Star Theatres was an American

movie theatre A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

chain owned and operated by Loeks Star Partners. It was a partnership between Jim and Barrie Loeks and Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc., the company that owned

Loews Theatres Loews may refer to: * Loews Cineplex Entertainment, formerly Loews Incorporated, a defunct North American cinema chain which formerly owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer **''United States v. Loew's Inc.'', a United States Supreme Court case involving Loews ...

in the 1980s. The Loeks, who were based in Michigan before becoming co-CEOs of Sony Loews Theatres in 1992, designed and operated the Star Theatres chain. Based solely in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, Star was known for having exceptional service, extravagant interior designs, many screens, and in some cases, stadium-style seating. The chain made the Summer 1990

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

Honor Roll for movie theaters with the late ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' critic Kathy Huffhines declaring, "IT'S FRIENDLY, kicky, and cute and looks like a bright red-and-white jukebox from the outside.". The slogan was "Love*Laugh*Live" and "Larger than Life". The chain came to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s as more audiences chose to view films at a

megaplex A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into s ...

. Over time, some locations shut down or moved, while others thrived. The

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its ...

and

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...

locations were considered the

flagships A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the chain and remained very popular with local movie-goers. The Loeks sold their 50% interest in the chain to Loews Cineplex Theatres in 2002. The chain was subsequently sold to AMC Theatres in 2006, when AMC purchased Loews. The theaters were rebranded as AMC theatres in 2018. The Southfield location permanently closed in 2020, and the Fairlane Town Center location closed in 2022.

References

{{Reflist

Locations

*AMC Star Southfield 20 - Southfield (opened June 1997, closed 2020) *AMC Star Gratiot 15 - Clinton Township (opened May 1990, expanded to 21 screens by 1998 (as Star Gratiot 21), downsized to 15 screens 2018) *Star Holland 8 -

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

(opened 1989) *Star Lincoln Park 8 -

Lincoln Park Shopping Center Lincoln Park Shopping Center (also referred to as Sears Shopping Center) was a shopping center located at the corner of M-39 (Michigan highway), Southfield Road and U.S. Route 25 in Michigan, Dix Highway, mostly in Lincoln Park, Michigan, Lincoln ...

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

(opened May 1988, closed 2003, demolished 2018) *AMC Fairlane 21 -

Fairlane Town Center Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. The mall is adjacent to The Henry Hotel, The Fairlane Club, the University of Michigan–Dearborn, Henry Ford Community College, The Henry Ford, a ...

, Dearborn (opened May 2000 as Star Fairlane 21, closed 2022) *AMC Grand Rapids 18 -

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

(opened 1992 as Star Grand Rapids 18) *AMC Star Great Lakes 25 -

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, formerly Great Lakes Crossing, is a shopping mall in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The site of the mall was originally to have been occupied by a different mall called Auburn M ...

Auburn Hills Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct ...

(opened April 1999) *Star Rochester Hills 10 -

Rochester Hills Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 76,300. It is the 14th-largest city in Michigan. The area was ...

(opened October 1989, closed and sold 2010, remodeled into a location of an Emagine theatre) *Star Taylor 10 -

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...

(opened October 1989, closed 2009, reopened 2010 as Spotlight Theaters Taylor 10, Spotlight Theaters Taylor 10 closed 2012) *AMC John R 15 - Madison Heights (opened December 1989 as Star John R 15) *Star Winchester - Winchester Mall,

(opened 1985, closed 1999, rebuilt into a strip mall) Movie theatre chains in the United States Former cinemas in the United States AMC Theatres