Closed Down General Cinema

[Ilovemovies917]

Last movie I saw here was Back to the Future 2 right before the theater closed down.

[picketfilms]

this makes me want to cry

[lexmarks567]

someone should buy the rights to the name GCC and reopen it. even as a 2nd run theater it would be something

[danhostler1985]

@lexmarks567 Funny you mention that because a year ago the GCC trademark was auctioned off in NY, however I do not know the results of who it was bought from if it was bought at all...anyone can help?

[catothewiser]

Wow - sad music. Reminds me of Vangelis Memories of Green from Blade Runner.

[cutemimi25]

I remember when I lived back in Renton, Washington there was a General Cinema but it was changed to a AMC theater (back in like 2003-2004) but shutdown in 2009.

I wish General Cinema returns (I live in Idaho now but I would love to see a General Cinema there).

[Shawnpaulstewart]

Thanks for posting this video. I used to work at this exact same theater from 1983 to 1988. It was my very first job in high school. I remember the address well: General Cinema 5 (Unit 435), 7601 Scott Street. I worked every job there from doorman, to concessions, to popcorn popper. I’ve still got closets full of movie posters (“The Breakfast Club,” 1985) to prove it.

[danhostler1985]

@Shawnpaulstewart You are very welcome. I bet you have a lot of fun and wild stories from your time there. I was born in 1985 and saw "La Bamba" when I was two, barely remember it but it was my first movie I went to.

[Shawnpaulstewart]

@danhostler1985 I might have been working there when “La Bamba” opened. In fact, I think I’ve got that poster in my closet somewhere. Along with one of my favorites from that year, Chuck Norris in “Code of Silence.” I actually got to meet him a few years later.

[amcstudio30]

@Shawnpaulstewart ARE YOU SERIOUS. CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG IS THS THE ONE THAT WAS IN WHITE SETTELMENT IN FORT WORTH. PLEASE GET BACK WITH ME JOHN FROM HOUSTON TEXAS

[RQVOutdoorMoovies]

Thank you for taking the time document the theater before they tore it down, Once they're gone. that's it. I've enjoyed hundreds of hours at abandoned drive in theaters, now I can watch Cool Videos like this. Thanks! Two Video Suggestions: 1: snack bar oddity AND 2: weird drive in moment. Thank you for creating this historical record for all to enjoy.

[xanadu247]

Right across from that location you fimed was a former mall that closed in the 80's. I was operating as a Harris Antiques which used the whole mall for selling space. After the Antique store closed, the whole mall was torn down to place an Oil Rig drilling site. I wonder if anyone has video of this mall?

[danhostler1985]

@xanadu247 I do recall this building as well, next to the Chuck E Cheese I believe, sadly I do not have video or photo of that in my collection.

[FordMustangSVT2018]

!GENERAL CINEMA CORPORATION PLEASE COME BACK!

[BJBlitzstein]

Great Vid. I worked at General Cinema in the late 80's as a teenager. Loved it.

[annaeharrispink]

YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT!!!!!

[abehammy]

What were some of the other reasons besides the arrogance and not agreeing with amc?

[abehammy]

Didn't gcc close at a time when alot of chains went bankrupt? I heard they were launching a premium concept to go with the approaching trends but why did that not help them? Also what were some other reasons why the chain went bust?

[danhostler1985]

@abehammy GC was already dying when the premium concept was launched. It was a combination of several things on why they shut down but one that stands out is not being able to keep up with the changing industry and had this notion that the new "megaplex" concept that AMC was instituting would never work. By the time GC tried to catch up, it was already too late. I spoke with someone who was once a regional manager for GC, the attitude of malignant narcissism that corporate displayed did them in

[METALMAN4Wii]

@danhostler1985 Kind of like Kmart they don't want to evolve......!

[SoJustCool]

I miss General Cinema...and the popcorn and soda intro...now it's obnoxious amc with a lame into

[Patrick200717]

They still hadn't took down Lowes Cityview Theater in Fort Worth. I'm wondering if that would turn into a Tavern or a shopping center. They should just get rid of it since no one cares about that area.

[Patrick200717]

It was just a really old theater I guess.

[Patrick200717]

I remember seeing Back to the Future 2 there that was the last movie I saw there.

