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UPDATE: A release issued by the Angelika Sunday evening contained some of the same language as the letter in the image below. But it also contained one line that is hopeful: "The Angelika will begin to explore alternative cinema locations in the Houston market."
The following showed up by @marcborel, suggesting bad news for movie goers who prefer a cinema experience outside the world of romcoms and action films.
Bad news Tweet
It reads in part: "We regret to inform you that the Angelika Film Center closed today.
"After 13 years of continued service to the Houston community, the Angelika's lease has been terminated by the Angelika's landlord...."
No word yet as to whether the Angelika, one of a global group of affliated theaters, will reopen outside of the Bayou Place location downtown.
In addition to first run art house and mainstream fare, the Angelika also offered a Crybaby Matinee on Saturdays, allowing parents to take in films like No Country for Old Men with their crying and squirming infants in an environment teeming with crying and squirming infants.
Should the Angelika not return, smaller films in Houston will likely be exclusively shown at the historic Landmark River Oaks Theater.
The What???
all I can say is :(
This blows. Not surprising, I guess; Houston isn't a hotbed for independent films. Hope the owners can find a new place. We need the Angelika downtown.
We need the Angelika, but I would go more often if it weren't at Bayou Place. I hate the traffic in that parking garage.
Wow... so Houston, a city of 5+ million, only has 1 independent/alternative theater now?
And a run-down, not very clean, uncomfortable one at that!!!!
The River Oaks will be next to close and then Houston, the city of 5+ million who keeps wanting to be like NY and a world class city will continue getting a grade of F for cultural venues.
It closes on Theatre District Day, what an irony.
It's a sad day for culture in Houston.
UGH. SADNESS, indeed.
Terrible news. That theater was a keystone of downtown culture and Houston's lost the opportunity to see dozens of less mainstream films each year. Between this and the plan to sell KTRU radio to create another classical and news station, it seems like Houston is well on it's way to becoming St. Louis.
Houston isn't a hotbed for independent films? Better check your false logic. Maybe that's because the independent theaters keep closing and there's no place to see them.
Yes, that is the logic. Explain how it's false.
It's not logic, cutie-pie. It's an observation, a comment, an opinion. There is a difference.
Unfortunately, that's not "false logic". The reason they keep closing is because no one is going to them. You can't stay open if you're not making money.
The problem for your "logic" is that is closed because the lease was up and not because no one was going. The Cordish has had a hard time with this center and are probably looking for something that plays more mainstream movies to help the more mainstream offerings for food and drinks.
The Cordish has had a "hard time" with this center because no one was going to it and it's losing money. Logic seems sound to me...no need for your condescending comments.
Maybe the Cordish Companies could have negotiated to make the theatre smaller. A smaller version of the Angelika may have made money. At the end of the day, it's about greed and not keeping culture in a city.
My world has gotten a whole lot smaller.
Arg. This is sad. The Angelica was a great place to take a long lunch during slower times over the holidays. Will miss it!
Very sad news.
This is a drag. I loved those tiny theatres with 'stadium' seating.
How sad. I remember when this place first opened, and I got to see many fantastic films there. Hopefully there's enough of an independent consciousness in Houston that the Angelika or another similar theater will open up somewhere else in the near future.
Is that the same place that was showing "Deep Throat" about 33 years ago?
maybe you should have read the article, it says angelika opened in 1997, 13 years ago, your attempts to put down the theater = fail
The Angelika's location has held other theaters.
The location that the Angelika held up until 2 days ago has never held other theatres. It was the old convention center until I think the early 80's and was a big empty storage room until the late 90's when the Cordish group purchased it (or at least began running it). The company leased out to some pretty craptastic restaurants, the Angelika movie theatre, a pool hall, and the Aerial (now Verizon) theatre.
Point is, there was never a movie theatre in that location before.
