<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n
We have unfortunate news to share, dearest viewers, although some of you have possibly been anticipating it as the pandemic wears on. Thanks to a tip by Confidential agent JK<\/strong>, we learned from a press release issued last Friday, July 17<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, that most of the assets of Goodrich Quality Theaters<\/strong> (GQT) in Kentwood, MI<\/strong>, have been purchased by two New York<\/strong>-based firms, Mason Asset Management<\/strong> and Namdar Realty Group<\/strong>. It rescues the chain from bankruptcy proceedings<\/a><\/span>, although not all the previous GQT locations carry over in the new deal. I reached out to Jake McSparin<\/strong>, vice president of theater operations at the revamped \u201cNew GQT<\/strong>\u201d chain<\/a><\/span>, for clarification and he responded via e-mail, \u201cI can confirm that the Savoy 16 IMAX<\/strong> will not continue on as a Goodrich Quality Theater.\u201d This development effectively reduces the number of first-run screens in Savoy<\/strong> and Champaign-Urbana<\/strong> to less than half from the same time frame a year ago, while the Willow Knolls 14<\/strong> in Peoria<\/strong> is the only one of the four GQT sites in Illinois<\/strong> that is being readied to open under the New GQT brand between now and the end of August.<\/p>\n McSparin, along with family members Mark <\/strong>and Matt<\/strong>, will manage the 22 surviving Goodrich locations through their company VIP Cinemas<\/strong>, which also owns or operates 11 houses in several Midwest states<\/a><\/span> and is headquartered in nearby Charleston<\/strong>. What happened in Savoy, then? \u201cGQT was unable to develop a continued partnership with the landlord at this location,\u201d explained McSparin in his reply, identifying them as EPR Properties<\/strong> of Kansas City, MO<\/strong>. One look at the theater portfolio on the webpage of EPR<\/a><\/span>, a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and leases commercial sites across the United States<\/strong> to companies that trade in memorable customer experiences, and I wonder how much the future of Savoy 16 is up in the air. EPR might sell it since the exhibition industry is abysmal and they have nearly 200 other theaters to watch over. EPR could also court any of the dozen or so chains such as AMC, Cinemark<\/strong>, or Regal<\/strong> that are tenants in their facilities elsewhere. Interestingly, the interior design of their theaters can be retrofit to accommodate other kinds of merchants as detailed in this animated video. It’s a handy option<\/a><\/span> if multiplexes remain closed due to COVID-19<\/strong> restrictions and the plot of Savoy land is valuable to them, assuming Savoy 16 was built for this. I\u2019ve written to EPR for comment on their plans.<\/p>\n All that loyal customers can do in the present is remember their best moments with family, friends and favorite movies at Savoy 16 while we await AMC to resume shows in north Champaign. I seemed to prefer Savoy for my Hollywood<\/strong> screenings and appreciated the chain\u2019s dedication to contemporary Asian films, special event programming, and the rare low-budget release<\/a><\/span>, so I\u2019ll miss making the trek south on Route 45<\/strong> for a visit. According to Perry C. Morris<\/strong>\u2019 ever-expanding website<\/a><\/span>, Champaign Urbana Theater History<\/strong>, construction commenced for the original Savoy 10<\/strong> in May 1990<\/strong> and Goodrich welcomed their first audiences on December 19<\/strong> of that year. Four screens were added in 1993 and two more in 1998, after which a major remodeling incorporated the area\u2019s first IMAX screen in 2013. Months shy of their 30th anniversary in Savoy, Goodrich opened their last wide-release films back on Friday, March 13<\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 BLOODSHOT, EMMA., THE HUNT, I STILL BELIEVE<\/strong> \u2013 while the final attraction to debut there was the CBN<\/strong>-funded dramatization, I AM PATRICK: THE PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND<\/strong>, on Tuesday, March 17<\/strong>. The auditorium lights at 232 W. Burwash Avenue<\/strong> went dark a day or two later.<\/p>\n No matter what EPR announces, the parting of Goodrich and the Savoy 16 IMAX affects the place of cinema in Champaign County<\/strong> just like several other recent occurrences. You can hit the links to read about how venue owners are doing what they can<\/a><\/span> to combat a loss in revenue, when blatant neglect adds insult to injury<\/a><\/span>, and why underachieving foresight amounts to plain and simple insult<\/a><\/span>. In better news, AMC Champaign 13<\/strong> should come back, the Virginia Theatre<\/strong> will come back, and the Avon Theater<\/strong> is<\/em> back and hopping with popcorn. What else<\/em> do we have? For the sake of our communities, commerce, and cultural arts, the foundation must be strengthened with new materials if not rebuilt from scratch if we want to avoid relegating the motion picture to flat screens, monitors, tablets, and smart phones. Once we thwart the virus, I want to see viral evidence aplenty of filmic action and innovation stirring up the C-U again.<\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n [Updated 7\/24\/20, 5 p.m. CST]<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n In a restructuring effort by new ownership, the Goodrich Quality Theaters chain has decided to let go of the Savoy 16 IMAX in Savoy, IL. It could reopen if another tenant-operator fills the void.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[348,23,119,26],"tags":[1160,2243,2241,854,905,1944,2242],"class_list":["post-13632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ones-that-got-away","category-preservation","category-sad-places","category-theatres-venues","tag-champaign-urbana-theater-history","tag-coronavirus-2020","tag-goodrich-quality-theaters","tag-hollywood","tag-savoy-16-theatres","tag-savoy-il","tag-theaters-du-c-u"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13632\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.micro-film-magazine.com\/cublog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"