Harkins Theatres
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Harkins Theatres is an American
movie theater 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 with locations throughout the
Southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Harkins Theatres is privately owned and operated by its parent company, Harkins Enterprises, LLC. The company currently operates 33 theaters with 501 screens throughout
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, and
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
.


History


Founding

In 1931, at the age of sixteen, Dwight "Red" Harkins left Cincinnati, Ohio, on his Harley Davidson motorcycle for Hollywood. Dwight planned to pursue a role in one of the new "talkies." By the time he arrived in Tempe, Arizona, he could no longer afford to continue his quest. After several years in Tempe, he sought out a new career operating a movie house. In 1933, he opened the State Theatre in Tempe, at the age of 18 after putting $50 down on the lease to take over the State Theatre. The State Theatre was originally the Goodwin Opera House, opened in 1907.


Early years

In 1934, Red Harkins built an outdoor theater in Tempe Beach Park, which lasted for only one summer. Afterward, in 1940, Harkins built the College Theater (currently Harkins Valley Art). The theater contained innovations such as glow-in-the-dark carpets, headphones for the hearing impaired, and automatic drinking fountains. The theater is significant in that it is Tempe's only Depression-era theater. The last theater opened by Red Harkins was the "Camelview 5" theater in 1973. The Camelview 5 closed down in December 2015 and the "''Camelview'' ''at Fashion Square''" location opened as a 14-theater space in the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall.


Dan Harkins

In 1974, Dwight Harkins died, leaving the company to his wife, Viola. Dwight had 6 children. At that time the company was near
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
. After reworking the company, Dan, Dwight's 4th son, extensively expanded the theatre chain from five locations in the
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
area to the current 33 locations in four states - Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, and Southern California. The Texas Southlake location was operational until November 2, 2020. Harkins Theatres struggled financially because it was unable to book many first-run movies. In 1977, Dan Harkins filed a lawsuit against a group of film distributors alleging they had prevented Harkins from booking many top first-run movie titles. Movie studios began settling with Harkins. As a result of the lawsuit, Harkins Theatres was able to show a run of the 1940
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
film ''
Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
'' in May 1982, starting a string of successful releases. Dan Harkins has won several awards for his work in the exhibitor industry and his community involvement. *Phoenix Film Festival Visionary Award (2010) *Arizona Culture Keepers (2010) *United Motion Picture Association of America National Showman of the Year (1976, 1980 & 1982) *American Institute of Architects Community Vision Award (1996)


Expansion

In the early 1990s, Harkins acquired several theaters operated by
Mann Theatres Mann Theatres was a movie theater chain that predominantly operated in the western United States, with a heavy concentration of theaters in Southern California. Its motto was "Where Hollywood goes to the movies". History The Mann Theatres chai ...
. Most of the theaters acquired were a result of a lawsuit. In 1988, Harkins re-opened the
Cine Capri The Cine Capri was a movie theater located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, which operated from 1966 to 1998. History Construction The original Cine Capri Theatre was located at the corner of 24th Street and Camelback Roads in Phoenix, Ar ...
theater in Phoenix. The original Cine Capri was the largest screen in Arizona, measuring more than 70 feet (21 m) long. Despite over 200,000 signatures in a preservation effort led primarily by KTAR's Pat McMahon, the theater was demolished in 1998. In 2003, a newer version of the Cine Capri theater opened at the Scottsdale 101 14 multiplex. Harkins Theatres also built Cine Capri auditoriums at its Bricktown 16 (Oklahoma City, OK), Northfield 18 (Denver, CO), Southlake 14 (Southlake, TX) and Tempe Marketplace 16 (Tempe, AZ) locations. In November 2004, Harkins opened its Yuma Palms 14 location in
Yuma, Arizona Yuma ( coc, Yuum) is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 93,064 at the 2010 census, up from the 2000 census population of 77,515. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, M ...
. The first film shown at this location was ''
The Polar Express ''The Polar Express'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children. It was praised for its detai ...
''. In 2006, Harkins Theatres opened two theaters in California, Moreno Valley 16 (Moreno Valley, CA) and Chino Hills 18 (Chino Hills, CA). Harkins opened two additional California locations, Mountain Grove 16 (Redlands, Ca) and Cerritos 16 (Cerritos, Ca) in 2016. Both theaters include "Harkins Ultimate Lounger" recliner chairs, reserved seating, an in Lobby Bar that serves local craft beers and wine, a play center, and a "Cinè 1" theater. The Cinè 1 is a modern incarnation of the Cinè Capri, and features an over 80' foot screen, laser video projection, and Dolby Atmos sound; the Cinè 1 can also seat over 400 guests. On December 10, 2009, Harkins Theatres began to lease the
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...
theater right next to its own theater at
Arizona Mills Arizona Mills is an outlet shopping mall in Tempe, Arizona within the Phoenix metropolitan area and it is one of the tourist destinations in Phoenix, Arizona and it was owned by the Mills Corporation (which owned 25%) and Taubman Centers. However ...
from
IMAX Corporation IMAX Corporation is a Canadian theatre company which designs and manufactures IMAX cameras and projection systems as well as performing film development, production, post-production and distribution to IMAX-affiliated theatres worldwide. Founded ...
. The location was immediately renamed "Harkins Arizona Mills Luxury 25 Cinemas with IMAX" and features Arizona's only full sized IMAX screen. The first movie to be shown in the newly acquired theater was James Cameron's ''
Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' from
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in IMAX 3D. In May 2013, Harkins reopened the former Tower Theaters in Tucson, Arizona, and renamed it "Harkins Arizona Pavilions 12". The theater holds 12 screens and is currently the second theater in Tucson and the third in southern Arizona. In December 2015, Harkins merged two of its theaters in Scottsdale, Arizona, while closing two of its former facilities. On December 7, 2015, Harkins closed Fashion Square 7 and on December 10, Camelview 5 was also shut down. Camelview's spirit of independent and art circuit films, plus the running of mainstream movies were brought into the Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square 14 that opened on December 17 prior to the release of '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. "This theater will be a moviegoer's dream come true," said company owner Dan Harkins. "We intend to transplant the soul of our beloved Camelview into this amazing new cinema. Independent, foreign, and art films are a part of our DNA and we are proud to be able to continue and expand Camelview's legacy to include even more films in a dazzling new venue." Camelview at Fashion Square 14 contains a variety of amenities including more art, independent and foreign films; "Harkins' Ultimate Lounger" plush leather reclining seats; reserved seating; 14 curved, wall-to-wall screens; 4K digital projection and
Dolby Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (often shortened to Dolby Labs and known simply as Dolby) is an American company specializing in audio noise reduction, audio encoding/compression, spatial audio, and HDR imaging. Dolby licenses its technologies to ...
digital sound; a gourmet concessions stand with an expanded menu including Harkins' award-winning popcorn and a variety of hot food items; Harkins' Lobby Café featuring espresso drinks, desserts and small plates; the "Vérité Lounge", an indoor/outdoor rooftop terrace serving cocktails, wine and beer including local craft favorites, and architecturally minimalist modern movie palace decor.


