Star Theatres was an American movie theatre chain, initially owned and operated by Loeks Star Partners and Loews Cineplex Entertainment, and later by AMC Theatres.
Star Theatres was founded as a partnership between Jim and Barrie Loeks and Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc., the company that owned Loews Theatres in the 1980s. The Loeks, who were based in Michigan before becoming co-CEOs of Sony Loews Theatres in 1992, designed and operated the Star Theatres chain. Based solely in Michigan, Star was known for having exceptional service, extravagant interior designs, many screens, and in some cases, stadium-style seating. The chain made the Summer 1990 Entertainment Weekly Honor Roll for movie theaters with the late Detroit Free Press critic Kathy Huffhines declaring, "IT'S FRIENDLY, kicky, and cute and looks like a bright red-and-white jukebox from the outside.". [1] The slogan was "Love*Laugh*Live" and "Larger than Life".[ citation needed ]
The chain came to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s as more audiences chose to view films at a megaplex. Over time, some locations shut down or moved, while others thrived. The Southfield, Michigan and Auburn Hills, Michigan locations were considered the flagships of the chain and remained very popular with local movie-goers. The Loeks sold their 50% interest in the chain to Loews Cineplex Theatres in 2002. The chain was subsequently sold to AMC Theatres in 2006 when Loews was purchased by AMC. The theaters were rebranded as AMC theatres in 2018. The Southfield location permanently closed in 2020, [2] and the Fairlane Town Center location closed in 2022. [3]
Loews Cineplex Entertainment, also known as Loews Incorporated, was an American theater chain operating in North America.
Cineplex Odeon Corporation was one of North America's largest movie theatre operators and live theatre, with theatres in its home country of Canada and the United States. The Cineplex Odeon brand is still being used by Cineplex Entertainment at some theatres that were once owned by the Cineplex Odeon Corporation, with newer theatres using the Cineplex Cinemas brand. The company was the result of Cineplex Corporation in 1984 purchasing and merging with Canadian Odeon Theatres, which itself was the result of a merger between Canadian Theatres and Odeon Theatres of Canada in 1978.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered in Leawood, Kansas. It is the largest movie theater chain in the world. Founded in 1920, AMC has the largest share of the U.S. theater market ahead of Regal Cinemas and Cinemark Theatres.
Regal Cinemas is an American movie theater chain founded on August 10, 1989 and owned by the British company Cineworld, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with 6,853 screens in 511 theaters as of December 31, 2021. The three main theater brands operated by Regal Entertainment Group are Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres.
Cineplex Inc. is a Canadian operator of movie theater and family entertainment centers, headquartered in Toronto. It is the largest cinema chain in Canada; as of 2019, it operated 165 locations, and accounted for 75% of the domestic box office.
Empire Theatres Limited was a movie theater chain in Canada, a subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd., the holding company of the Sobey family conglomerate.
Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous movie theatre locations in Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. The company was owned by Viacom Canada but was sold to Cineplex Galaxy LP in 2005.
Magic Johnson Theatres is a chain of movie theaters, originally developed in 1994 by Johnson Development Corporation, the business holding of basketball player-turned-entrepreneur Magic Johnson, and Sony Pictures Entertainment through a partnership with Sony-Loews Theatres.
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens or auditoriums within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an extension or expansion of the building. The largest of these complexes can sit thousands of people and are sometimes referred to as a megaplex.
Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. The mall is adjacent to The Henry Hotel, The Fairlane Club, the University of Michigan–Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, The Henry Ford, and the Ford Motor Company headquarters. The anchor stores are Macy's and JCPenney, with vacant anchor spaces last occupied by AMC Theatres, Sears, and Ford Motor Company offices.
Celebration Cinema is a movie theater chain owned and operated by Studio C with headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Its theaters serve the cities and surrounding areas of Grand Rapids, Lansing, Muskegon, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Portage/Kalamazoo, and Mount Pleasant. An average of 5.5 million customers see movies annually through Studio C's Celebration Cinemas locations.
John "Jack" Loeks was an American movie theater pioneer, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He opened one of the first muliplex theaters, Studio 28.
Southland Center is an enclosed mall located at 23000 Eureka Road in Taylor, Michigan, exactly halfway between U.S. Highway 24 and the Interstate 75 freeway. The mall features Macy's, JCPenney, and Best Buy, in addition to a 12-screen stadium Cinemark Theatres. It is the newest of the Detroit area's original four "land" malls. Southland Center opened on July 20, 1970. It is owned and managed by Brookfield Properties, one of the largest mall owners in the United States.
The Streets of Woodfield is a lifestyle center located at I-290 and Higgins Road in Schaumburg, Illinois, directly across from Woodfield Mall. McCaffery Interests, a Chicago-based real estate developer, rebuilt the mall into the present-day configuration as a shopping and entertainment mall anchored by Legoland Discovery Center, Restoration Hardware Outlet, and Dick's Sporting Goods. This lifestyle center also features outparcels across the street like Crate & Barrel and Whole Foods Market. There is also a 20-screen AMC Loews Streets of Woodfield 20. The lifestyle center is known throughout the area as a prominent shopping destination.
MovieTickets.com is an online movie ticketing website founded by AMC Theatres and Hollywood.com in 2000; CBS Corporation, Famous Players, and National Amusements all came on board prior to launch; and it is now a subsidiary of Fandango Media. MovieTickets.com provides movie times for all theaters, and online ticket purchasing for all Clearview Cinemas and National Amusements theaters, among other smaller chains; such as Mann Theatres in Los Angeles. In 2010, MovieTickets.com sold over 16 million tickets for over 200 exhibitors, with 14,000 screens.
Emagine Entertainment Inc. is an American movie theater chain based in Troy, Michigan, operating 28 cinemas in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Emagine is ranked as the 9th largest theatre chain in North America.
NCG Cinemas is a movie theater chain headquartered in Owosso, Michigan and are owned and operated by the Geiger family. The chain consists at present of 25 theaters with 147 screens. Most of the theaters are located in Michigan with 10 locations, especially in the Flint/Tri-Cities region and the Greater Lansing area. The group also operates in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, New York State, North and South Carolina and Tennessee.
Lincoln Park Shopping Center was a shopping center located at the corner of Southfield Road and Dix Highway, mostly in Lincoln Park, Michigan, though a portion containing a former Farmer Jack supermarket and a former Wendy's restaurant lay in neighboring Allen Park. Anchored by Sears and completed by 1957, it was one of the first large-scale strip complexes in the Downriver Detroit suburbs prior to the 1970 opening of Southland Center.