A Charlotte movie theater won’t reopen after closing amid COVID, court filings show
Charlotte is losing another movie theater — one that had been open for only three months before the coronavirus pandemic began.
Studio Movie Grill and landlord Lockard Midland failed to negotiate a new lease for the University City location, according to an order signed Monday by U.S. bankruptcy judge Stacey Jernigan. The order was submitted Tuesday by Frank Wright of the Law Offices of Frank Wright, representing Studio Movie Grill and Movie Grill Concepts XXXII, the Charlotte location.
The Texas-based dine-in movie theater chain had confirmed July 13 to The Charlotte Observer that it would reopen the Charlotte location but did not have a time-frame as lease negotiations continued.
But the latest court filings Tuesday show those negotiations failed and the lease was formally terminated that same day.
Studio Movie Grill had been hopeful for the negotiation of the new lease at Prosperity Village, Studio Movie Grill spokeswoman Lynne McQuaker said Tuesday.
“Regretfully, it continued to be a sticking point that could not be amicably resolved with the landlord,” McQuaker said.
Studio Movie Grill owed more than $3.5 million in lease payments to Lockard, the Observer has previously reported. Lockard was also seeking administrative expenses for storage of Studio Movie Grill’s property after the entertainment venue had rejected the lease.
On July 27, Studio Movie Grill notified Lockard and creditor First Horizon Bank that it intended to remove its personal property from the premises, Tuesday’s court filings in the case show.
This week’s court order pertained to a dispute over remaining personal property and fixtures, specifically the 979 luxury recliners and kitchen items, such as freezers and refrigerators, at the Prosperity Village venue. The judge said Tuesday that First Horizon Bank, on behalf of Lockard, violated the plan by denying Studio Movie Grill access to retrieve its personal property.
Officials with the Frank Wright law offices did not immediately respond for comment Tuesday. FisherBroyles, the law firm representing Lockard, declined to comment.
About Studio Movie Grill
Studio Movie Grill opened the University City theater just three months before the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns began in March 2020. Movie theaters in North Carolina were allowed to reopen last October with COVID-19 restrictions.
However, Studio Movie Grill, which had continually been rated as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. before the pandemic, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. The company exited bankruptcy in April.
On Tuesday, Studio Movie Grill listed 20 locations open on its website and Charlotte as “temporarily closed.”
The Prosperity Village location in the former Bi-Lo store at 5336 Docia Crossing Road was the second Studio Movie Grill location in Charlotte. The first theater location at Epicentre in uptown opened in 2013 but closed just before the pandemic.
The University site was a $12 million project, CEO Ted Croft told the Observer before the Prosperity Village theater opening.
Other theater closings
Studio Movie Grill isn’t the only Charlotte-area theater that permanently closed during the pandemic.
Regal, based in Knoxville, Tenn., permanently closed The Manor Twin, Charlotte’s last art house, in the Myers Park neighborhood. AMC Theatres also closed its Rock Hill location.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 6:00 AM.