Carmike Cinema Twin / AMC Classic Hartsville 2 Movie Theater, 118 West Carolina Avenue, Hartsville: January 2022
Well, we now have one less movie theater we can go to. The closing of the AMC Classic Hartsville 2 theater was entirely unexpected, at least by me. Then again, the pandemic has apparently put a hurting on the movie business over the last couple of years.
I last went to this theater back in November with my daughter to see Encanto. The movie was plan B for us because our plan A to go see Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live in Charlotte that evening didn't pan out...for very stupid reasons. As it turned out, my daughter and I were the only patrons at that movie, which wasn't necessarily surprising to me because it was during the middle of the week. That said, the guy running the ticket and concessions desk insisted that the low turnout was not normal; in hindsight, this should have been a troubling sign regarding the theater's imminent demise. Still, it was cool to have the theater to ourselves.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone else reopens this theater under a different name. Before the theater was under the AMC brand, it was under the Carmike brand; however, the transition from Carmike to AMC occurred because AMC bought Carmike. I'm not sure how many years (continuous or not) this location has been a movie theater. I knew there was a movie theater in Hartsville when I was a kid, but we never went there because we always went to one of the two theaters in Rockingham (both closed) or one of the theaters in Florence. I assume this is that same theater. My family and I only started going to the theater in Hartsville after moving back to Cheraw. We liked it because it was closer than Florence and cheaper. I've always liked these old twin-style theaters. Sure, years ago, when I first went to a newer theater with stadium seating, surround sound, etc., that was a fun time, but I decided that I don't really care about having all of the bells and whistles in my moviegoing experience.
That said, if you like the older style, cheaper theater experience, check out The Ball Theater in Pageland.