Cinema Theater
W. 3rd Street,
Big Spring,
TX
79720
W. 3rd Street,
Big Spring,
TX
79720
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In the mid-1960’s before we came to think of “cinema” as meaning multi-screen, was the single screen Cinema Theater owned and operated by the Norets. It was located in the College Park Shopping Center and opened on June 14, 1968 with Tommy Steele in “Half a Sixpence”. In June 1987 it was taken over by the operators of the Ritz Theatre. It was closed in May 1990 with Laura Harring in “The Forbidden Dance” & Johnny Depp in “Cry Baby”.
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Don Lewis
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The Cinema Theater was built during the suburban luxury theater movement in the late 1960s outside of Big Spring’s central business district. The luxury suburbans were usually located in or adjacent to shopping centers to take advantage of free parking. They usually had advanced projection formats, comfortable seating, and amenities not found at aging downtown theaters.
The College Park Cinema Theater opened on June 14, 1968 with 168 wide seats. Bathed in tourquoise (it was the late 1960s!), Skyvue Theatre of Leamesa headed up by R.A. “Skeet” Noret was ready to go. The first film was Tommy Steele in “Half of Sixpence.” The College Park Shopping Center had opened in 1962 theatre-lessly and was anchored by a W.T. Grant Store (#1,006), a Safeway grocery store, and a smaller T.G.& Y. Family Store.
The Cinema closed but got new ownership in June of 1987 as the operators of the downtown Ritz took it on. But the cinema money swung to the Big Springs Mall where Cinemark was rocking it Front Row Joe and the Movies 4 beginning in late 1987. Tears were shed when the College Park Cinema Theatre closed on May 1990 with “The Forbidden Dance” and “Cry Baby.” Meanwhile, the Ritz would later downgrade to a $1 discount house before closing.