BURTON — The final curtain is being lowered on Showcase Cinemas. Crews began demolishing the vacant building January 6, and the process is expected to take about a month to complete.
The former theater opened in 1980 and was once the only multiplex movie theater in Genesee County, before a second Showcase opened in Flint Township, off Corunna Road.
Flint native Michael Moore, whose 1989 documentary “Roger & Me” painted a picture of life in Flint after General Motors factory closures put 30,000 people out of work, hosted a premiere at Showcase Cinemas when the movie was released.
“Today they began tearing down my favorite cineplex in Flint, MI where Roger & Me premiered on all 14 screens,” Moore tweeted the day demolition of the building began.
The property was purchased in September 2015 by Serra Works of Court Street, LLC.
“Quite frankly, I purchased it because it’s a decent investment,” Joe Serra, president of the automotive group told the Burton View at the time. “It’s got good freeway exposure and more than 20 acres. It just has a lot of potential.”
Future plans for the property have not been announced.
The former theater, with 64,398 square feet, employed approximately 40 full- and part-time employees. It closed in 2007 after the opening of NCG Cinemas in Grand Blanc Township, which caused the theater to lose customers and profit. — Gary Gould and Paula Schmidt contributed to this article.
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