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Source: Detroit News
Two aging movie houses have closed their doors in Oakland County, victims of new theater trends including cineplexes that offer stadium-style seating, premium sound, restaurants and stores. Showcase Cinemas, a division of National Amusements in Dedham, Mass., has shuttered a 12-screen complex in Auburn Hills and five of 10 screens at the Pontiac Showcase in Bloomfield Township.
Both facilities will likely be razed to make way for new commercial offerings. In recent years, many older movie houses have closed across the nation due to a theater building boom that started in 1995. Recent closures in Metro Detroit include a 12-screen AMC Theater in Southfield that was demolished last year to make way for a $30-million, 180-unit condominium development.
"Older movie houses will continue to close," said Harvey Kahalas, dean of the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University in Detroit. "They face competition from VCRs and DVDs, and when people go to see a show, they're looking for an experience, and older theaters don't have it." Newer cineplexes often are complemented with lively Hollywood decor, coffee houses, eateries and record stores. Area examples of this trend include the Uptown Palladium 12 in downtown Birmingham and the Star Southfield, a 20-screen facility in Southfield.