Jack Loeks' Studio 28
1350 28th Street SW,
Wyoming,
MI
49509
1350 28th Street SW,
Wyoming,
MI
49509
8 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Mar 3, 2014 — Studio 28 to come down
- Nov 26, 2008 — John Loeks speaks as Studio 28 closes
- Nov 18, 2008 — First 20 screen theatre to close
Originally opened as a drive-in in 1948, an indoor, single-screen theater was added and opened with 1,000 seats on December 25, 1965. In 1976 it expanded to 6-screens and in March 1984, this doubled to 12-screens, giving a total seating capacity of 4,000. In November 1988, it had 20-screens, with a seating capacity of over 6,000. Built and operated by Jack Loeks, it was West Michigan’s first multiplex cinema and at one time was one of the largest in the USA.
The interior is a little like those IMAX theaters with the neon lights and the like. They have an arcade room, and three concession stands (one in front of the arcade room, one in the far left when you first enter the theater, and one in the far back of the theater). The people there give you good service, too. This theater is also one that enforces their rule policies in the middle of previews before their feature presentation (I’ve seen them since my first time in that place since 1992, which was just a man talking while you see nothing but stars in space, in around 1995 they changed design and went with “The Ten Commandments” look with rules like “Thou shalt not talk during the film”. They stopped showing them sometime in 2001 and then ressurected it with more stars and firecrackers in around 2003). And they make one of their main rules known by having the announcer say in a booming voice “NO TALKING”.
Due to a fall in attendance, Loeks Theatres announced that Studio 28 would close on November 27, 2008. It was demolished in March 2014.
Contributed by
Calvin Gardner, Cinema Treasures
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
I really miss this place – saw a lot of movies here in my two years in Grand Rapids, and I remember how packed it could get in Theater #1 on opening night. One of the best cinemas ever – I’m sorry it couldn’t last.
Hard to believe, but it’s now been exactly one year since the closing.
There is another marquee photo on this site. Status should be changed to closed.
http://tinyurl.com/y8j3cfg
Has anything been done at the building, I am not in GR, not easy to do a drive by… thanks,,,,,
PS I do miss theatre #1, the HUGE curved screen and THX…
Nice way to go out on Marquee,so many theatres never have the chance.
Did they strip and demolish this theater? did someone open across the street that was all stadium?
This is another cinema called Studio 28 in Paris, France. http://www.cinemastudio28.com/horaire.asp no connection with the theatre in Grand Rapids.
It’s being demolished today.
http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2014/03/studio_28_once_worlds_largest.html
The location of this theater is currently in the city of Wyoming, not Grand Rapids. Granted, Wyoming didn’t become a city until 1959, but this theater was never inside the GR city limits.