Not surprised. Back around 8-10 years ago, downtown was in a rennaissance and was a classy and enjoyable place to go. Main Street was similar to Austin's 6th Street but with a more mature crowd. Then around 2005, it all started going downhill as downtown clubs started catering to the hip-hop/rap crowd. Then the people who used to go downtown didn't want to go anymore, as the scene no longer catered to them. There was no more market in downtown to support something like Angelika after that point. Too bad...
I completely agree. My husband and I loved going to Downtown back then. We stopped going when the venues and crowds changed. We went last year to a club there only because a much younger friend was celebrating her birthday at a club in the area. Well we saw some police action as we walked from our car to the club. Some guy on a bike was chased down and handcuffed by police right in front of us.
How is this true or indicative of a hip hop or rap crowd? The theater district is blocks away from the types of clubs you're mentioning. Also, with the popularity and growth of midtown, the Angelika is (read: was) the closest theater for that area. I do not at all enjoy either of the Edwards' theaters and make it a point to check the Angelika for films that I would like to see first.
That's what I observed over the course of about 8 years. And yes, many of the bars were on or around Main St, which is just a few short blocks from the theater district -- we used to park under the Angelika and walk to the clubs on a regular basis. Of course this was 8+ years ago before the scene changed for the worse. Last time we went a year or two ago, downtown was so empty compared to before and what was left was mostly hip-hop and juvenile. Nothing like 8-10 years ago. No thanks.
Why is this happening????? And what is going to be put in place of this Theatre. It is a place to go and see a movie without all the Kids and teenagers that have no respect during a showing of a movie. I am very displeased that this is happening to a great Place to see a movie in Peace!!!!
I agree 100% with your comments. It was a place to see a movie without kids on their cellphones, talking or texting during a movie or young couples with their babies crying in the middle of an R rated movie.
What a drag! We always looked forward to a good independant film on our trips here from Victoria where there are barely any films to see at all. Sad day indeed.
Why is this happening??? This is the only theatre that you can go and see and hear a movie in peace away from Kids and Teenagers. I cannot believe they are not getting there lease renewed. And what is going in the place of the Angelica???
Termination of lease, eh? That either means: 1) Angelika wasn't paying the bills or 2) there was a clause in the lease in which the landlord could terminate if a higher rent was offered by another party (or the like).
Bingo!
what a shocker, a city this big and we now only have the river oaks. unfortunately its a dump to go see a move, only other option is to drive to san antonio.
sure is fishy with the abrupt closing.
Why would you choose San Antonio as the city to drive to to see independent films when you could just go to Austin? I mean, if you're going to drive 3+ hours, might as well go to the city that shows everything that gets outside of New York and LA.
That's a travesity. All we have to watch is trash.
There's no other theatre near the light rail that I'm aware of, is there? Hopefully another theater will reappear in Angelika's place? This time with more marketable movies?
There's no other theatre near the light rail that I'm aware of, is there? Hopefully another theater will reappear in Angelika's place? This time with more marketable movies?
what a shocker, the only real place to see a good independant film in houston is now suspiciously closing abruptly. now we can either drive to san antonio or go to the river oaks, a dump but better than nothing.
hoping angelica reopens somewhere.
so much for the joaquin phoenix movie or the pat tillman story coming here now.
The tillman story is playing at some amc theatres around sw Houston i think.
By the way, does anyone know why the Chronicle isn't listing AMC movie theater times? All I see is Cinemark, the Edwards Theaters & those cinemas where they serve food while u watch the movie.
So now where will we watch movies about gay Cowboys eating pudding?
In your living room.
The notice says that the landlord yanked the lease. Why? Is anyone doing any reporting on this? No doubt it's about making more money. Let's see: This is Houston, so maybe a new sports arena is going up on the site, or a WalMart or Super Target.
Probably a Walmart since there isn't one in downtown and the mayor would like it since she is in favor of any business that brings tax revenue to the city.
And next will be the River Oaks so that Weingarten can build their million dollar condos.
