Jack Goes Confidential: Butch Goes to the Movies at Crown Center!
Motion Picture Management, a partnership between local movie mavens Butch Rigby and John Shipp, are bringing film exhibition back to Crown Center in Kansas City.
The pair currently manage the PLAZA 8 THEATRE, a discount movie operation in St. Joseph, Missouri.
To be known as SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER, Kansas City’s newest movieplex will take over the two remaining auditoriums of Crown Center’s previous six-plex located on the 3rd floor of Crown Center Shops.
The main auditorium will seat 175 while the second seats 125.
The other four auditoriums were converted into the OFF CENTER THEATRE—a live entertainment venue.
So what will be the booking policy for SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER?
“Middle Art—somewhere between the current SCREENLAND and TIVOLI fare,” Rigby says. ”We’re going to bring films to SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER that would otherwise not have a run in Kansas City. And we’ll supplement these bookings with occassional classics and other first run art (films).”
…And whats to become of the current SCREENLAND THEATRE at 17th and Washington?
Rigby says he’ll continue to keep it booked with speciality films, the Roast, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, and other special interest programming.
SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER will share boxoffice, concession, and most other operations with those of the OFF CENTER THEATRE which are already in place.
For larger and special film events, SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER will also be able to make use of OFF CENTER THEATRE’s 240 seat auditorium.
Any major PHYSICAL changes in the offing?
Rigby says they’re not necessary as the two remaining movie theatre auditoriums at Crown Center were in exceptionally good condition when the previous operator stopped showing films there.
“We’ll be performing some visual enhancements at SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER by re-decorating various areas with original, classic movie posters,” Rigby noted.
A grand opening of SCREENLAND CROWN CENTER–with adult beverage service—is scheduled for mid-December.
Jack Poessiger
October 28th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Good luck to Butch. Wish he would transfer those plush overstuffed chairs from Crossroads to Crown Center though.
October 28th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
The little Tupac and Lil’ Kim wanna be’s will have this thing shut down faster than Pier 31 during a longshoreman’s strike. It will make the KCK Granada experience look outrageously successful.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Wrong smartman. Granada was a totally different deal. Butch owned it. The Crown Center is strictly a management deal. No way the boys can lose on this one.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
Has anyone heard how Rigby’s theatre in NKC is doing? Been hearing that it’s barely hanging in there.
October 30th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
This could become Butch’s Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Not really.