Remembering Good Times at the Cinema

[Halliwax]

The most memorable standee I can remember was for Armageddon with a big digital countdown clock built into it. Looked sad after the movie opened, though, because the clock was permanently at all zeroes.

I got a Armageddon story! Lol

I was dating this girl, her family was French. We were walking in the mall and her grand mother was down from Canada, as we walked by the Armageddon poster the grand mother goes

“Ar-mega-don, must be a new dinosaur movie!”

 

[JediMichael]

This thread has me remembering more and more things from back then.
I remembered back in late 2004, a few of us employees were hanging the banner for the movie, Ladder 49, using this really tall and heavy ladder.
We all took turns writing our names in the ceiling by the silver pole, but, I was the only one that actually wrote it so you could see if from the ground. But, sadly, never got a picture of it. So using this more recent pic off google, I added the red arrow so you get an idea where our names are at. I'm going to ask a friend who lives somewhat close to there if she can go there and see if you can still see my name.
In this pic, there is no banners hanging at all, and they moved all the games that were around the middle poles and now have a manager desk. Boring.
I see they also added 2 fans (finally), so maybe thats why they don't have banners? Being central Florida, it would get so ridiculously hot in the summer. I can't imagine those fans help that much.
And speaking of the lobby.....now I need to get on my phone for some pictures I have.....

 

[Halliwax]

This thread has me remembering more and more things from back then.
I remembered back in late 2004, a few of us employees were hanging the banner for the movie, Ladder 49, using this really tall and heavy ladder.
We all took turns writing our names in the ceiling by the silver pole, but, I was the only one that actually wrote it so you could see if from the ground. But, sadly, never got a picture of it. So using this more recent pic off google, I added the red arrow so you get an idea where our names are at. I'm going to ask a friend who lives somewhat close to there if she can go there and see if you can still see my name.
In this pic, there is no banners hanging at all, and they moved all the games that were around the middle poles and now have a manager desk. Boring.
I see they also added 2 fans (finally), so maybe thats why they don't have banners? Being central Florida, it would get so ridiculously hot in the summer. I can't imagine those fans help that much.
And speaking of the lobby.....now I need to get on my phone for some pictures I have.....
View attachment 1530485

It just amazes me you have all these old photos

 

[ScourgiousJinx]

I second that. It's really awesome that you took the time and put in the effort to document so much.

 

[JediMichael]

Early 2001, a coworker stuck on taking tickets during the morning shift, which coild be extremely super slow, decided to start drawing the lobby. He really only drew a few parts on the smaller square paper in the middle, and then I ended up drawing all the rest over a few months of time.
I kept these and decided to go get them out if the closet to get better pics, which is a bit difficult being 7 pages long.
I was never good at proportionally drawing.

Close ups. I totally put the most detail in the games.

You can see the Star Wars Ep. II banner.

Candy cart that they finally got rid of on left side. It was $7 a pound back then. Too many people would steal the candy.

Most boring page on left.

A close up looking down the hall of the right side of one of those back concession stands before walling it off.

Some of it were drawing of the usher movie schedules. Zoom in to see the movies playing between the 3 pages.

 

[JediMichael]

I second that. It's really awesome that you took the time and put in the effort to document so much.

Its funny, because at the time, wasn't thinking that it was documenting for the future, more just keeping busy and doing stupid stuff.
Since I quite before smart phones were even out, and only some of those older phones could even take pics, none that I had back then, I am thankful that I have had a video camera and would bring it in over the years. Got a camera bag Christmas 98, and still use it today, just many cameras later.

 

[Halliwax]

I second that. It's really awesome that you took the time and put in the effort to document so much.

That’s what I’m saying, it’s the closet thing we have to time travel.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m really enjoying this thread

The names on the ceiling is a wicked cool story

 

[Halliwax]

Its funny, because at the time, wasn't thinking that it was documenting for the future, more just keeping busy and doing stupid stuff.
Since I quite before smart phones were even out, and only some of those older phones could even take pics, none that I had back then, I am thankful that I have had a video camera and would bring it in over the years. Got a camera bag Christmas 98, and still use it today, just many cameras later.