Temporary 2020 closure

On March 16, 2020, Harkins Theatres temporarily closed all of its movie theaters until the end of the month due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Harkins Theatres has since reopened theatres in Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The reopening of their theatres is consistent with following the most current and up to date health safety protocols. Safety protocols include, wearing masks (except while eating or drinking in seats), thorough sanitation of theatres, and social distancing.


Exiting The Texas Market

On November 2, 2020, after 15 years of showing the newest releases to movie fans everywhere, Harkins Southlake 14 closed its doors permanently. According to a media release, the theater made the difficult decision to close permanently after management was unable to come to economic terms with the Southlake Town Square landlord. It was the only Harkins theater located in Texas, as its website listed.


Art and independent film

The Harkins Art Film Society brings
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
and
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
s to the theater chain. Harkins Valley Art and Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square 14 are dedicated to foreign and independent films. Harkins also broadcasts opera and ballet performances throughout the year. These broadcasts include both live and taped ballet performances from around the world. Harkins Theatres hosts several film festivals each year. *The Phoenix Film Festival – Harkins Theatres Scottsdale 101 (Scottsdale, Arizona) *The Scottsdale International Film Festival – Harkins Theatres Shea 14 (Scottsdale, Arizona) *The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival – Harkins Theatres Camelview at Fashion Square 14 (Scottsdale, Arizona) *DeadCENTER Film Festival – Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)


Features

In 1997, Harkins Theatres Superstition Springs 25 was the first theater in Arizona to obtain
THX THX Ltd. is an American company that develops the eponymous high fidelity audio/visual reproduction standards for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, car audio systems, and video games. Founded ...
Certification in all 25 auditoriums. In 2000, Harkins Theatres began introducing PlayCenters in their theaters, allowing parents to see a movie while their children are in a supervised environment. In 2011, Harkins Theatres upgraded more than 400 of its screens to digital projection.


Summer Movie Fun (SMF)

Each summer, Harkins Theatres hosts Summer Movie Fun, which is a summer movie program for children. The program features 10 children's movies from the previous year. Harkins developed the program more than 30 years ago as a way to offer parents an affordable summer activity for children.


Guest Loyalty Program

Harkins Theatres sells souvenir loyalty cups with a different movie-related theme each year. Customers who purchase a loyalty cup can bring it back to receive $2.00 refills for the year. Starting in late 2017, Harkins began offering their guests the opportunity to join their new rewards program called My Harkins Awards. This program rewards frequent movie-goers with points on every qualifying purchase. Members of the program also periodically receive promotions and exclusive offers as part of their membership. Additionally, guests may purchase Popcorn Perks, which entitles them to 36 free medium-sized popcorns in a 12-month period. Harkins previously sold loyalty T-shirts, which allowed guests who wore it to a Harkins to be entitled to receive a free medium-sized popcorn during each visit throughout the year. The Popcorn Perks program replaced the T-shirt program, setting a limit on how many popcorn vouchers a guest may redeem per year to how many "Perks" the guest has purchased. A portion of every Popcorn Perk sold goes to Phoenix Children's Hospital Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.


Trivia

*Before the opening of each new theater, Dan Harkins and his family have a hand print dedication ceremony similar to that at
Grauman's Chinese Theater Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese T ...
in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
. He then proceeds to purchase the first ticket. *A premiere of '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' was held in
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
on July 31, 2007, at the Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 to benefit ''The Children's Center'', located in suburban
Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...
. The film was shown simultaneously on three screens. Star
Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...
was at the event to greet guests. *
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
held a
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
contest to determine where the world premiere of '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' would be held. Tempe, Arizona won the contest and the world premiere of ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' was held at Harkins Theatres Tempe Marketplace 16 on April 27, 2009.


Main Competitors

*
AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (d/b/a AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC and known in some countries as AMC Cinemas or AMC Multi-Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain fou ...
*
Cinemark Theatres Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (stylized as CineMark from 1998 to 2022 and CINEMARK since 2022) is an American movie theater chain that started operations in 1984 and since then it has operated theaters with hundreds of locations throughout the America ...


References


External links


Harkins Theatres
*
More on Dwight (Red) Harkins
{{Major USA Cinema Chains Companies based in Scottsdale, Arizona Economy of the Southwestern United States Movie theatre chains in the United States