Looks like we've got another nail in the coffin of the quickly dwindling Channelside Bay Plaza. The Channelside Cinemas, home to 10 movie theaters including one of the few IMAX systems in the area, has closed its doors for good as of Tuesday night according to the Tampa Tribune.
Channelside Cinemas owner Howard Edelman points to a long and tumultuous fight with the landlord who manages the property as his reason for closing the movie theater. The theater had filed for bankruptcy last August and could neve come to terms with the current landlord.
According to the Times, Channelside Cinemas suffered "lingering maintenance issues", but still managed to do good on select Bollywood nights and special events, but enough is enough claim the owners.
For a while they had plans to rebuild and renovate the space into a nightclub then renting the extra space to other businesses and advertisers. Now, those plans are over as Edelman plans to focus on his next ventures; new theaters in Riverview and Carrollwood with gourmet food and high-end robotic seats according to the Times.
The Carrollwood theater will be called "Villagio Cinema" and feature six 50-100 seat theaters with gourmet food, liquor, and special seats that move with the action. It is expected to open by the end of the year. The Riverview location is expected to open near Bell Shoals Road and Bloomingdale Avenue in six to nine months with a similar concept.