Probably a Walmart since there isn't one in downtown and the mayor would like it since she is in favor of any business that brings tax revenue to the city.
And next will be the River Oaks so that Weingarten can build their million dollar condos.
Well I could say I was sad, but I haven't been there in years. It does suck, however, that one of the only indie movie houses in Houston is closing. Now all we have is River Oaks. Embrace it while it lasts, embrace it while it lasts.
that was a great theater. it was the only one i would attend. i am bummed.
Lost the Alabama Book Stop, KTRU, and now, the Angelika. Not a surprise with Angelika, it had been going downhill for years.
Roger
The place had been really run down lately anyway. Maybe if they kept the place up and actually gave a damn about it, people would have shown up.
Over the last few years they(the management) have been working their asses off with what they have. They may be an arthouse theater, but they were owned by a much larger corporation, who did not give the theater the support that it needed to keep up with repairs. For the last year the AC in the lobby has been out and all that the management was ever able to get from the home office was that they were in negotiations with the landlords over who was to be responsible for the major repairs.
Will a replacement tenant emerge? Otherwise, I'm not aware that any cinemas will be available from the entire Light Rail system...
This is extremely disheartening. My wife & I live in Sugar Land and have probably made the trek downtown over 300 times since they opened in 1997. They ran so many good films that were an alternative to the junk in the multiplexes. For any true lover of cinema, this is a sad day in Houston.
This is extremely disheartening news. My wife & I live in Sugar Land and have made the trek downtown over 300 times since they opened in 1997. They ran so many good films that were an alternative to the junk in multiplexes. For lovers of good cinema, this is a sad day in Houston.
Very sad. I suggest a new building for Anjelika where they are trying to put the Walmart on Yale & I10. Just sayin'...
Anon Sun- yeah, that's about the size of it AND the one theater we have left only has 3 screens.
great idea!
I went there a few eekends ago and got asked by two homeless people for money on the way in. Inside the theater was mostly empty and dirty. I used to love it but it went downhill. Actually a friend and I took a walk around the area downtown and the whole area is kind of dead. Not much to do in Downtown Houston.
I've had the same experience with homeless people and that is annoying; however I have to disagree with you on the cleanliness. There bathrooms used to be terrible, but lately they have been very clean and they even had vases with real flowers on the sinks. You don't see that very often in a movie theater!
Apparently, you do not care for the symphony, the opera, or the ballet. All are in downtown Houston.
I wonder if the Angelika would want to scale down and move into the now empty Alabama Theater?
a long long ago, when houston was still a small city, downtown meant something. but with urban sprawl, downtown isn't such a pretty place.
to work there is okay, but to go and enjoy an evening out, not so much.
maybe the angelika-netflix.
Not true, less than a decade ago downtown was a happening place. But like others have said, several venues started to attract the hip hop crowd, then that crowd started to dominate, and scared everyone else off.
This is happening with lot of smaller theaters regardless of whether or not they show indy films. I'm temporarily in Dallas and the original Studio Movie Grill, which opened around the same time as the Angelika, closed with little warning last week.
The reason they cited is that the building had too few screens to compete with other theaters. The last two times I saw movies there on a weeknight, there were fewer than a ten people seeing the movie and both were current hits.
Commercial leases usually have a revenue share arrangement in addition to the monthly payment. So the theater may have been paying the rent on time but the landlord's rev share income was probably way down. Or it might have been a combination of late payments and low rev-share.
The reality is people are often sad and angry to see these places go but they close because not enough people visit on a regular basis. It's not as if this place was packed for every showing but a greedy landlord wanted to replace it with something that would generate even more revenue.
True, Studio Movie Grill closed one of their theaters here in Dallas but they'd just opened a new SMG not all that far away from that location in North Dallas. So it's a bit of a wash. And Landmark (who already have the Magnolia and the Inwood) recently took over the Regent Theater in Highland Park and is reopening it this fall under the Landmark banner.
