Loews letters lowered; 'King Kong' the last picture show

by Neil W. McCabe

The letters spelling out L-O-E-W-S at the movie theater at Fresh Pond Mall were removed today before employees reported for work at 3 p.m.

Alewife Photo by Neil W. McCabe

"We are going to be closed and our last show is at 7:45 tomorrow," said a Loews employee, who requested their name not be used.

All 10 movies will be shown twice and the last movie will be King Kong, the employee said.

After the multi-screen complex closes, along with the Loews company itself, which is merging with the AMC movie theater chain, it may or may not be re-opened by another company, the employee said.

Although all seven of the arcade and pinball game machines have been removed from the lobby, all posters and promotional material is remaining in place in anticipation of a new owner taking over a turn-key operation, the employee said.

The snack bar, which on a busy weekend can go through more 250 pounds of popcorn kernals and 25 gallons of Pepsi syrup on a busy weekend day, will be fully stocked until the last spool is done, the employee said.

Those negotiations are on-going, but regardless of their outcome, nearly every Loews employee has accepted a severence package, rather than accept a transfer to an AMC cinema or wait for a new owner to take them on, the employee said.

Another source told The Alewife workers first got word that the theater would close two months ago. 

The Harvard Square Loews cinema will remain open as an AMC location.

Comments

[Ron Newman]

If you phone the theatre today at (617) 661-2900 , you will hear a recording announcing that the theatre is "temporarily closed due to a change of ownership." The recording says it will soon reopen as the "all new Entertainment Cinemas Fresh Pond, with new lobbies, all digital sound, a cafe seating area, and the return of our two-story waterfall." It does not give a date for the reopening.

[Loews Employee]

I HATE AMC!! I hope they go out of business. It's a horrible company!

[Ron Newman]

The AMC-Loews Assembly Square Cinema may soon close. The lady who answered the phone there said "We have no lease beyond the end of January."