The Death of the Art House
By: Rachel Adams
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Redux
During the final weeks of January, in the shadow of Sundance with all its hype and glory, Trolley Square Cinemas crept quietly into a corner and died.
Yes, I'm going to be melodramatic about it. Let us don our clothes of mourning. Trolley Square, a chic and trendy tourist destination frequented for the most part by out-of-staters, has no more use for a theater and has closed Regency Theatres in the first step of renovating it out of existence.
The now-humble theater opened grandly in 1988 as a Cineplex Odeon, with luxury unmatched by its competitors at the time: curtains for each of its four screens and Dolby Stereo, the height of movie sound technology. Its first closure was in February of 2001, a result of Cineplex Odeon's bankruptcy. For two years, the theatre lay dormant before it was finally picked up again in April of 2003 by Madstone Theaters. The renovations of new sound equipment, wider rows, a sparkling lobby and the theater's self-proclaimed title of "art house" failed to attract the necessary numbers of moviegoers. Madstone dreamed big, picturing "a distinctive, community-oriented cinema experience through varied programming, engaging discussion and collaborative partnerships with local and national organizations," but unfortunately it, too, went out of business, closing its SLC branch in June of 2004.
Regency Theatres offered residents a Christmas present, opening the theater again on Dec. 25, 2004, promising such treats as espressos, foreign chocolates and Q-and-A sessions with filmmakers. It delivered on the gourmet treats, and in hosting Sundance screenings, it delivered on the second, but the visionaries who dreamed of turning the little theater into a year-round Sundance-like experience failed. Now the effort to keep the theatre alive is lost forever in the annals of www.utahtheaters.info, which faithfully chronicles the open, the closed, the never-opened and the demolished theaters throughout Utah.
The Salt Lake Film Society now reigns as the premiere source of independent film in Utah. Its beloved venues, the Tower Theatre (876 E. and 900 South) and Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. and 300 South), continue to screen the films that, although excellent, never hit the Megaplexes -- for instance, this week's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Persepolis."
Yes, I'm going to be melodramatic about it. Let us don our clothes of mourning. Trolley Square, a chic and trendy tourist destination frequented for the most part by out-of-staters, has no more use for a theater and has closed Regency Theatres in the first step of renovating it out of existence.
The now-humble theater opened grandly in 1988 as a Cineplex Odeon, with luxury unmatched by its competitors at the time: curtains for each of its four screens and Dolby Stereo, the height of movie sound technology. Its first closure was in February of 2001, a result of Cineplex Odeon's bankruptcy. For two years, the theatre lay dormant before it was finally picked up again in April of 2003 by Madstone Theaters. The renovations of new sound equipment, wider rows, a sparkling lobby and the theater's self-proclaimed title of "art house" failed to attract the necessary numbers of moviegoers. Madstone dreamed big, picturing "a distinctive, community-oriented cinema experience through varied programming, engaging discussion and collaborative partnerships with local and national organizations," but unfortunately it, too, went out of business, closing its SLC branch in June of 2004.
Regency Theatres offered residents a Christmas present, opening the theater again on Dec. 25, 2004, promising such treats as espressos, foreign chocolates and Q-and-A sessions with filmmakers. It delivered on the gourmet treats, and in hosting Sundance screenings, it delivered on the second, but the visionaries who dreamed of turning the little theater into a year-round Sundance-like experience failed. Now the effort to keep the theatre alive is lost forever in the annals of www.utahtheaters.info, which faithfully chronicles the open, the closed, the never-opened and the demolished theaters throughout Utah.
The Salt Lake Film Society now reigns as the premiere source of independent film in Utah. Its beloved venues, the Tower Theatre (876 E. and 900 South) and Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. and 300 South), continue to screen the films that, although excellent, never hit the Megaplexes -- for instance, this week's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "Persepolis."
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mike
posted 2/15/08 @ 12:41 AM MST
Actually, Ihave seen broadway quite full on several occasions, especially opening weekends for no country for Old men as well as There Will Be Blood was packed it's first two weeks. (Continued…)
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