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> LP movie theater to reopen
Southsider2k12
post Apr 26 2012, 12:28 PM
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http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/0...8b019943981.txt

QUOTE
La Porte theatre to reopen

By Stan Maddux
For The News-Dispatch
Published: Wednesday, April 25, 2012 5:07 PM CDT
La PORTE — A lot of money was invested to update La Porte’s movie theatre in 2009 but it apparently wasn’t enough for many moviegoers.

But the once again closed theatre under new ownership will reopen with a ribbon cutting on April 30 and offer free movies the first three days of May.

Neal O’Connor said he wants to showcase the facility improvements that apparently didn’t catch on with some enthusiasts of the big screen still willing to make the drive for stadium seating in Michigan City.

“I hope that we have some success and be able to serve La Porte,” said O’Connor.

*
O’Connor was the owner of the building when Cinemajestic, after a major investment to provide more leg room and other modern features, began running the theatre in 2009. That was a few months after the facility was vacated by Kerasotes.

Kerasotes now operates the Showplace Theatres nationwide and had run the La Porte Cinema since 1979.

When Cinemajestic left in March, O’Connor said he decided to start his own theatre company and operate it from the building he continues to own.

He said one key is to combat a lingering image of sticky floors, falling ceiling tiles and other forms of disrepair that occurred during the final years of Kerasotes, before the 2009 modernization.

O’Connor said added maintenance and sound improvements along with more updating in the lobby have occurred since last month’s closure to add more appeal for customers.

He said a major challenge is to tap into a greater percentage of customers flocking to the more modern Showplace Theatre, just 15 miles away in Michigan City.

O’Connor said stadium seating is really the only feature not offered by the La Porte theatre, which does counter in its appeal with cheaper ticket prices.

“Michigan City does about ten times the business than the La Porte theatre does,” he said. “I know there’s a great disparity in where people are going and it’s my job to try and improve that. I hope La Porte will come back and give us another chance.”

Greater La Porte Chamber of Commerce president Mike Seitz said his office will do its best to publicize and help market the theatre.

He feels a theatre is a valuable asset in terms of attracting people into a community and for local residents by adding to their quality of life.

“We sure are glad it’s going to reopen. Every town ought to have its own theatre,” said Seitz.
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taxthedeer
post Aug 29 2012, 12:09 PM
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QUOTE(Southsider2k12 @ Apr 26 2012, 01:28 PM) *
After only 5 months under new ownership, It was announced today that the La Porte Cinema will be closing it's doors once again on September 6th. Mr. Neal O'Conner lives in California and says that the theater didn't generate enough revenue to hire someone to operate it full time and will go up for sale through Pine Lake Realty.

With two abandoned movie theater's sitting vacant in Michigan City I would have to question with the advent of things such as Red Box, OnDemand, Netflix and movie downloads if the small town multiscreen second run movie theater has suffered the same outdated business model fate of the self contained indoor shopping mall and the brick and mortar video rental store .
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Ang
post Aug 29 2012, 12:15 PM
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That sucks for us in LaPorte because now we have NO movie theaters. If we want to see a big screen show, we have to drive to Michigan City. If the kid and her friends want to see a show, that's either two trips to MC, or find some place to hang out for a couple hours while the kids watch a show. That's fine and good unless they want to see the last show of the evening...then what do you do in MC for a couple hours between 10 and midnight....sit in bar?

The theater location in LaPorte is a bad spot. I'm sure if they razed that building, and rebuilt a theater in a more prominent location, there would be more people going to it. The building looks bad on the outside, and truth be told, the last time I was there, I had flashbacks to the Lido when it was at its worst.

*sigh*


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MCRogers1974
post Aug 30 2012, 02:06 PM
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The theater over in LP was not a bad place to see a movie, at least years ago. I guess the tastes of people change and they want the big "stadium seating" type theaters.
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Ang
post Aug 30 2012, 02:20 PM
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I was last in the Lido theater in the early 70's. My feet stuck to the floor, the seats were sticky and dirty, I had a bug crawl across my foot, and I was so traumatized, I couldn't tell you what movie we saw......

I think it closed shortly after that.


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MCRogers1974
post Aug 30 2012, 02:36 PM
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QUOTE(Ang @ Aug 30 2012, 03:20 PM) *

I was last in the Lido theater in the early 70's. My feet stuck to the floor, the seats were sticky and dirty, I had a bug crawl across my foot, and I was so traumatized, I couldn't tell you what movie we saw......

