Arbor Cinema
Arbor Cinema
Written by Rachel Youens Thursday, 07 June 2007
Theater keeps independent films in Northwest Austin
He doesn’t remember the exact year the Arbor Cinema closed, but manager Kevin Prewitt remembers the movie that was out at the time.
Starship Troopers was just being released as the theater closed the doors on its unique Arboretum location, where artificial thunderstorms pounded in the lobby’s second floor every half hour.
Although the old location is now occupied by a Cheesecake Factory restaurant, the Arbor Cinema lives on in a new location since 2003 and continues to keep independent films available in north Austin.
“I like to think I’m doing my part to keep Austin weird,” Prewitt said. “Most of our customers here are older or are college students. It’s not teenagers hanging out.”
The Arbor Cinema marked a change in Regal Entertainment Group’s offerings. In 1999, Regal started converting some of its theaters to Cinema Art, where independent, vintage or art films would be shown. The Arbor is the only one of these in Austin, and only one of two in Texas. It’s hard for an independent movie theater to thrive, Prewitt said, but it’s the support of Regal that allows the theater to make it.
“If you had told me then that I’d be running a theater, I never would have believed you. Most people don’t realize that it’s difficult because it’s really a business. Ordering supplies, scheduling movie times and finding reliable staff are all challenges of the job.”
The Arbor Cinema participates in three film festivals, the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, the Austin Film Festival and the South by Southwest Film Festival. The Arbor is the northernmost theater for two of these festivals, primarily set in the downtown area.
“I like doing festivals because of the crowds of new people and excitement it brings in,” Prewitt said. “When we started showing Brokeback Mountain we were the only cinema in town that had it, and for a while half of our theater was showing only Brokeback Mountain.”
For the Brokeback Mountain premiere, author Larry McMurtry, the film’s writer, made an appearance, and Prewitt says many other filmmakers have passed through the Arbor including Quentin Tarantino. The set-back location along Research Boulevard affords the theater a sense of secrecy.
“I miss the old theater. I miss the thunderstorms and I still can’t bring myself to eat at the Cheesecake Factory that’s there now,” Prewitt said. “But at least here you don’t have to run up the stairs every time you have to go to the bathroom during a movie.”
History of the Arbor Cinema
The Arbor Cinema was known as one of Austin’s top theaters for many years before its move. Built in 1985, the seven-screen theater was one of the first tenants in the Arboretum. One of the theater’s novelties was the THX sound system and certification. A letter from Star Wars creator and THX owner George Lucas was mailed to the Arbor, thanking them for their high-quality choice of sound system. In 2002 Simon Property Group opted to terminate the theater’s lease at the Arboretum.
Regal Arbor Cinema, 9828 Great Hills Trail • 231-9742, www.regalcinemas.com
0 Comments 