[textsize]

GC was the first movie chain not to use curtains to close the screen.. that was the first nail in the coffin.

[dafunkymex]

I love taking pics of theaters. I didn't get to this one before it was torn down but have pics of a few other General Cinemas in Fort Worth area. They just didn't build theaters that could last for a good amount of time.  Shoebox auditoriums were horrendous even for the 70's and 80's...not that the same-era AMC's and United Artists were any better. The construction of the AMC Grand in Dallas changed everything...and the building of the UA Fossil Creek in Fort Worth

[danhostler1985]

@dafunkymex What pictures do you have from other General Cinemas in Fort Worth? I know that the former Ridgmar location has since become a Movie Tavern.

[dafunkymex]

@danhostler1985 North Hills 7, Arlington Park, the one on New York Ave in Arlington, and what is now the original Movie Tavern but only after it was the Movie Tavern. I usually go take pics once a week of theaters to upload them onto CinemaTour. Next week is closed down UA Plaza and closed down AMC Glen Lakes.

[Gadebalran]

Was kinda sad to learn recently that GCC was gone. Second job I ever had was at the Crossroads 8 GCC in Oklahoma City. Don't live there anymore, but checking on the net and Google Earth I found that the building is still there but is now home to a dollar theater.

[a1cjlock]

What you think? Too small to be a Wal-Mart if it could?

[amctc10]

i never knew gc had so many prblems keep up with amc

[dafunkymex]

@amctc10 But look at AMC now, they are in trouble with their 30 screen theaters...having to sell a couple to Regal in different markets. The theater landscape is changing again.

[noobasaurus2]

I remember going to one of these

Its where I saw Elmo in Grouchland.

[JISINSANE3]

Thanks to GCC I get to enjoy one of my favorite sodas ever, Sunkist.

[rescuehero942]

I Wonder Whats the insides of this building look like?

[amctc10]

I wonder why they havent torn this down yet. so sad to it like this

[danhostler1985]

@amctc10 They did, see entire description

[eddygreen1]

oh man i used to go to this theater in my young years seeing it like this is heartbreaking.

[horngreen]

Well it's far from an architectural wonder so why not bulldoze it.

[mickeysalazar]

Why Did General Cinema Close Down in 2002.

[danhostler1985]

@mickeysalazar it was a combination of alot of things but one of them was because GC could not keep up with the changing cinema industry and lost out on the "Megaplex Era" that AMC was embracing. They filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and AMC acquired whatever was left of them.

[AvantGardeGuy2]

That's right, Dan. I actually made a short documentary on GCC back in summer of 2009. It features the Ridgmar GCC and can be found here on Youtube.

[TheJetfighter666]

Sad.

[Silverfox7771]

anyone knows if the Mann theater chain still around, there the ones who primarry in Californa and now run the Chinnese theather since the late 70's

[penske13]

this is the way it is for us now. our generation is being bulldozed, ground under for the next wave of consumer greed and lust. all the things you were taught to love mean nothing. everything you grew up with is replacable. in just a few years the streets will roll away when the town doesn't make enough money. almost nothing of what i loved made it into the 21st century. it's absolutely frightening to think about all that is gone.

[mantas68]

I couldn't agree more with you. Our generation's demographic has been completely bulldozed. I feel you pain my friend.

[randog69]

@penske13 what sucks. . . the things you were taught by your parents and you believed were right mean nothing to our kids today. Do The Right Thing, Lead By Example, Strive to be Better. . . does not apply, does not compute

[devondobby677890]

whats NINtrack

[danhostler1985]

The song, or songs is called "Ghosts, Parts 1 and 2"

[devondobby677890]

hate to say it but l worked as a manager at three gcc theatres that closed they left almost everything in them when they left they may have taken some projection equipment

[devondobby677890]

im very sad because i been wasnt go to general cinema i was born 1976 . poor general cinema . when they gonig to re open.

[devondobby677890]

why they closed for

[SailorCallie]

They were acquired by AMC in 2002. Why the remaining GCC chains closed is a mystery to me.

[aigomar]

AMC also acquired Loews Cineplex Entertainment in 2006. And now they're about to acquire Kerasotes Theatres.

[kstarpictures]

This is what the world will look like post-zombie apocalpyse.

