Iconic Amarillo Movie Theatres From The Past

When you've been a city for well over a century, you're bound to see plenty of things come and go. Some hold memories, some you never visited or even knew existed.

However, movie theatres are one of those things that everyone can relate to. Some are historic and unforgettable, and it seems there's several in Amarillo that people remember.

I haven't been here long enough to know any of these theatres, but I've read the history and memories of some of them. Here are a few theatres that have come and gone, but left their mark on Amarillo forever.

The Twin Drive-In

Ah yes, the memory of the classic drive-in theatre. A place where young couples used to go for a little "private time", even though they were surrounded by hundreds of other cars. The Twin was one of the most popular places to go, and that's evident by the fact that it could hold up to 1,000 cars at a time. It opened back in 1952 and stayed in business for over 30 years. Unfortunately, it's main screen burned down and they never replaced it. The location now is the home of a Walmart.

Fox Theatre

The Fox opened back in 1968 and was a single screen theatre for several years. As it became a popular place to watch a movie indoors (AKA, not a car), they added a second screen in 1974. When it first opened, it had top of the line projectors and equipment, but as new equipment was being churned out, the Fox couldn't keep up with it. Eventually, it closed its doors in 1992 and was demolished in 1993.

Esquire Theatre

The oldest theatre on this list was opened back in 1947, also as a one screen theatre. The twin and multiplex theatres weren't introduced until decades later. The first movie ever shown at the theatre was the musical "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" starring June Haver and Mark Stevens. The destination theatre closed just shy of it's 35th anniversary in 1982, and was quickly demolished in the same year.