This is so sad, Houston needs a theater like this.
I don't think this was a matter of attendance per se. I have it on very good authority that they were evicted because Bayou City wanted to raise the lease (I think they paid month-by-month) and the Angelika refused to pay it for a number of reasons including the air conditioning fiasco (it was broken in most of the theaters all summer and Bayou City wouldn't fix it). I think they're currently looking for a new place but that's easier said than done.
Who needs the Angelica when we will soon have a beautful Wal-Mart inside the loop. Houston is such a loser city !
So let's see...the Dallas area has two Angelika theaters, one on Mockingbird Land and 75 and one up in Plano. Meanwhile, Houston couldn't even support one? Go figure. I guess there aren't enough Houstonians willing to pass up the opportunity to see the new Will Ferrell movie at the AMC Googleplex in the suburbs to keep one downtown art house alive.
Over the past few years it went from being a really cool facility to really dumpy. I think people will support another venue like this somewhere in the middle of town if it's properly managed/taken care of
Angelika personnel were not nice people. Angelika will not be missed. I would guess that something went wrong and that's why they lost their lease. Why else would the closing be so abrupt.
If I remember correctly, the Angelika had a 15 year lease, which means it would have been up in 2 years anyway. And I doubt if the landlord EVER received any additional rent based on the gross.
The Angelika has had problems from the beginning. The booking policy was not consistent during the early years for one thing. The theatre would have lines for 1 or 2 screens but the other screens would die so the business was never consistent. At one time, business was looking good, a new film opened to sell out business on a Friday and the parking lot was under water the next morning and the theatre lost its close parking for months.
Parking has always been a problem for the Angelika.On busy weekends when all of the arts facilities were busy it was difficult to find parking. At other times it was more of a perception of hard parking rather than the reality. And I think the system of paying to park and then getting your money back was confusing.
Houston has NEVER had an "adventuresome audience"..to quote Jeff Millar..when it comes to independent films. Everyone wants to see what the reviews are first. This has been true from the days the Greenway opened to the closing of the Angelika
As always, our neighbors in Dallas have better options and they have great facilities to go see movies like the ones presented in the Angelika....they have an Angelika, Magnolia, Landmark Theaters, well, Houston is Houston I guess....Let's keep Houston UGLY!!
Well, this just sucks...
I saw three great films at the Angelica in recent weeks: Salt, Cairo and AnimalKingdom. It was my favorite theatre. I always looked to see what was playing there before I would check the other theatres. Walking out the door of the Angelica after seeing a movie was also a wonderful experience -- no place in Houston offered a more impressive view of downtown. Houston's arts and culture has been been kicked in the stomach by the landlord's action.
Well, this sucks. I was there last night to see "Animal Kingdom," which was AWESOME. I'm at the Angelika usually once every month if not more. If any of the owner/managers are reading: PLEASE OPEN UP AGAIN IN ANOTHER NEARBY LOCATION. Downtown, Midtown, Montrose, inside the loop, whatever. Find a spot and open up again. We need you and I've given you a lot of my money to prove it. God Speed, Soldiers.
Simple law of capitalism...I know liberals have problems grasping capitalism these days but it should be simple enough to understand - the theater closed because it made no money. Generate no money, business can't open. Art films don't make money. Don't like it, move somewhere liberal like San Francisco or New York.
why do you have to be a complete and utter DICK by bringing politics into this? Losing one of the two remaining inner loop art film houses is a major drag. Take your BS elsewhere. Tool.
Yeah, that's why no one ever goes to the River Oaks Theater or the MFA, right? Plus, art films never make money, that's why no one ever makes them...oops. Try again, prole.
The statement about the no one going to the MFA is false. Everytime that I go to the Brown Auditorium of the MFA to see a movie the theatre is packed. They show some of the best movies in Houston.
The statement about the no one going to the MFA is false. Everytime that I go to the Brown Auditorium of the MFA to see a movie the theatre is packed. They show some of the best movies in Houston.
