Rave slates July end to Maumee 18
6/18/2010The end of the 18-screen Cinema De Lux on Conant Street in Maumee is coming sooner than expected.
The two-story, 90,000-square-foot complex will close July 11, Rave Motion Pictures announced Thursday. The announcement comes six months after the Dallas-based Rave Motion Pictures bought the area's four largest theater complexes from National Amusements Inc.
Rave originally announced it would close the Maumee 18 in August or September. Jeremy Devine, Rave Motion Pictures vice president of marketing said the closing plans "crystallized" in the past few days, and the date for shutting down the theater was moved up.
All advance ticket purchases at the Maumee 18 for summer blockbusters, including The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, will be honored, with no additional dates for the theater sold beyond July 11, Devine said.
The closing leaves one first-run cinema in Maumee: the 14-screen theater at the Shops at Fallen Timbers. The Fallen Timbers theater recently received the Maumee 18's only 3-D digital projector. Beginning Friday, Fallen Timbers will show Toy Story 3 in 3-D, a first for the theater, Devine said. To mark the occasion, Fallen Timbers will offer free small drinks and popcorn to children 12 and younger this weekend only, he said.
Devine said Rave's goal is to have converted all theaters screens to digital projectors by the end of the year and to install additional 3-D projectors.
Rave is also pursuing the installation of a large-format theater, such as IMAX, most likely at Fallen Timbers, Devine said. It would be the first such large-presentation screen in the market.
Beginning July 2, Rave will drop prices by 50 cents on adult, child, and matinee tickets. Discount combos are in place as well, including free refills on large-sized drinks and popcorn.
The Maumee 18 is Rave's largest theater in the area. It has 4,600 seats, 33.5 acres, and 74 employees. The Maumee 18's closing leaves three Rave theater locations in the area: Levis Commons, Fallen Timbers, and Westfield Franklin Park.
Devine said Rave's "intention is to try and accommodate as many [Maumee 18] employees as possible in the other three buildings."
Contact Kirk Baird at: kbaird@theblade.com
or 419-724-6734