There's no more popcorn popping and no more tickets to be torn at the AMC Loews Catalina 6, which closed its doors last Monday.
Closure of the revered movie theater at 2300 N. Campbell Ave., known for showing both first-run and independent films, came as a surprise to many — including some of the people who want to buy the property.
Officials of AMC Entertainment Inc., the Kansas City, Mo.-based operator of AMC Theatres, have declined to elaborate on why the company closed the Catalina 6.
The private partnership that's looking to assemble and redevelop the entire southeast corner of East Grant Road and North Campbell Avenue didn't hear the theater was going to close until it was reported in the Arizona Daily Star, said Barry Baker, a representative for Campbell/Grant LLC.
"The closing had nothing to do with the attempted assemblage of the land," said Baker. "It had almost closed in the past and reopened, and it had been off and on for some time. They've indicated it was a possibility. We made no conditions."
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In fact, the partners — who have the theater under contract — asked AMC Theatres, the current theater owners, to enter into a lease-back agreement that would last for at least a couple of years, Baker said.
The company's response?
"Complete silence," Baker said.
Baker said the company had given the partnership no specific reason why they might close the theater. The theater, known for its selection of independent and art-house films, opened in mid-1940s with one screen and was replaced in 1988 with a six-screen complex.
"The best way I can characterize it is, it's a very challenging business," Baker said. "It's very difficult arranging the titles and the costs of keeping it open. It's antiquated compared to megaplexes. I think at the end of the day it was simply not competitive."
The partnership is still trying to buy a small retail building with three separate spaces with three different owners. One space is empty while the others are occupied by a laundromat and a barber shop. Asked if any of the properties were under contract, Baker declined to comment.
Though the Catalina's closing leaves one less place where movie lovers can go to watch independent and art-house films, they can still be found at the Grand Cinemas Crossroads 6, 4811 E. Grant Road; Century El Con 20, 3601 E. Broadway; The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway; The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St.; and the University of Arizona's Gallagher Theater.
And don't lament the loss of culture, or just something to do, at the corner of East Grant Road and North Campbell Avenue. Bookman's is staying put — at least through November of 2008.
Bookman's Used Books Music and Software, 1930 E. Grant Road, announced last week that it has negotiated a new, two-year lease at that location, according to a press release from Sean Feeney, vice president.
And soon, another theater may fill the void.
The Marshall Foundation, which has been redeveloping the western edge of the University of Arizona, is in negotiations with a national movie theater company to build a 33,000-square-foot theater complex near North Euclid Avenue and East University Boulevard, just east of the Tucson Marriott University Park, 880 E. Second St.
"We know we need an entertainment component down there. We're looking at a sort of multipurpose building that has the opportunity to be a six- to eight-screen theater," said Jane McCollum, general manager of the Marshall Foundation. "I would say probably by the end of the year we can say, 'Yeah, we can do this or no we can't.' "
McCollum said the foundation has been working on the deal for months and still has a long way to go.
"We know we need an entertainment component down there. We're looking at a sort of multipurpose building that has the opportunity to be a six- to eight-screen theater."
Jane McCollum
Speaking of possible UA-area theater