cream-colored walls inside the lobby, gold-colored walls inside the auditorium, and scarlet inside the stage. There are also original installations of 15 amber, blue, green, and red light fixtures creating 15 different combinations, as well as a 2600-pound fan for air-conditioning proposes.
On June 16, 1974, the Empress Theatre closed with “Where The Lilies Bloom” for a few months. The theater reopened as the Tomahawk Theatre on October 3, 1974 with “Conrack”.
In November 1988, it was announced by Fridley Theatres that the Tomahawk Theatre would close the following year due to the construction of a triplex cinema being built east of the city located on the site of a former Ford dealership. Unfortunately, it was unclear if that triplex theater actually opened or not due to lost information, as Indianola and Fridley Theatres would later open the Paramount 7 Theatres on August 31, 1990.
Closed on December 1, 1977 and demolished on February 27, 1978.
The Elite Theatre opened in 1915. The theater was once abandoned for a few years when it was once closed on December 31, 1957 until the theater reopened in early March 1964. The Elite closed its doors for the final time during the first week of February 1975.
Actual opening date is June 9, 1941 featuring a 31x43ft screen.
Correction: It was Warner Pathe News. It was listed as Pathe News on grand opening ad.
Opened on September 3, 1931 with Walter Huston with “The Star Witness” along with the Wheeler & Woolsey short “Oh, Oh, Cleopatra”.
Opened on April 25, 2003.
Shortly before the East Bend Drive-In started construction in 1998, former WCPO-TV staff engineer David Schwarberg of Hamilton, Ohio, originally planned on constructing a drive-in theater in Maysville, Kentucky but the land deal fell through. Schwarberg immediately then found an ideal piece of farm land across the Ohio River near Decatur.
Schwarberg opened up the East Bend Drive-In along with his manager Wally Kemmeyer during a weekend of August 2000 as a single-screen drive-in. Schwarberg replied that what’s weird about the East Bend Drive-In is that the concession stand is in a tent rather than an actual building, and its ticket booth was located inside the owner’s barn. Another weird fact is that there are no strips of traces being found, as Google Earth shows only the screen (later screens), the barn, and the projection booth which was its actual small booth building.
But unfortunately on March 13, 2001, its 100x50ft screen was completely destroyed by severe thunderstorms. Schwarberg did not have any money to rebuild, so area residents and officials came to the rescue organizing bake sales and other fundraisers in order to rebuilt the screens.
On the 4th of July 2002, the East Bend Drive-In reopened its gates with an 80x40ft screen and two radio frequencies for sound (88.1 and 95.5 FM). According to Schwarberg, they replied that the current films they screened were not as bright and it takes a lot of light to project the screen. A second screen was added in mid-2005.
The East Bend Twin Drive-In closed after the 2012 season and was demolished a short time later that same year.
The Ben Bolt Theatre also opened with the Bugs Bunny cartoon “Mississippi Hare”, the FrizPatrick’s Traveltalks short “Calling On Michigan”, and Pathe News.
In 1971, Commonwealth Theatres took over operations of the Ben Bolt, and in March 1985, an attempt on converting the single-screener into a triplex by adding two more screens in the upstairs section of the building failed for unknown reasons.
The Ben Bolt Theatre closed for the final time in February 1999 when the Grand 6 Cinemas opened on North Grand Drive, and was sadly demolished in September of that same year.
However in April 1999 while the theater was still abandoned, a group of members of the Fine Arts Theater Group of Kansas City rescued scavenged parts of the theater and managed to save items before demolition.
The Colonial Theatre was built as a replacement of the Lyric Theatre (also in Osage) that got burned down in July 1920. The Colonial Theatre opened its doors on October 15, 1920 with a seven-act vaudeville presentation of “Raffles”. The theater housed an original capacity of 425 seats.
On November 5, 1937, the Colonial Theatre was renamed Osage Theatre following extensive remodeling, reopening with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in “Pick A Star” with no extra short subjects. Some of these include nu-wood treatment been used throughout the auditorium and foyer, as well as an updated marquee featuring neon lights around the entire face and the neon sign reading “Osage”. Structural glass in ivory and gray were used as the entrance. The box office features an ivory glass exterior, and updated establishments of sound equipment were featured embodying wide-range and high-fidelity.