I was just going to ask, was it your digital camera? I know back in 2002 it seemed like I was the only one in my town with a digital camera

The Sony mavic, I would be taking photos everywhere and people would stop and ask what it was, HUGE block of a camera

So seeing all this old footage the first thing I think of was how back then, cell phones, cameras, video cameras.. not everyone had

Today.. everyone has a camera

 

[Halliwax]

700 bucks brand new. When I rode my bike home and showed my mother she was ready to kill me, all summer of landscaping blown on the camera lol.. think I was 15 when I bought it

Now you can get them for 30 bucks on eBay lol

 

[JediMichael]

No digital. All done on tapes. I laid these out 3 years ago and took this pic. Left black camera was my first and used 8mm tapes. It was the next one with the top part missing that I started bring to work sometimes and used Hi 8mm. The next one was my first mini DV and I have the most tapes from that. The other 2 were more back up cameras that weren't used as much. (I now have 2 digitals that I got since this was taken)
If I was to count every tape that has any theater type footage (even if only a few mins), its probably around half these tapes at least.

 

[JediMichael]

Decided to go through some of the tapes.
Over the years went through so many different coworkers. In 2001, we were quite the crazy bunch. We would take the kid booster seats and slide down the side banisters (what we called them). This guy thought it would be funny to slide into the garbage can. So dumb.
Made a gif to make it easier.

 

[JediMichael]

Found this old tape from October 1999. On a night I wasn't working, I recorded from one emergency exit, through the the hallway with theaters 12-20, out to the lobby and to the other side with theaters 3-11 and through the emergency exit on that side. If I hadn't said, we were in the mall and all upstairs.
I forgot the videos games were still in those back areas even at that time. Why did I even film that back then??? Who knows, but I'm SO glad I did for these great memories.

 

[JediMichael]

Decided to edit this and add on youtube, and include projection footage I also found. You can hear how loud 9 projectors in one hallway really are here.

 

[Halliwax]

Decided to go through some of the tapes.
Over the years went through so many different coworkers. In 2001, we were quite the crazy bunch. We would take the kid booster seats and slide down the side banisters (what we called them). This guy thought it would be funny to slide into the garbage can. So dumb.
Made a gif to make it easier.

View attachment 1530552

Laughing so hard

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

Your mall theater was larger than anything I ever had here until they built the new Cinemark multiplex in the early 2000's. What's funny about the cameras is that it was still a novelty back then to own not just a DV, but a tape camera. You could take them anywhere and people would ask "Are you making home movies?" or something, there was a curiosity about them. Now, they're on phones and so common place, most people split down the middle and either don't care, or are put off when a camera is put in front of their face.

 

[JediMichael]

Your mall theater was larger than anything I ever had here until they built the new Cinemark multiplex in the early 2000's. What's funny about the cameras is that it was still a novelty back then to own not just a DV, but a tape camera. You could take them anywhere and people would ask "Are you making home movies?" or something, there was a curiosity about them. Now, they're on phones and so common place, most people split down the middle and either don't care, or are put off when a camera is put in front of their face.

Its so true. I had times where I might be filming something random by myself or a friend, I have had people run up and be like, "are you making a movie, can I be in it?"
Ive had cops/security tell me to put the camera away or to leave. Got a friends even bigger old camera on the Hulk coaster at Universal Orlando years ago.
Once we finished the ride, instead of stopping at rhe unloading section, they brought us all the way to where the loading area was.....we thought we were going to get so busted....but nope. Thats the only times thwy have ever done thar when I rode it. Weird.

 

[JediMichael]

Your mall theater was larger than anything I ever had here until they built the new Cinemark multiplex in the early 2000's. What's funny about the cameras is that it was still a novelty back then to own not just a DV, but a tape camera. You could take them anywhere and people would ask "Are you making home movies?" or something, there was a curiosity about them. Now, they're on phones and so common place, most people split down the middle and either don't care, or are put off when a camera is put in front of their face.

Just happened to stop the mouse there and saw this....nice. Make that next post count....haha

 

[Halliwax]

Its so true. I had times where I might be filming something random by myself or a friend, I have had people run up and be like, "are you making a movie, can I be in it?"
Ive had cops/security tell me to put the camera away or to leave. Got a friends even bigger old camera on the Hulk coaster at Universal Orlando years ago.
Once we finished the ride, instead of stopping at rhe unloading section, they brought us all the way to where the loading area was.....we thought we were going to get so busted....but nope. Thats the only times thwy have ever done thar when I rode it. Weird.

How many screens did your theater have again?

 

[JediMichael]

How many screens did your theater have again?

22
Just found this online. I remembered how many seats were in 2 and 21, biggest theaters, but not the exact numbers of the others.
I believe they have changed out the style of seats at least on some of the theaters. It was like being on an airplane with some, as they were super crammed together.

 

[Halliwax]

Massive theater!