Regal closing a second Charlotte movie theater as parent company confronts bankruptcy
It’s a wrap for another Charlotte movie theater.
The lights will go out after Thursday’s movie showings at Regal Cinebarre Arboretum at 8008 Arboretum Blvd., Regal said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday.
The Charlotte theater is the latest casualty in Regal parent company’s bankruptcy proceedings. In September, Cineworld Group filed for Chapter 11 protection in Southern District of Texas bankruptcy court.
Less than a month ago, Regal Phillips Place theater at 6911 Phillips Place Court permanently closed.
Regal provided a similarly worded statement to the Observer Wednesday as it did when Phillips Place closed: “As part of our real estate optimization strategy, Regal has made the decision to close our Regal Cinebarre Arboretum theatre as we continue to position our company for long-term growth. We are working to support our employees through this transition.”
The Arboretum theater is one of eight Cinebarre theaters across the country listed as real property assets in Cineworld bankruptcy court documents filed this week.
Among the final shows at the Arboretum theater are “Prey for the Devil,” “Smile” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Other Regal theaters in the Charlotte region
Regal, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, acquired the 12-screen Arboretum theater in 2005. The theater includes restaurant operations serving food, beer and wine.
There are five other Regal theaters in the Charlotte area:
▪ Starlight-Charlotte at 11240 US Hwy 29, Charlotte
▪ Birkdale at 16950 Birkdale Commons Parkway, Huntersville
▪ Stonecrest at Piper Glen at 7824 Rea Road, Charlotte
▪ Franklin Square at 3778 East Franklin Blvd., Gastonia
▪ Manchester Stadium 14 in Rock Hill
Rock Hill theater fate unclear
The Rock Hill theater’s future is unclear.
Like Phillips Place, it was listed with 147 movie theaters across the country that Regal is renegotiating leases, the Observer reported last month.
Regal is York County’s only multi-screen complex after AMC Classic Rock Hill 7 did not reopen during the pandemic as part of a business decision, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Over the past two years, two other Regal theaters closed: Regal Ballantyne closed in January 2020 and Regal Manor Twin on Providence Road in Myers Park closed in May 2020 during the pandemic.
Other movie theater moves in Charlotte
Charlotte lost another movie featuring food and drinks last year.
Studio Movie Grill, based in Texas, did not reopen its University City movie and dine-in theater after filing for bankruptcy. The theater had opened just three months before the shutdowns. In March 2020, the chain closed its first Charlotte theater at Epicentre in uptown.
In March of this year, another Texas chain, Cinergy Dine-In Cinemas, opened at Studio Movie Grill’s former 5336 Docia Crossing Road space off Interstate 485.
In June, The Independent Picture House opened at 4237 Raleigh St. in NoDa as Charlotte’s only art house. Charlotte Film Society, a 40-year-old nonprofit dedicated to bringing foreign, classic and independent films to Charlotte, owns the theater.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Regal closing a second Charlotte movie theater as parent company confronts bankruptcy."