28

[dr_phil_physics]

End Of An Era

Just ten days ago the Jack Loeks Theatre chain announced that Studio 28 was closing. Studio 28, especially its huge Theatre 1, has long been our favorite Grand Rapids area movie theatre. So it's closing today, Sunday 23 November 2008, will be felt personally. Where are we going to see the big splashy blockbusters? Where are we going to go for midnight showings of "special movies"?

A Big Deal

When we first moved down to West Michigan we were astonished to find that Studio 28, the "28" stood for west 28th Street in the suburb of Wyoming MI, was the largest multiplex in America. Twenty screens and something like 6000 seats. Amazingly, it kept that record for seven years.

Studio 28 opened on Christmas Day, 1965, with one screen, then expanded to two screens. In 1976, it expanded to six screens, then, in 1984, it doubled to 12. By 1988, it had 20 screens, making it the United States' largest megaplex until 1995.

They renovated the big Theatre #1 some years ago, reopening it just in time for a reserved seat premiere of Jurassic Park. An impressive Dolby sound system roared into life, though for me the most amazing sound was the skin crawling s-c-r-i-t-c-h of the overturned Jeep scraping on the concrete barrier before being dumped down the hill into the trees.


Alas

We haven't seen so many movies this year. The economy? Nope. Lack of good movies? Well, a little bit. But there were a bunch of movies we hoped to see, but didn't. My schedule, Mrs. Dr. Phil's grad classes, etc. Hell, we haven't had a chance to see the new James Bond flick -- we plan on seeing it on Thanksgiving. We wanted to see it at Studio 28. But they closed before Thanksgiving, to give those staff who didn't want to go to another theatre in the chain a chance to get jobs for the Christmas season. Studio 28 management was always good to its staff. Even in the end, they were putting staff ahead of profits and schedules.

Jack Loeks Theatres built new complexes by the new Meijer's on East Beltline in the northeast and the new growth area at the M-6 South Beltline freeway and Kalamazoo Avenue. The northern one included an IMAX theatre. A competitor built new 'plexes at Rivertown Crossing and Woodland Mall. Rivertown was too close to Studio 28. The competitor went bust and Jack Loeks bought up the places.

Scheduling and movie selection meant we couldn't always make it to Studio 28, but Celebration North or Rivertown. But we still did manage to get to Studio 28 this year. (grin)

But no more.

Dr. Phil

Comments

[daveamongus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm pretty bummed about it, myself. Had one of my first dates with my wife there, and it was the one place in town with the intestinal fortitude to show movies that would not go anywhere else--like Brannagh's Hamlet. (Only time I've ever used a free drink refill, incidentally.) And they were extremely good there about addressing picture/sound issues. Film broke while I was seeing Air Force One there and they had a bunch of folks standing outside the theatre when the movie finally let out to hand us free passes.

It was huge and sprawling and awesome, but that was part of its downfall, alas.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Neighborhood change. They were never able to really tap into having a good nearby restaurant. Studio 28 became a destination unto itself after Roger's department store closed.

Dr. Phil

[wendyb-09.livejournal.com]

Gee, that's too bad, that was a great theatre. I know you and the Mrs. will miss it.

[steve-buchheit.livejournal.com]

I also don't get to see many movies in the theaters (something about being a 45 minute drive from any theater and my general cheapness). But I remember when I heard the Highland in Akron closed. It was an amazing old time movie palace that hadn't gone multiplex. They held rock concerts and special showings as well as first run movies (is there really any difference anymore). Wonderful place and now it's gone.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Well, the chain was pretty reasonable about it, and they're still in business elsewhere, so it's not a total loss. And frankly, as one might expect, we have very little reason to go by that part of 28th Street for anything else -- other than the tire store I use. (grin)

Dr. Phil

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

What was amazing about Theatre 1 at Studio 28 was that it had the size and auditorium ambiance of some of your old movie palaces and yet was still stuck in a multi-plex. Or rather the multi-plex grew around the complex. (grin)

Theatre 2, by the way, was this tiny little screening room next to Theatre 1, so they could accommodate all manners of crowd sizes, and keep some indy flicks going without taking up a huge room.

Dr. Phil