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Tue
Sep 25
2012

Sorry, No More First Run Cinemas in Center City

You may remember last week, when we profiled a couple of former cinemas on Chestnut Street which have been turned into retail stores. In the heyday of moving picture houses, there were over fifty that were scattered across Center City, with concentrations on Chestnut and Market Streets. But as the years have gone by, their numbers have been whittled away, with demolition, conversion, and abandonment being the fate of virtually all of the theaters. With the closing of the Sameric (The Boyd) back in 2002, the Roxy was left as the lone Center City cinema showing first run movies.

The Roxy

According to reports that came out at the end of last week, however, the Roxy is set to shut down on or before November 7th. In the story linked above from Philly.com, John Ciccone, the owner of the building, suggests that he intends to shut the theater down for a massive renovation, and will reopen it in the future to show arthouse and repertory films, mixing in the occasional first run picture. Foobooz, meanwhile, reports on the possibility that Stephen Starr could look to take over the space for a dinner theater concept.

From a distance

Embarrassingly, the closing of the Roxy, which first opened in 1975, will mean the end of mainstream, first run movies in Center City. While residents of every other major city have relatively easy access to a cinema showing the newest Final Destination or Batman installment, Center City residents must resort to travelling to West Philly, Pennsport, or <gasp> New Jersey to get their popcorn fix. How did it come to this? Why does it continue to be this way? Where can someone build a ten screen cinema in Center City?

Any ideas? Any suggestions? Any movies we should check out next time we’re in Cherry Hill?

12
COMMENTS
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Posted in Rittenhouse | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments
  • Claude M. Schrader

    start a campaign to reopen the sameric!

    also: the temple theater is relatively nice, and close to center city

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1355687257 Dale Dragon Ensign

    This is sad. How can every other city have a good city theater? You would think with the rise in restaurant/bar theaters across the country someone would try and open one here

  • Anonymous

    why isn’t there a theater at like 9th and market? like instead of the gallery.

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    The Pearl on Broad at Temple is great. Broad Street Line, dudes.

  • Anonymous

    Whine, whine, WHINE! Who freakin’ cares! Mainstream Hollywood flicks suck to begin with!

  • Anonymous

    There are a number of good city theaters. Do you mean Center City? Hardly every city has a theater let alone a downtown mainstream theater. Maybe only 12 in the entire country.

  • http://twitter.com/brianbrews Brian Marsh

    Maybe Reading Entertainment can reinvest in its birthplace and change this depressing fact?
    The lack of a major first run cinema is perhaps the best example of amenities lagging drastically behind a healthy, growing downtown market. It makes sense considering it requires a national player to push this sort of development. If and when City Target comes to Market East it may thaw up the area for a “proper” theater. (?) I’m thinking of a any number of similar theaters which draw a diverse crowd… Boston Common theater is a great example.

  • deeeeep

    The 3 Ritz(landmark) theaters are in Center City. People seem to not be aware or forget that Center City is generally considered to be between to the West by the Schuylill River, South Street to the south, the Delaware River to the east and Vine Street to the north.So there are still 3 first run theaters. To bad the American Commerce Center was cancelled. They originally planned a multiplex in there.

  • Cinquecento

    The ritzes are independent and foreign movies, not first run blockbuster types. That’s what is being discussed.

  • http://twitter.com/brianbrews Brian Marsh

    Okay, not CC… but Broad & Washington would be a good site.

  • http://nakedphilly.com/rittenhouse/the-roxy-is-saved-but-no-mainstream-movies-any-time-soon-in-center-city/ The Roxy is Saved, But No Mainstream Movies Any Time Soon in Center City | NakedPhilly

    [...] few weeks ago, we told you about the impending closing of the Roxy Theater at the 2023 Sansom St., on one of our favorite blocks in town. At the time, we lamented that the [...]

  • http://technicallyphilly.com/2012/11/07/loren-brichter-i-want-to-build-a-great-life-here-says-letterpress-developer-atebits-and-tweetie-founder Loren Brichter: “I want to build a great life here,” says Letterpress developer, atebits and Tweetie founder — Technically Philly

    [...] does that mean practically? Brichter says something we’ve all heard in the last couple years: build a first-run movie theater. The Ritz options in Old City are great walkable choices, he says, but the Riverview Regal on [...]

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