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Published: September 2, 2008
The Carmike Kingsway 4 Cinema closed its doors Thursday.
“They made the announcement the day before they closed. It came as a complete surprise,” said Mike Dougherty, Eden’s director of business development.
He said the Kingsway 4 theater’s closing came as a particular shock after Carmike’s recent installation of digital equipment in the theater. He said the city is actively recruiting other movie theater companies to move into the vacant building in the Kingsway Plaza.
“We’re working diligently to replace them with another movie theater,” said Joe Maguire, president of the Rosen Group, owner of Kingsway Plaza. He said he is “cautiously optimistic” about finding another tenant for the theater.
“We’re very disappointed to see the theater leave. We know it was providing something to the community that the other commercial properties were not,” said Maguire. “Movie theaters in general generate a lot of traffic.”
The closing of the Kingsway 4 Cinema leaves only two movie theaters in Rockingham County – the Eden Drive-In, which is only open during the summer months, and the Rockingham Theatre in downtown Reidsville.
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Reader Reactions
I was shocked when I went to the Kingsway Cinema to find a big “Closed” sign on the marquee. I feel somewhat betrayed. Sometimes staff would seem icy. They weren’t overly friendly, that’s for sure. Never smiling. The screens DO need cleaning at least. There’s still a coke stain on one of the screens that someone threw at it. Their scratchy message machine with the movie times. The number 627-0682 indeliblely etched in my mind. If I ever get amneisa, I’m sure I’ll still remember THAT phone number. The bathrooms were a joke. But at least I didn’t need a haz-mat suit like you do at McDonalds. The pop-corn got REALLY expensive. $18 for 2 small popcorns and 2 small drinks?! Get real! With all the factory closings in the Eden area, is anyone really surprised that public support is waining? Seriously! The Danville Theatre does rock. But Eden was a little (very little) bit less expensive. The parking lot is a mess. But I will miss the theatre in Eden. I dare wax romantic when I say that I saw my first movie ever there in 1980. If I had the dinero, I’d re-open it myself.
Sorry to hear they closed but not surprised. Community support just not there. Contrary to previous post, what theater did you go in and how many times? I saw 10 or more movies over the summer there, never did I encounter rudeness, mismanagement, nastiness, or consider the place worn out. The DLP projection was great. It’s sad for Eden, I hope Rosen Group gets another tenant. Only improvement needed, new screens made for DLP projectors.
Good riddance…people were rude, management was terrible, place was nasty and worn out. Danville is the best place go for theater screenings.
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