It’s a mouthful, but the theatre was soon saddled with the moniker of the Regal United Artists Galaxy Stadium Theatre & ScreenX. Because Regal owned the theater instead of the former practice of leasing, it realized that the theater might have an opportunity to remain vibrant heading into the 2020s. But there was hope as in 2015, the theater would receive its first major refresh when recliner seating was announced in March of 2015 to come in time for the big summer films. More people were drifting away from the Galaxy. Meanwhile, AMC would upgrade its 30-screen Mesquite property with a IMAX-branded screen, a bar, fork-and-screen full-kitchen houses, and recliners. The cash-strapped Regal chain didn’t do much over the next ten years to refresh the property and weekday audiences found the 900 slot parking lot with more new cars for the adjoining car dealership than patrons. Regal didn’t do justice to the Galaxy as THX designation went away. UA which once had theaters all over Dallas would be taken over by Regal and would have only the Galaxy after leaving the Plaza, the Keystone, the MacArthur Marketplace, and all of its multiplexes including the North Star in Garland. Even the Countdown Dallas group abandoned the theater for 2002’s Phantom Menace sequel opting for the DLP-centric Cinemark Legacy. UA had all the new clearances it wanted for new films.īut United Artists, itself, fell on hard times and the circuit dropped theater after theater in the area and around the country. UA all but vanquished its Cinemark competitor as the Hollywood USA was downgraded to sub-run dollar house status. The Galaxy 9 would become the Galaxy 10 when the Showscan novelty house was converted into a small screen. The theater had many sell-outs and delivered the goods. The theater made $22,500 in ticket revenue selling out all shows until 11:45p.īecause of the size of the large screens, Star Wars fans camped out at the Galaxy as members of “Countdown Dallas” waited the highly anticipated 1999 film. People showed up, they filled the auditorium and went on to the next auditorium. With eight theaters ready for usage, Mission: Impossible was screened on each screen a day before its actual opening and the theater attracted sell out audiences. A crazy large dual-sided concession area, gaming area, two additional concession stands close to theaters 5 & 9 – the largest houses, and a 38-seat Showscan ride simulator theater that rounded out the technologically innovative theater. There was stadium seating with rocking-chair padded seats in all houses, something that UA had eschewed in the past. The theater made a statement, THX certification was found in six auditoria where digital sound was vibrant. The two auditoria had the second largest screens next to only the outdoor Astro Drive-In. The costs of the Galaxy sailed past $12 million with two huge 750 seat auditoria with 76.5 foot wide screens and 50-foot high ceilings affectionately called the 80 foot screens, eclipsing the 75 foot screens at the CInemark 17. With screen count already in favor of the established Cinemark property, UA spent more on this property than the afforementioned theaters. Much like the UA Grand Prairie, the circuit was going after a contemporary Cinemark multiplex in the Hollywood USA 14/15. UA built its Lakepointe 10 theater in Lewisville opening in December 1994 and would build a similar facility in Grand Prarie (Aug.1995) along with two Fort Worth complexes opening in 1997 with the Eastchase 9 and the Fossil Creek 11. While much of the attention was going to 24 and 30 screen megaplexes of the era, UA was more conservative building 9-11 screen complexes. United Artists Circuits purchased 9.5 acres near the southeast corner of Jupiter Road and LBJ Freeway in northeast Dallas to launch a destination theater that eventually opened called the Galaxy.
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