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ajohnson2371 t1_j7bftlu wrote

Reply to comment by Lil_Brown_Bat in What does Worcester need? by AnteaterEastern2811

Movie theater in general. Worcester is one of the few cities in this country with a population of 200k+ without one. Back in the day, Worcester had at least three or four:

  • Lincoln Plaza (three screens)
  • Worcester Galleria (three screens)
  • Webster Square (two screens)
  • Showcase (five screens, now it's the Hanover Theater)

Plus, White City in Shrewsbury was just over the city line and had bus transport.

Showcase North came along later on, and was the place especially when Lincoln and Webster Square went bye bye. Soon enough, it was the sole theater in all of Worcester. Now it's completely gone, soon to become yet another warehouse complex. Shame.

Mind you, I don't mind hitting up West Boylston or Elm Draught House to support the local business (plus it's cheaper than going to Blackstone), but you have to admit the lack of a theater in general is a bit nuts.

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AceOfTheSwords t1_j7c7f0n wrote

Big cinemas that keep up-to-date with new releases are dying everywhere, not just here. Whether that's just people preferring to stream at home, or the marketing required to get big blockbusters on your screens not being financially feasible without unrealistic attendance rates, it's undeniable and only accelerated by the pandemic. Just recently Regal Cinemas has been going through a bankruptcy. Clearly Worcester and all surrounding towns can only sustain one of the big cinemas, and Blackstone is just where it ended up.

If anything I'd like to see the old Olympia Theatre on Pleasant St be updated to be a modern 2-screen theater. Though it looks like the current owners are placing their bets on making it another tiny indoor music venue.

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ajohnson2371 t1_j7d4veq wrote

That's not the one that was an adult theater for a bunch of years, was it? I'm not thinking of the Paris Theater on Front Street across from Turtle Boy.

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