I don't know what this has to do with ideology. Not just liberals attended films there, myself included. Your notion that there's not a market for art films in cities other than the ones you mentioned, is belied by the fact that every major city has them. ("Liberal" Dallas has three that I know of.) I think this particular situation is a little more complicated than you may be aware. I know from talking to the employees that they had been involved in a dispute with the landlord for a while because of the air conditioning fiasco. You're right that operating a art film theater is probably not a great way to get rich, but these film obviously make money, otherwise, investors and studios wouldn't continue to fund them, and surely that's something that anyone, liberal or conservative, can grasp.
Oh, put a sock in it! It has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. I know conservatives who went to the Angelika. There is a market for films that are about real-life issues and do not limit themselves to gunfights, cars blowing up, and kung fu fights. It is not the same market as the multiplex crowd, but it can make money, just not the same money as the multiplex stuff. The number of people who have emailed their regrets in this thread is evidence of that.
It's funny how notifications such as this bring out a lot of Houston bashing. "Houston's a loser city." The real losers are the ones who have that overly-negative thinking. (Yeah, Houston's such a "loser" city that people are moving here in droves!)
This is still a city that has broad dining, high arts, and cosmopolitan ethnic-culture that are superior even to Dallas despite losing an Angelika.
"After 13 years of continued service to the Houston community, the Angelika's lease has been terminated by the Angelika's landlord...."
WHY would and HOW could the landlord terminate the lease?? Maybe because th erent has not been paid in months???
It's funny how notifications such as this bring out a lot of Houston bashing. "Houston's a loser city." The real losers are the ones who have that thinking. (Yeah, Houston's such a "loser" city that people are moving here in droves!)
This is still a city that has broad dining, high arts, and cosmopolitan ethnic-culture that are superior even to Dallas despite losing an Angelika.
My wife and I drove from the Memorial area at least twice a month to see some interesting movies at the now sadly defunct Angelika. What a pity that it had to close, it is a great loss to movie buffs and anyone seeking an alternative to the mall movie mayhem. We showed up there early this afternoon for a new Australian movie and there was a sign in the parking lot saying that it was closed. Was just there last week for Cairo. Even though it was rather shabby and clearly not a dime was being spent on upkeep, it was still a huge improvement on the megaplexes. This is like a death in the family, now there's just River Oaks. This can't be happening in a city the size of Houston!
I hope they can find a new location. I know the parking was confusing for a lot of people. It was actually really easy. Park underneath, out of the sun for free (theater reimbursed). River Oaks theater is all we have left now and Weingarten has their days numbered as well so they don't try to make too many improvements to the theater. I will really miss Angelika. The other theaters rarely show anything worth seeing.
It's a shame to see the Angelika go. You would think Houston could do better. We still have the River Oaks but it's not looking pretty with paint peeling off the walls. The only other venue is the cinema in the Museum of Fine Arts. They don't show films daily, but it's worth checking them out.
I'll be honest here. It sucks to see this place to close down but I haven't gone to any movie theater thanks to Netflix for the streaming and able for me to rent all the indie movies I want at the comfort of home.
This is some bull. How can they just pull their lease like that? It had to have been someone holding a grudge on the theatre or someone didn't want it there anymore.
The Angelika is awesome. I really do hope they open up somewhere else. If they do, guaranteed I will be there for the opening show!
Wow ... what will Houston take down next?
Houston is like an affable Great Dane puppy: enthusiastic and lovable and curious and stupid and completely mystified by your frustration at his eating the couch cushions and peeing all over the dining room rug. We want big and loud and stupid entertainments. Ask the average Houstonian the best place in downtown to take out of town visitors, and he will respond, without hesitation, "The Aquarium." He may add something about it being good eating, which just makes the conversation that much more depressing.
The other side of it is that there's less discretionary income than before, and people with kids have a hard time gearing up for a drive from Katy or League City or Sugar Land to watch a film that will be available through Netflix in about six weeks, anyway.
