Cheap Seats

Back in June Jack Loeks Theaters bought out the two Cinemark movie theaters here in Grand Rapids, which seemed really odd to me. The Cinemark at Woodland Mall had just been built so there was no way they were planning to knock them down, yet they clearly didn't need those theater just to push their ownership of locals screen from 80 to 98 of 122 area screens.

Sunday's edition of the Grand Rapids Press revealed their true intentions:

"We've seen what Woodland was doing in regards to competing with other first-run theaters, and it wasn't working," said Ron Van Timmeren, Loeks' vice president of programming. "It was one first-run theater too many."

Which means they plan to turn Cinemark Woodland into a second-run and independent movie theater beginnning Friday, August 10. Tickets are $3.50 for all shows at all times. The first group of second-run screenings will include the following movies:

1408
Evan Almighty
Evening
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Knocked Up
License to Wed
Nancy Drew
Ocean's Thirteen
Shrek the Third
Spider-Man 3
Surf's Up

Independent films:
Joshua
La Vie en Rose (Grand Rapids premiere)
A Mighty Heart
Once
Sicko
Waitress

I just hope this works out better than the old Movies @ Woodland. Though I am guessing it will soon be run amok with teenagers on cell phones talking during the movies.