Rave Pittsburgh 11 Movie Theater To Close This Week
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - One of the movie theaters in the North Hills is closing its doors.
With the shiny new Cinemark at McCandless Crossings, the torch has been passed and the need for the old Showcase Cinemas North, now Rave Cinemas, is over.
"Mixed emotions, I have a lot of fond memories of brining my kids here," said Carol Reich, of Wexford. "I feel bad about it."
Once Cinemark decided to build in McCandless Crossing, the shutting down of the Rave Cinemas became only a matter of time.
"My kids kind of grew up down here because we live in this area, and they went to the movies here," said Ron Cammarata, of McCandless. "I used to pick them up on Friday nights a couple times a month."
Cinemark has been trying to sell the 33 acres, including the theater, for some time.
Developers considering office buildings, multi-family housing, and mixed use plans with some retail have been interested, but the entire property sits in a flood zone.
Anything other than a theater renovation would require raising the land four feet before construction could begin.
The Port Authority is buying 4.6 acres to formalize and upgrade its Park n Ride lot on the site.
Also, Cinemark is reportedly talking to an interested buyer for the other 28 acres, but so far there's been no offer or ink.
Meanwhile, next door, the proposed Walmart site sits untouched. With the appeal of its approval awaiting Commonwealth Court filings in early June, it's expected to be tied up in court into the fall.
So the only thing moving forward there is the theater's closing.
As scheduled, the final movie will be "Seventh Son," starting at 7:45 p.m. Thursday; and when it ends at 9:30 p.m., the curtain will come down on 35 years of theater history in the North Hills.
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