Just like everything else here, it's disposable.
guess they werent showing enough tyler perry movies?
Where is Joe Spiegel when we need him.
i just need to move. this is getting too depressing and it never seems to end in the city.
Fascinating. Has anyone noticed, that not matter what the blog topic is, and no matter where it is, there are ALWAYS, those who post with hostility, and an axe to grind. Why? What is even more interesting is the fact that conservatives seem to find a way to put any discussion into the frame work of conservatives vs liberals. I live on the other side of the Gulf, and by golly the same crap goes on here too. The topic could be traffic lights, grade school books, road development, beach enhancement, supermarkets, and by golly, half the people are ready to kill each other over a mere difference of perspective. Is anyone noticing the lack of civility?
Houston has no culture. That is unless you want to call humidity and mosquitoes culture. It is one big redneck extension of the Beaumont PT. Author area.
Not true. This city has a world-class symphony orchestra, ballet company, and opera company. The art film scene is what is lagging.
Houston has no culture. That is unless you want to call humidity and mosquitoes culture. It is one big redneck extension of the Beaumont PT. Author area.
Can you say flame?
I went there soon after it first opened. Terribly uncomfortable seats (no I'm not some old codger with a bad back). Never returned.
--I'm sorry, I had to hit the Pause on my DVR and go to the kitchen to make myself a light snack before replying to this thread about another theater dying. You were saying?
No one bitched/whined/moaned about TinselTown on Beltway 8/Westpark closing. The thing about giant multiplexes is that they generate enough profit to absorb the costs of running arthouse films. If anything, we need MORE multiplexes, not fewer.
Lesson: don't come crying to me when your business model is a FAIL. Root hog or die, baby.
(Although... if I want to see a movie sans teenagers, there's always the Alamo. Now if Angelika had offered booze and food, they might still be in business.)
(And shame on all you white-centric film buffs! Houston has a surprisingly high number of theaters catering to Bollywood and Eastern fare.)
The Alamo Ale House is way too far to go see a movie. The Angelika being downtown was convenient. And yes, they should have served more food and drinks and perhaps they would still be around.
Elephant in the room......the people who said downtown going in the dump due to the rap/hip hop crowd are correct. These people chase off the type of people who go to independant theatures and in general support economic activity.
That's exactly what happened. Of course, so few will admit because I guess it's politically incorrect...
You racists should be ashamed of yourselves.
Who said anything about race? Oh wait, YOU did! Only a matter of time before the race card was pulled (rolls eyes)...
The Angelika has been horrible over the past year. During the winter, there was no heat in the theater and my teeth were chattering during a movie. This summer, it felt like the heat was on in the bathroom and lobby. Very unprofessional, unpleasant experience that is not worth paying money to endure. The staff is rude and unhelpful, and could never explain why things were as they were. Yes, the parking fee was repaid as opposed to the Edwards on Weslayan, but it's really too far to go for most movies. The demographics for Houston are working class, blue collar and that's why we're stuck with multiplexes full of movies for teenagers that I am not interested in seeing. As for the River Oaks theater, its fate is in the hands of the greedy Weingarten company that put up that eyesore of a garage and Barnes & Noble across the street.
Built 13 years ago? By Houston standards, this is an old building. It must be torn down to make way for a new make-believe, old building, to house a phony old jazz club.
I am not happy to hear this. Now ignorance prevails....and all we get to see is Hollywood happy ending movies. For over ten years Angelika has been my place to see some intellect challenging movies. I learned to appreciate art film through Angelika. This cannot be possible!
Amen!
the parking was a pain in the but. sad though. greenway is gone. angelika is gone. last i heard river oaks is on the chopping block too. oh well, i certainly won't make up for it by paying to see 90 minutes of product placements presented by ex-sitcom celebrities.
