Las Vegas
A Photo Album
When travelling through the American South-West, people usually stop in Las Vegas, known as gamble capital of the world. The city is surrounded by desert. It has a record number of hotel rooms, and an impressive number of huge hotels & casinos, where one can stay, eat, and have fun at very decent prices. The rest is only a question of will, organization, and luck!
No movie palaces in Las Vegas, nor old large theaters divided into complexes, only complexes, old or recent, ranging from two to eighteen screens, some of them into casinos, and one last drive-in.
Just like in every big city, multiplexes were built those past few years, but few older theaters closed down so far.
The marked is shared between three circuits: Century Theatres, Regal Cinemas and United Artists. Their theaters usually offer THX and digital sound.
Century Theatres
This circuit owns eight theaters, one of them being the only drive-in in the city, and seven complexes or multiplexes.
The entrance of the Gold Coast Twin is most sober, and almost hard to see, inside the Gold Coast Casino. Its two auditoriums are equipped with Dolby Digital sound, and have the THX label.
The Redrock 11 plays second-run movies on its eleven screens; as the ad states, the entrace fee is two dollars "all seats, all times". All auditoriums are equipped with Dolby Stereo.
The "Cinedomes"
For a time, the Cinedomes were the mark of Century Theatres. They are medium sized complexes (twelve to sixteen screens, and as few as eight screens in other areas); each auditorium has a round shape, and a dome-like roof. This roof can often be seen from the auditoriums. The screens are curved and are about 40-ft wide, which was more than decent when these theaters were built, but in the largest auditoriums, they are a bit small by today's standards.Auditoriums were remodelled and equipped with digital sound. But this kind of complexes became obsolete, and they will eventually close down, to be replaced with more casual multiplexes.
I tried hard, but I couldn't bring back any pictures of the auditoriums.
Easily recognizable, the Cinedomes Las Vegas offers twelve auditoriums.
Away from the Las Vegas, the Cinedome Henderson is located in Henderson, a neighboring town which is becoming part of the the suburbs. It also has twelve auditoriums.
The Regal Texas Station, four years after its opening, has already known major remodelling, with six auditoriums being added to the twelve original ones. It is located near the Las Vegas Drive-Ins. The six new auditoriums abide by the new standards (wide curved screens, stadium style seating...), and all have the THX label. The entrance, formerly outside the casino, is now inside. The new auditoriums are located on the second floor.
The Regal Village Square has the largest number of screens in Las Vegas (eighteen), but it doesn't seem huge, and one doesn't feel lost inside. The front, although a bit gloomy, is original, looking like a factory or a warehouse. Inside, the theater is divided into two symmetrical parts. All theaters are located on the same level. The largest auditoriums have about 450 stadium style seats and 50-ft-wide curved screens. Red is dominant in the auditoriums, which is very nice compared to most multiplexes. In the smallest auditoriums, screens are 1.85-type.
The Regal Colonnade opened its fourteen auditoriums June 25, 1999. The front reminds of the Village Square. Same impression inside, from the smallest to the largest auditoriums, from the lobby to the corridors, it looks like the Village Square. Like the Village Square, all auditoriums have the THX label.
The Rainbow Promenade offers ten screens...
The United ArtistsShowcase has by far the best location. Although most its competitors are located in the suburbs or in medium sized casinos away from the strip, this eight-screen complex is located on the strip, within the famous MGM hotel and casino (the largest hotel in the world, 5,005 rooms). It is also one of the newest theaters (it opened in 1996). It offers eight correct auditoriums, screens up to 50 ft wide, digital sound, and the largest auditoriums have the THX label.
Formerly owned by United Artists, the Cinema 8 doesn't keep much trace of its famous owner. It plays second-run movies, at a discount price.
In August 1999, the "Paris" hotel and casino, along with its 50-story high Eiffel Tower, was inaugurated. This event was relayed across France. This is why I chose to put this unrelated picture..