I think it closed shortly after that.

LP had a grand old theater downtown which I went to in the 1960's. The theater fell on hard times and my final experience at the LP theater is absolutely identical to your final experience at the Lido. My mom made us throw our shoes and clothes away as she felt we might have cockroach eggs on them.
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taxthedeer
post Aug 30 2012, 03:58 PM
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If anybody is ever wanting to experience the old time reasonably priced small downtown single screen movie theater experience check out The Art Theater in downtown Hobart, Indiana:

http://www.hobartarttheater.com/
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Tim
post Aug 30 2012, 10:41 PM
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QUOTE(Ang @ Aug 30 2012, 02:20 PM) *

I was last in the Lido theater in the early 70's. My feet stuck to the floor, the seats were sticky and dirty, I had a bug crawl across my foot, and I was so traumatized, I couldn't tell you what movie we saw......

I think it closed shortly after that.


Ah - the Lido's "Sticky floor" period.

I never went there myself.

(cough)
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southyards
post Aug 31 2012, 04:27 AM
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QUOTE(Tim @ Aug 30 2012, 10:41 PM) *

Ah - the Lido's "Sticky floor" period.

I never went there myself.

(cough)




Back in the day, the movie theaters - - Uptown, Lido, Tivoli, sometimes had an onstage game called “Screeno” after the movie was over. If your ticket matched the called-out number, you’d call out “Screeno” and win a prize. Cost was 10-cents to get in. I quit going when it hit 12-cents. . . .
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diggler
post Aug 31 2012, 05:06 PM
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Looks like its opened this weekend. Think I'll go see the Expendables there:

http://boxofficemojo.com/showtimes/theater...d=Nn&p=.htm

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MCRogers1974
post Sep 1 2012, 06:25 AM
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QUOTE(Ang @ Aug 29 2012, 01:15 PM) *

That sucks for us in LaPorte because now we have NO movie theaters. If we want to see a big screen show, we have to drive to Michigan City. If the kid and her friends want to see a show, that's either two trips to MC, or find some place to hang out for a couple hours while the kids watch a show. That's fine and good unless they want to see the last show of the evening...then what do you do in MC for a couple hours between 10 and midnight....sit in bar?

The theater location in LaPorte is a bad spot. I'm sure if they razed that building, and rebuilt a theater in a more prominent location, there would be more people going to it. The building looks bad on the outside, and truth be told, the last time I was there, I had flashbacks to the Lido when it was at its worst.

*sigh*

This was the second attempt to re-open the theater. I just wonder what sort of business model these investors are using. I mean how many thousands of dollars are these investors losing with each attempt. They must have a seemingly endless supply of money to keep pumping funds into a theater which offers little to no difference to the big stadium seating facilities in the area. Perhaps the investors are attempting to relive their youth or something - but what a poor return on their investment.
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diggler
post Sep 1 2012, 05:17 PM
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QUOTE(taxthedeer @ Aug 30 2012, 04:58 PM) *

If anybody is ever wanting to experience the old time reasonably priced small downtown single screen movie theater experience check out The Art Theater in downtown Hobart, Indiana:

http://www.hobartarttheater.com/


In Chicago, they use to have the Royal Theater on Milwaukee Ave. where you could see a movie for just 10 cents. Only thing was that you always had to have your legs raised, so that the rats could scurry below.

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5428
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Southsider2k12
post Sep 4 2012, 09:42 AM
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If you are ever going to get another theater off of the ground locally, you will have to do something different to compete. Maybe the dinner and drinks theme would work? The traditional movie theater, with old technology, isn't going to compete with Cinema 14.
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Commuter
post Sep 7 2012, 10:37 AM
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I read the theatre in laporte is closing again. Is it true? I like going there. comfy seats, not too crowded, good butter on the popcorn.


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diggler
post Sep 7 2012, 10:49 AM
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QUOTE(Commuter @ Sep 7 2012, 11:37 AM) *

I read the theatre in laporte is closing again. Is it true? I like going there. comfy seats, not too crowded, good butter on the popcorn.


Last time I was there, it was pretty run down. Thinking of going there this weekend, but I might visit the Door Village Harvest Fest instead.
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Southsider2k12
post Sep 7 2012, 11:03 AM
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QUOTE(Commuter @ Sep 7 2012, 11:37 AM) *

I read the theatre in laporte is closing again. Is it true? I like going there. comfy seats, not too crowded, good butter on the popcorn.


Yes it is true.
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