If all the people wailing about the demise of the theater had actually been regular customers, they might still be open. As others pointed out, the business had a variety of issues over the past few years and the area surrounding it began catering to a completely different crowd (in general, a lot more criminal element types). With prices through the roof and schedules that did not accommodate many movie lovers, it's been easier and cheaper to just stay home with a rental. With 2 million people living in the city and a similar amount in the surrounding area, there is clearly an opportunity to make such a business work, it just has to evolve past the old school models that have led to scores of theaters failing all over the country.
I was a frequent customer of Angelika and enjoyed it immensely. They closed because their landlord terminated their lease, and we don't have any way of knowing if the number of customers had anything to do with it. It seemed relatively busy when I have gone lately.
As to your comments about the area catering to criminal element types, it seems like racism, frankly. Downtown has very low crime. There was a flurry of crime at the Pink Monkey, but otherwise Downtown has been very tame.
For the record, tickets at Angelika were cheaper than the local AMC (Dunvale) and Edwards (Greenway) competitors.
Enough negativity already! How bout this. . . We need to get together some folks to invest in making the Alabama Theater a theater again!
Make it an art house venue. There is parking, plenty of restaurants around, and underneath the bookstore built-ins are some beautiful art deco fixtures. Maybe it can't show as many films at once, but Houston has to have enough movie goers to support this.
What a horrible day this is. Angelika has been a lovely place for me and I will miss the intellectually engaging films they so often played. I wonder what REALLY happened? So much for seeing true art in films... so much for being stimulated beyond the honky dory mega films that are so far from reality, ugh this makes me sick to my stomach... Before long River Oaks will be gone too and we will have no place to enjoy such beautiful films.... But such is life, nothing last forever in the end!
I loved riding the light rail downtown and walking to see movies at Angelika, and I hate going to Greenway, parking in a huge garage, not walking, waiting in long lines and paying too much.
This probably means I'll be going to see a lot less movies in Houston. :(
That place was a dump. I remember going there when it first opened and it was great. I went again several months ago and was disgusted to even seat there. The bathrooms were gross, the staff sucked, ticket prices were crazy. I ended up leaving.
the way i see it, all good thing must come too an end. thank Angelika for the years. and when one door closes, another one wiil open. keep the faith.
domy books shows independent films every once in a while. they just showed harmony korine's new movie, which i doubt even the angelika showed...
I think the beginning of the downtown area's decline came when they stopped Party on the Plaza in order to build a new event area in its place. Thursday night used to be Party on the Plaza night with great, FREE music - Leon Russell, Eric Burdon, Warren Zevon. The "new" area (across from Angelika) still sits unmarketed and unused. The momentum has fizzled. On a positive note, Discovery Green has done a very nice job of offering a variety of events. Maybe they can add in some independent films?!
Out with the old, in with the new. Houston is growing rapidly get with it or get gone. If you want another theater get together and invest in one. I love my city and I'm happy about the changes they are making because 13 years ago no one would dare go downtown during the day or after dark due to the fact that homeless and crack heads were living there. it has nothing to do with the clubs that cater to the hip-hop crowd.It has everything to do with the growth of our city and what brings in the most money. let it go.
look for Alamo Draft House to open in its place = announcement soon
I was totally shocked when I heard the news about Angelika and decided to do something about it. If you're on Facebook, please take the time to check out this page concerning the issue. It is ridiculous that the 4th largest city in the nation doesn't even have a movie theater downtown.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Film-Theater-to-Downtown-Houston/131...
The River Oaks theater has to remain intact. Moma began taking me there during WW II while daddy was gone. Just finished seeing Robert Dubvall and Sissy Spacek in Get Low. Great drama. Highly recommend.
Near the end Angelica had become better than the River Oaks, films like No Country for Old Men and other outstanding films played at the A. I'm extremely sorry that it closed. I read negative comments above about dirty toilets (??) and bad food-eat at home. One goes to the movies to see an outstanding film, not to eat.