Greenway Plaza Theaters closing.

S

SL Xpress

500+ Posts
Today (December 31) is the last day.

I thought when Mark Cuban bought Landmark Theaters it would help stave off their decline. Instead, it seems to have only accelerated it. I'm not blaming him per se. It's a tough business to get into. Still, it sucks that somehow it couldn't be made a profitable business after being there for so long.

On a personal note, it really sucks for me. Houston has long been an amazing place for arthouse/alternative movies, with 3 screens at Greenway, 3 screens at River Oaks, and at least a couple of screens dedicated to non mainstream flicks at the downtown Angelika. Killing off 3 screens is a big deal, and complete irreplaceable. For those of you that see most of your movies at home it's not that big of a deal, but for someone like me who searches out the opportunities to see unusual flicks in a movie theater environment, this is a real dagger.

Oh well. So long, Greenway. Thanks for all the great memories. Please hold on Angelika and River Oaks. I'm afraid their time is coming, too --- sooner rather than later.
 
I went for the first time in years the other night. Wanted to go one last time since I had been several times in the past (but sadly not recently). There's something to be said for those old school theaters.

As an aside, the movie I saw (Margot at the Wedding) sucked.
 
I enjoyed Margot at the Wedding, but it's definitely not a movie I'd recommend for everyone.

River Oaks is always going to be under threat of demolition. They sign two year leases. The next one will be up next year, sometime in the February/March area. Weingarten would most certainly like to put something else there that would make more money for them, but there will be something of a political struggle that occurs. Unlike either Angelika or Greenway, River Oaks is actually making decent money --- not like an Edwards or AMC, but good for a 3 screen --- two of them being really small --- theater. If not for the fact the real estate would be more valuable as something else, it could probably go on into perpetuity at its current rate.

Weingarten shut down and demolished the strip center across the street and are currently building a Barnes and Noble on the site. When rumors of River Oaks Theater's demise were circulating a year and a half ago, the thought was Weingarten wanted to construct a multistory condiminium complex there.

The management at River Oaks is not as strong as it has been in the past. The folks there mean well, but they lack a certain amount of passion and dedication from my perspective.

I don't think it's going to be an easy task for Weingarten to get the theater demolished, but I have to say that there doesn't appear to be the kind of dedication necessary from Landmark Theaters national headquarters to keep it in existence, either, so we'll see.

Things will get a little more heated around the summer time of this year, however, no one likes to talk about it, on either the property owners' side, or the theater side, so it's tough to get any reliable information one way or the other.
 
I saw Lone Star at Greenway. They should keep it open just for that reason. That movie says all there is to say about being a Texan.
 
Greenway is closing because they lost their lease. Or that's what I was told.

River Oaks kicks all sorts of ***. I used to go there on Friday for the midnight shows. Saw all the old Connery Bond films there over the course of a month or so.
 
For you "Lone Star" lovers, John Sayles has a new movie coming out soon, "Honeydripper."

It's a fictional tale of the beginning of rock & roll in the South. Austin native Gary Clark Jr. stars in it. I haven't seen the final product yet, but John Sayles rarely delivers poor material.

As for the demise of indie theaters, that's a cultural loss not just for Houston, but for America. Hopefully it's only short term as the means to deliver new releases will shift to home viewing. I finally got a HD flat screen and I have to say it's not too shabby.

I think people like myself will go to theaters to see event films, and stay home to see first run art house movies. I have two little kids so economically it's a matter of budget. Going to a movie with the wife can cost nearly $60 (babysitter, tickets & movie snacks) when it's all said and done, not including dinner. It better be a good movie if I'm going to fork over that much.
 
Yeah, I'm spending a good $12-15 any time I go see a movie these days, even if I'm by myself. If I take others, it quickly goes past $50 to even $100 depending on the number of people.

Still, it's an important experience for me.

The thing about theaters is that, aside from the experience --- which is the biggest priority for me --- they also act as a culling instrument for me. Number one, I don't really watch DVDs. I'm going to have to start watching more of them now, but I've always emphasized seeing movies in a movie theater. It's tough to know what's worth seeing on DVD just by looking at a list. Having the opportunity to experience a theatrical release, even if limited to a week, meant it had something going on, even if it ended up not being to my taste.

As far as Greenway, it wasn't so simple as just losing their lease, although of course that's what happened in the end. They were making a small profit based on their previous lease conditions. It's my feeling the large Lakewood Church next door might want to do something with the space, which would make sense, and basically they can afford to pay more for the space than Landmark Theaters can. Such is life.

Ychang,

I go to pretty much a midnight movie screening at River Oaks every week. This Friday and Saturday is Donnie Darko, the director's cut, which I saw at the Museum of Fine Arts, but I'm looking forward to seeing again. They also have Back to the Future, Hot Fuzz, and a couple of others that looked interesting but I can't recall of the top of my head.

If the prospect isn't too scary, let me know sometime when you're heading up there and I'll introduce myself.
 
Too bad - always felt that was my private little secret in Houston. Swoop in underground, park 20 feet from the door. Nice place, always interesting movie selection.
 
So Cuban owns the Mavs, dances in sequined one-piece
jumpsuits on television, produces anti-American propaganda
films and now is closing the indie theatres in Houston?

Is there anything to like about this guy?
 
Another reason they lost the Greenway Lease could probably be attributed to new building ownership. Morgan Stanley recently purchased Crescent REIT who owned the Greenway Plaza complex and they might simply have something else in mind for the space.
 
Texoz,

you nailed why I rarely go to movies. I hate to spend that much jack for the normal crap you see.
 
SLX -- I'm also pretty dismayed by the closing of the Greenway theater. I found it hard to believe at the time, but a friend of mine who worked on the deal told me about a year ago that a new art house theater is opening on Richmond and Wesleyan where the new Costco is going in. She didn't say if it was a Landmark theater, but now that Greenway is closed, it makes more sense.

One of my favorite moviegoing experencies was watching a midnight showing of Bottle Rocket at River Oaks with a couple of cocktails purchased from the bar upstairs. Very nice evening.
 
Mack Tripper,

That's great news! We'll see if it pans out. I do know that Greenway Plaza location was terrible for moviegoers. I'll pretty much frequent any movie theater that's committed to showing independent/art house type movies.
 
First off, I ******* hate Weingarten. I am a real estate attorney in Houston and I hate the attitude of those ********. They own both the River Oaks strip and the Alabama theatre on Shepherd which is now a bookstore and Petsmart.

The River Oaks theatre is great in its own right and the marquee is a Houston institution. You can watch Big Lebowski when they show it and order a Caucasian at the bar. What can beat that.

It would be a huge loss if River Oaks theatre is torn down. I don't understand the mentality of the developers in this town. After working in NYC, the lack of creativity and sophistication of many of these guys is galling. How about putting up a tower ABOVE the damn theatre.

Finally, I was not aware of an indie-art house movie theatre going in to the Costco development at Richmond and Wesleyan. The renderings that I have seen only show a Costco with a LA Fitness on top. I love that a Costco and LA Fitness are coming inside the loop.
 
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