St. Louis Movie Theaters

MarkGroth2020 · PostApr 23, 2020#12020-04-23T12:57+00:00

Bummed to read of the closing of the Moolah Theater. At least the bowling alley will remain open downstairs. If I'm not mistaken, St. Louis is down to 3 movie theaters, Chase, MX and Hi-Pointe (one could argue the Science Center qualifies). Several in the suburbs of course. Alamo Draft House was going to hit Moolah hard, right? This cinema industry is under fire from streaming for sure.

Lots of good memories there, and such a beautiful building. Would love to see it as a live music venue.

https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/moolah-theatre-will-shut-down-for-good-after-coronavirus-pandemic-is-over/article_3e66c951-8f12-5d01-808c-1e0d095b2a0c.html#tracking-source=home-trending

kipfilet · PostApr 23, 2020#22020-04-23T14:06+00:00

Beautiful building, but as a movie theater it was very meh. Out of all the Landmark properties (Moolah, MX, Chase, Tivoli) it was clearly the weakest.

symphonicpoet · PostApr 23, 2020#32020-04-23T14:50+00:00

^MarkGroth,

I will absolutely agree with you that it would be a neat live venue. Would be a really neat little ballroom or lounge.

GoHarvOrGoHome · PostApr 23, 2020#42020-04-23T14:51+00:00

I hope this isn't preceding worse cuts from Landmark. From what I've heard the MX location has been struggling as well, which is a shame because a movie theater is a really important thing to have downtown. The bar is a nice feature as well, good place for the odd happy hour.

hebeters2 · PostApr 23, 2020#52020-04-23T14:54+00:00

drive in theaters!
The Entire U.S. Box Office This Weekend Came From a Single Florida Drive-in Theater
https://www.slashfilm.com/drive-in-box- ... s-weekend/

bigreid74 · PostApr 23, 2020#62020-04-23T17:20+00:00

NateM___ · PostApr 23, 2020#72020-04-23T18:52+00:00

The Alamo Draft House movie experience is great. With Alamo opening .5 miles away from the Moolah, it makes sense that the Moolah would give up. I hope Alamo becomes the must go to place for premier and opening nights of tent pole movies like the Esquire once was. In my opinion, Moolah could have done a better job (more than themed drinks) of capturing the cinephile’s movie budget. Alamo should be able to fill that void.

jshank83 · PostApr 24, 2020#82020-04-24T04:29+00:00

bigreid74 wrote: ↑
Apr 23, 2020

The extended stay at home order still keeps them closed it sounds like. Unless they find a way to get a waiver.

dweebe · PostDec 19, 2021#92021-12-19T05:00+00:00

Was talking with a friend about all the movie theaters that have closed in North County since 2000ish and the number of screens lost.

Wehrenburg Northwest Plaza
AMC Northwest
Jamestown Mall movie theater (a Wehrenburg?)
St. Louis Mills (Regal?)
Wehrenburg Halls Ferry

symphonicpoet · PostDec 19, 2021#102021-12-19T07:09+00:00

^There's a whole bunch south too: Crestwood, Kenrick, and Sunset Hills, for instance. But the losses that really sting are in the city as those were the ones with the history, the merit, and the real shot at adaptive reuse: the Granada and Ambassador chiefest among them.

Miss Shell · PostDec 19, 2021#112021-12-19T15:10+00:00

symphonicpoet wrote:^There's a whole bunch south too: Crestwood, Kenrick, and Sunset Hills, for instance. But the losses that really sting are in the city as those were the ones with the history, the merit, and the real shot at adaptive reuse: the Granada and Ambassador chiefest among them.

What cinema was in Sunset Hills?

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GoHarvOrGoHome · PostDec 19, 2021#122021-12-19T15:29+00:00

South City really needs a good movie theater. IMO some the the empty space at Grand and Gravois would be a perfect spot

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dweebe · PostDec 19, 2021#132021-12-19T16:09+00:00

Miss Shell wrote: ↑
Dec 19, 2021
symphonicpoet wrote:^There's a whole bunch south too: Crestwood, Kenrick, and Sunset Hills, for instance. But the losses that really sting are in the city as those were the ones with the history, the merit, and the real shot at adaptive reuse: the Granada and Ambassador chiefest among them.
What cinema was in Sunset Hills?

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There was a two screen theater on the SW corner where Borders was/Steinmart was and PetSmart is now.

It was first run up the the late 80s, then was a second run cheap theater through the 90s.

There was also the Mark Twain theater that’s now the Laborer’s Hall at the corner of Lindbergh and Gravois. It was a great single screen until the early 80s, then got ruined when they split in two and closed in the late 80s/early 90s.

Miss Shell · PostDec 19, 2021#142021-12-19T16:21+00:00

Thanks for the info. I'll also add Lindbergh and Keller in Mehlville to the mix of closures in South County.

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dweebe · PostDec 19, 2021#152021-12-19T16:39+00:00

There was also the Crestwood 3 where the Kohls is now.

Weird setup with two screens up front and then a single screen at the back with a separate entrance. I saw the 1984 version of “Dune” there.

symphonicpoet · PostDec 20, 2021#162021-12-20T06:03+00:00

^Come to think of it there was also the 66 Park In. I never knew there'd been a theatre at the corner of Watson and New Sappington. Was it where the Schnucks was, back behind the office building that held the bank and medical offices? (Which was a nice little office building, by the way. I was more than a little miffed by that particular TIFF and demo. Crestwood has done a lovely job of shooting itself in the foot for the last twenty years or so.)

flipz · PostDec 20, 2021#172021-12-20T14:34+00:00

I was told there was a theater where the Walgreen sits now in the CWE on Lindell.

dweebe · PostDec 20, 2021#182021-12-20T14:53+00:00

flipz wrote: ↑
Dec 20, 2021
I was told there was a theater where the Walgreen sits now in the CWE on Lindell.

Cinerama
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5697

The Martin Cinerama, the first theatre built in St. Louis since the Fox Theatre in 1928, opened January 10, 1963 with Laurence Harvey in “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” as part of a chain of Martin Theatres of Georgia.
It claimed to have the world’s largest indoor screen, which measured 100 feet on a curve. The two story building attempted to be a “modern movie palace”. The entire theatre was dressed in all burnt orange with gold trim. It was carpeted wall to wall, with the seats even set on carpet.
Opened as a Cinerama format theatre, with the original three projector equipment and later 70mm. It was an established road show house until its last few years of operation.
The theatre seated 1,120 total between the two floors. Trans Lux Theatres took over operation of the theatre in 1968 and the last 3-strip Cinerama film to be screened was a re-issue of “The Is Cinerama” in June 1973. It was still capable of screening 70mm films and was closed in 1988. It was demolished in 1997.

Colin226 · PostDec 20, 2021#192021-12-20T23:53+00:00

I saw 'Man of La Mancha' at that theater in 1973 on a school field trip. The old Playboy club was just a block east of there, I think.