[danhostler1985]

I'm already stocking up on weapons.

[penske13]

look around man.......it's here already. just without the zombies.

[bradhig]

remind me of the Halls Ferry 14 which was wehrenberg not GCC but it's in the same condition. Too bad you couldn't save the blue GCC logo on the back.

[ApacheMan2K]

I used to go to a General Cinema pretty often, at Baybrook Mall (I live in the Houston, Texas area), back when I was a kid.

[Mushawiff]

whats the NIN track?

[danhostler1985]

The song, or songs is called "Ghosts, Parts 1 and 2"

[thatssogirl]

i see around in fort worth but mor farther down past arlington heights

[willdogma]

If I remember correctly, they closed this particular location down due to multiple robberies there. I worked at the Bedford General Cinema for 3 years, and one of our ex-coworkers was the manager at this location for 2 robberies.

[danhostler1985]

Can you pinpoint a year when all these robberies happened? I'm thinking the GC closed around 2000...

[enigma413]

That building is probably already a home for transients on drugs. They probably found a way inside when security wasn't looking.

[Buckeyeguy84]

Well done!  I worked at 3 different General Cinemas in Columbus, OH between 1984-1989. I was in management part of that time. Your video brought back some good memories.

[NJTFAN92]

I really like the last shot :)

[ravegods]

That last shot is awesome

[BARCACROSSESTHEALPS]

Awesome video...

[214scifi]

I kind of miss the old General Cinemas.

[WizardGlik]

Bet they could have survived if they had gotten more specific.

[bennjr]

They should have re-opened it, under a different name or something. An independent Cinema  company could have picked it up. Are the screens, seats and interiors still there or is it just a shell now?

[Interests2009]

I totally agree. Since the GCC chain went defunct, many of these theaters have either been turned into AMCs, rotted/rotting, or have been torn down. A year ago, I went to a theater which used to be a GCC and still felt like one at heart. Even though they were not very good cinemas, I liked the architecture of them.

[danhostler1985]

bennjr, to answer your question, I am not sure. I assume everything was hauled out when it closed down as the case with all closed down cinemas. I would like to try to get in the building and look around myself. That day of the shoot, me and my friend tried to find a way to get it but with no such luck.

[Interests2009]

I tried to do the same thing at another closed down theater and had no such luck either. I went to that same theater I went to last year (which used to be a GCC) a few hours ago as I write this. While it does bring back memories it still feels like a GCC (now run by Carmike), it makes one realize how bad GCC was. Many people labeled them as ''generally bad cinemas''. The theater will be gone soon and I will be glad of its demise when that happens. That mall in general has seen better days...

[reelme]

Hate to say it but I worked as a manager at three GCC theatres that closed they left almost everyting in them when they left.  They may have taken some projection equipment,

[Interests2009]

I have never worked at a movie theater. I almost did once and it did not work out only b/c I turned down the position on the spot. It turned out that what I did was pretty smart.

A lot of times, when a theater closes down people break in and steal things. It's hard to believe that we are now going on 10 years since this chain's demise. I was always fascinated by the CINEMA I-II-III-IV-V-VI et. Like I said before, I went to this one in Virginia that was run by Carmike but still felt like GCC.

[abehammy]

what do you think theyll eventually do with the building?

[danhostler1985]

Well abehammy, they are no immediate plans the last I heard to do anything with it, its been sitting there decomposing for about 10 years now. It may end up being one of those closed buildings that just stands and nothing is ever done with it. Personally, I think it should remain as is to serve as a reminder that there was once a time going to the cinema show was more intimate and simple rather than the mass multi-megaplexes we have today.

[abehammy]

you should go down there when its in disrepair even more and see if there is a way to get inside and upload a video of it if there is a way.

[abehammy]

do you think you will try to go another time and create an updated video if it looks more decayed

[danhostler1985]

I may, if I ever have the time. This was done early in the year so who knows how much its decomposed in that time.

[abehammy]

if you do can you see if there is a way to get inside again so you can try to film from the inside?

[danhostler1985]

I'll try my best

[erich84502]

Closed for 10 years?

[danhostler1985]

It's just been sitting there, rotting away

[erich84502]

Sad.

[enigma413]

Farewell General Cinema.