GC3655G (MCH) Warren Cinema City Theatre (Traditional Cache) in Michigan, United States created by RayQix

GC3655G ▼

A cache by RayQix Message this owner

Hidden : 10/17/2011

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Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

The Michigan Cinema History (MCH) caches are dedicated to the local creation, viewing,
or enjoyment of movie and cinema-related items in the local area.

This can include, and is not limited to, people, places, and things of Cinema or both past-and-present.

(This series is a companion to the Detroit Cinema History (DCH) and Ontario Cinema History (OCH) series.)

Michigan Cinema History:
The Warren Cinema City Theatre
13861 E. 8 Mile Road at Schoenherr, Warren, MI

info update: 4/17/2013

OPEN: 1960's | CLOSED: 1992 | SEATS: 1,800 (approx)

Cinema City, After it closed.

The Cinema City Warren was the local theater-home to countless film viewers and also included some "offbeat" films along with the first-run, mainstream ones and had also been known as the Warren Quad, Warren Theater, or the Warren Cinema 4.

The signage that was on the building

It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and was owned by General Cinemas which also owned the Cinema at the Macomb Mall and other cinema-houses in the Metro Detroit area, many located at shopping centers or malls.

Close-up of the Box Office

It was built as a 2-screen theater in the mid-1960's at the north end of the Carousel Shopping Center and had some recognizable retail stores around it to support it such as Farmer Jack, Arlans, Revco Drugs, Perry Drugs, and many more including a furniture store at the south-end that has continued to remain there to this day.

FOUR of the many stores that are no longer around that were part of this shopping center which brought customers to the Cinema City Theatre.
ARLAN'S was a 'mass merchandising' store with clothing, housewares, and other various items that went bankrupt in 1973.
Farmer Jack was a grocery store that disappeared in the early 2000's, Perry and Revco were both drugstores.

It started its existence as a 2-screen complex and those two were later "split" in the 1970's into a total of four theaters, each accomodating 450 patrons.

The inside of a General Cinemas theatre. The Cinema City was very close to this inside.

When Cinema City was built, the nearby Ramona Theater in Detroit at McNichols & Gratiot (about 2 miles away) had to share some of the patrons and customers that had gone there for years. Cinema City was much newer and state-of-the-art (for the time) than most of the older movie-houses that had been there for years. It's been said by some folks that Cinema City's popularity led to the decline in business and later closing of the Ramona Theatre.

One of the exit-doors and steps.

There were usually plenty of sell outs and long lines at the outdoor box office with the many patrons that enjoyed the shows here. Many times when the sun would be shining down on the parking-lot facing box office, the sunlight would be so intense and would reflect in the glass of the box office and made it very difficult to see the cashiers inside the booth behind the glass.

Pac & friends

After a few years, the management brought in video games to attract customers as well and have a "mini arcade" inside the lobby. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Gorf, Missile Command, Berzerk, and various other pixelized-based characters came to life on the "small screens" here and ate a LOT of quarters (they must've been really hungry, eh?).

Rocky Horror was and is a favorite of mine and many others that attended shows at the Cinema City.

One of the best memories that many people have of Cinema City was the MANY showings of the (supposed) cult-film "Rocky Horror Picture Show", which was shown for MANY years on Friday and Saturday Nights at 12-midnight. Most of the Midnight Shows were usually "crazy". It was a very fun showing for many of the people involved, except for the staff... having to clean-up from all the folks throwing toast and going crazy with squirt guns and newspaper that were part of that movie's "atmosphere".

There was even a group of "regulars" here for the Rocky Horror Picture Show that would "act-out" the things going on up on the Big Screen. That group was called "Shock Treatment", so named because of a sequel to RHPS. "Shock Treatment" members would enhance the experience of the show and made it even more fun.

Later-on, the members of "Shock Treatment" would have to agree to assist in the cleanup after-the-show to be able to continue having the theater show the film, since the audience would bring-in things like toast, newspapers, and even squirt-guns as part of the Audience Participation that was well-known to go along with the film.

In addition to Rocky Horror, the (supposed) cult-flim "Return of the Living Dead" was shown in another one of the theaters at the same time as RHPS. Unfortunately, it didn't have the same following or Audience Participation as Rocky Horror had.

Close-up of the canopy lights over the entrance.

The economy changed, and the entertainment needs of the public would move towards more home-based things, as well as other even-newer theaters being built with things such as "stadium seating" and various other amenities.

The theater was located approx 600' ENE of this location and demolished in 1992. What remains there now is a vacant piece of land next to what had been a Crafts and Nursery Store at one time and then later a School.

1973 Aerial view of Cinema City.

Many folks have good, happy memories of Cinema City. Most of us never thought it would ever go away...but today it's just a bunch of memories...and at least we have those.

Enjoy the hunt, as i've enjoyed the hide...
...and BE AWARE of your surroundings.