Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Final Reel

13. May 2005 • Josh Steichmann
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The Village Seven theaters closed today, with no outside notice (they’re still listed as on Yahoo’s Movie page).
Though the
“official” website makes no mention (their phone number was disconnected), their showtimes website confirms this Ann Arbor/Ypsi livejournal post reporting their demise. (And if anyone knows where to get the kid a job, he’d probably appreciate it).
The fine folks who ran the Village Four out at Fox Village, formerly the only discount movie theater around (and home to Washtenaw County’s biggest screen), seem to have fled in the night. Even after a bit of digging, no contact has been made. Reportedly, when they took on the Briarwood Village Seven theater (formerly Madstone), they simply stopped paying rent at their old location, and continued operating until the landlords evicted them. The Village Four is currently slated for demolition, after which it will be just another strip mall. Did their creditors finally catch up with them? No one knows for sure. If I was Drudge, I’d say “developing…”



  1. I saw a flyer recently for the movies at the Blind Pig that said something like “The dollar theater closed, so now we have the cheapest movies in town. And you can get drunk.” Which I found amusing.

    But this sucks. I’d actually started going to the Briarwood theater for the cheap matinee’s the last few months.
       —Scott    May. 13 '05 - 01:08AM    #
  2. According to the A2News, Briarwood’s management says that Pottery Barn is going to come in and knock out three of the screens at Village 7; they’ve also been having issues with the theatre’s management.
       —Murph.    May. 13 '05 - 12:46PM    #
  3. Pottery barn? Total shame.
       —js    May. 13 '05 - 01:51PM    #
  4. I figured that the Village theater was gone; all of their notices are down. That’s a shame to me, now there’s no way to see a cheap movie in this town any more. (sigh) Even the State’s prices have gone through the roof.
       —KGS    May. 13 '05 - 02:35PM    #
  5. Movies under $6:

    * Sunday nights Blind Pig does a double-feature for $5 ($8 for under 21)
    * State Theater matinees are $5.50 before 6pm or any time w/ a Michigan Theater membership ($50)

    A Michigan Theater membership is starting to look like a good deal. I’ll probably get one when I move back downtown. And then I can buy beer at the Michigan. :)
       —Scott    May. 13 '05 - 06:17PM    #
  6. I agree, the Michigan Theater membership is great. You get $5.50 tickets (four per show) to the Michigan and the State and two-for-one rentals at Liberty Street Video. Plus you support two downtown movie theaters. And yeah, the beer is fun.
       —Juliew    May. 13 '05 - 06:42PM    #
  7. Sunday nights Blind Pig does a double-feature for $5 ($8 for under 21)

    I admit I’ve never been to the Blind Pig, and had no idea they did movies. Is the venue any good for movies, though?

    State Theater matinees are $5.50 before 6pm or any time w/ a Michigan Theater membership ($50)

    Problem is, the State puts the movies you want to see after 6 so you have to pay full price (natch). At least that’s been the case for the last few movies I thought about seeing there.

    Indeed, a Michigan Theatre membership is looking better and better…
       —KGS    May. 13 '05 - 07:49PM    #
  8. The only beef I have with the Mi. Theater is their crappy seats. Seats that were, no doubt, designed when people were shorter and lived near the water. That and the metal band across the top that deters spreading out your arms… Well, maybe I’m a big fat guy, but I tend to feel intensely uncomfortable after seeing a movie there. Which is a shame, because I love the sort of thing that they play. (I’m not sure, but I blame their seats on wrongheaded historical preservations. It’s not like I want cupholders. I just want to not have my chin on my knees…)
       —js    May. 13 '05 - 08:38PM    #
  9. I’ve found the screening room to be pretty comfortable, but I’ve seen more movies from the ledge outside the projectionists booth than the actual seats… the main theater is pretty rough for us people-of-weight. I only put up with it when I must. But the Mich Theater membership gets you $5.50 tickets for four screens, only one of which has uncomfortable seats.
       —Scott    May. 13 '05 - 11:13PM    #
  10. That does suck—I saw several flicks at the Village Seven and always had a good time there. It was surprisingly comfy, too, for a modern theater.

    Once I get another job, I’ll probably cave and get a Michigan Theater membership. I don’t really want to give it a bad word at the moment, though—I was there Wednesday night, out on a date for the first time in five years (we went to see the Enron documentary), and I’m rather grateful to the Michigan at present.
       —Lazaro    May. 14 '05 - 12:21AM    #