Showcase Cinemas Flint East Burton MI - WaterWinterWonderland.com

Info Updates:

4/18/2021 - waterwinterwonderland.com

Recent site inspection reveals the lot sits empty and undeveloped. Some signage and parking lots remain. One is reminded by seeing the enormity of the main parking lot and overflow lot how busy this place must have been in it's heyday.

9/26/2015 - Spencer

GENESEE COUNTY, MI - The former Showcase Cinemas Flint East property in Burton has been acquired by a large automotive group, but the future of the East Court Street facility is still up in the air. Joe Serra, president of Serra Automotive, confirmed the deal, but he added there are no plans in the works at this time to renovate the property. He said the property listed in tax records as owned by Serra Works of Court Street LLC, 3118 Hill Road in Grand Blanc, was a real estate transaction, with potential seen in the former movie theater location. The theater, which opened in 1980, closed its doors in September 2007 because it was no longer financially viable, according to Flint Journal records. It employed a mixture of 39 full- and part-time employees. Serra said the property would be ideal for some type of big-box store to acquire. The one-story building at 5202 E. Court St. is 64,398 square feet with a large parking lot and sits between a Walmart store and Courtland Center mall. He noted Serra has purchased other properties it sees as having potential for investment. Genesee County tax records show 11 properties under the Serra Works name, including dealerships in the Grand Blanc area. Burton Mayor Paula Zelenko said no plans for any type of development on the property have been submitted to the city, but she saw the acquisition of the property by Serra as a positive thing. There have been several inquires about several properties in our city, she said, pointing to the recent announcement of Family Farm & Home moving into the former KMart building on Belsay Road. To me, that tells me folks are looking at Burton to come and build their business and do their business.

5/17/2010 - Unknown

Auditorium Seat Count (circa 2006): 1-216, 2-216, 3-276, 4-258, 5-458, 6-352, 7-327, 8-327, 9-352, 10-494, 11-327, 12-327, 13-204, 14-204.

Seats in auditoriums 7 & 8 relocated from Showcase Cinemas Auburn Hills in 2001.
Seats in auditoriums 11 & 12 relocated from Showcase Cinemas Ann Arbor in 2005.

5/17/2010 - Unknown

9/5/2007 - C J

Showcase East officially opened october 24, 1980 and officially closed September 3, 2007

8/20/2007 - Flint Journal

Showcase East closing, along with Cinema 10 near Genesee Valley Posted by Matt Bach August 20, 2007 00:01AM BURTON -- Two local movie theaters, including the area's oldest cineplex, are closing. National Amusements Inc. announced today that it is closing Showcase Cinemas Flint East, 5205 E. Court St., in Burton. The company also is planning to close Cinema 10 behind the Genesee Valley shopping center in Flint Township in the next few months. The company's other two area movie theaters and a drive-in theater will remain open, a company spokeswoman said. A closing date has not been set for Cinema 10, but Showcase East will close on Sept. 3 after the last show, according to a company spokeswoman and a news release. In its heyday in the 1980s, the Showcase East complex was the place to be for moviegoers and was often the site of sold-out shows and long lines. The success of the theater prompted several expansions, eventually bringing its total number of screens to 14 in 1989 -- the largest in the area at the time. The complex opened with six screens in 1980, according to Flint Journal files. Showcase East is being closed because the "operation was no longer financially viable," according to a news release from Massachusetts-based National Amusements. The theater employs 39 full and part-time people and is making "every effort" to place the workers in positions at other National Amusements theaters. Cinema 10 has 27 workers. "Our employees are very important to us, and this is not a decision we make lightly," stated Wanda Whitson, company spokeswoman, in a prepared release. "We are making every effort to find these employees other opportunities within our company. We also wish to thank our loyal patrons who have shared great movies and memories with us over the years." Showcase East was built in the early '80s when it was a trend to build multi-screen cineplexes with a number of smaller theaters that seated 500 or less as opposed to freestanding single theaters that would seat 1,000 or more patrons. The National Amusement theaters have faced increased competition locally in the past year with the opening of the 14-screen NCG Trillium Cinemas in Grand Blanc Township in May 2006. The decision to close Showcase East was made early last week and the company waited to inform the public until today after employees were told. Whitson said the decision to close Cinema 10 had been made previously and employees there have been informed. She said no decision has been made what to do with the two buildings. The 10-screen Cinema 10 opened in 1997, replacing the former Genesee Valley Theater, which was demolished in 2001. Cinema 10 was opened as a second-run theater and later became a first-run theater, according to Flint Journal files. Patrons of the Showcase Cinemas Flint East and Cinema 10 may use movie passes, gift cards, and prestige tickets at Showcase West or Courtland Cinemas. See complete story in Monday's Flint Journal.

8/20/2007 - Paula

It was just announced that this location and Cinema 10 will be closing soon. This theater's last day will be Labor Day, according to a news report.

8/20/2007 - Scott Reed

On August 20, 2007, National Amusements announced that Showcase Flint East would be closing, with the last showings on September 3, saying "the operation was no longer financially viable." No decision on the fate of the building has been made.

HomeMovie TheatersShowcase Cinemas Flint East

Showcase Cinemas Flint East - Burton MI