Cine'Mart Governor Printz Boulevard Wilmington Delaware

In the late 60s and early 70s, movie theaters, drive-ins, and strip mall cinemas were popping up all over the nation. They were the new craze. Branmar Cinema had just opened their doors, along with Tri State Mall’s old theater. And then came the Cine’Mart Theater on Governor Printz Boulevard in Wilmington, Delaware. The first date of the box office opening at the Cine’Mart was January 20th, 1969.

According to the credited research that Edwin Graf Diemer contributed to Cinema Treasures for this story, “The shopping center [across the street from Cine’Mart] was built just following World War II  and quickly became the most popular shopping destination in Wilmington.” The theater seated 984 people and there was only 1 screen, similar to Branmar Theater just a couple miles away. A newspaper released at the time of the closure stated, “The CineMart, Northern Delaware’s largest motion picture theater was closed over the weekend. Employees of the 984-seat theater on the Governor Printz Boulevard said they were notified of the closing just hours before it was shut down.”

The theater was steadily losing “$50,000 to $60,000 a year” and fell behind on rent. The owners did ask the owners of the Merechandise Mart to twin the theater, but they declined. At the same time of the CineMart closure, the Edgemoor Theater, which was only a few hundred yards up the road, would close when their lease expired.

Edwin cited that “The auditorium was completely in gold with wide rocking chair seating. The front was deeply curved to allow for the screen, with curtains that went to the rear of the auditorium.” According to local WJBR listener, Gary Rauso who has been to the Cinemart as well as Branmar Cinema, stated “It was the first theater in the area to have surround sound.” This theater, along with many others across America, actually were booking shows ranging from G-rated to explicit pornographic films. The theater was originally built to operate solely on X-rated pornographic films, but the Budco company acquired the theater from Hallmark Theaters of Massachusetts and started showing all varieties of films. The first film ever shown at the Cinemart was in 1968, titled “The Odd Couple”. The last ever film shown there was “The Exterminator”.

The downfall of the Cine’Mart was actually due to the Concord Mall on Route 202 in Wilmington. The Mall had been built with a theater of its own and sucked the life out of the Cine’Mart. This also resulted in the abandonment of the entire Merchandise Mart. Today, the Cine’Mart is fully abandoned, but remains standing with boards up on every possible entrance.

For a more-in depth read of the history of the Cine’Mart, I highly recommend reading Edwin’s full contribution on Cinema Treasures.

  • CineMart Building Exterior

    Cinemart Wilmington

    Cine’Mart Governor Printz Boulevard Wilmington Delaware

  • Cinemart Box Office Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Inside Cinemart Movie Theater

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Photo Dated 2011

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Box Office Poster 2

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Exterior

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Exterior 2

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Budco Quality Theatre, Owners of Cinemart

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Bathroom

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Inside the Cinemart Theater

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Theater Chandelier

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Balcony Seating

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Inside the Cinemart Theater

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Exit Sign Still Glows Red

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Curtain Open and Close Buttons

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Budco Quality Theaters Patch

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • The Infamous Film Screen

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Golden Curtain Walls

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • The Infamous Film Screen

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Seating Area

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Movie Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Movie Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Jaws Movie Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Saturday Night Fever Movie Poster at Cinemart

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • X-Rated Movie Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • X-Rated Movie Poster at Cinemart

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Monty Python Cinemart Movie Poster

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Poseidon Movie Poster Cinemart

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

  • Cinemart Movie Poster Alex in Wonderland

    Cinemart

    Cinema Treasures is the ultimate guide to movie theaters

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