By Kevin Newhouse
The Aptos Twin may not have been the nicest theatre around. With only two screens, your movie options were limited. And for many years prior to the upgrades, we tolerated the sticky floors and uncomfortable metal backed Heywood-Wakefield seats from the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. But there was something about the theatre that our town loved. It was our theatre. For nearly 46 years it screened the stories that made us smile, laugh, gasp, scream, and cry. It never failed to keep us entertained and it was right here in Aptos.
The Aptos Twin was part of the fourth and final stage of construction for the Rancho Del Mar shopping center. Its first stage, which included the Safeway building and County Bank of Santa Cruz (which later became The Windjammer and The Rancho Del Mar Café), celebrated its opening day on June 21, 1961. The second stage was completed in 1964 and the third in 1968. The fourth stage added 25 new businesses to the already existing 41 and was completed in 1970.
In March of 1970, just as the theatre’s construction was near completion, the marquee read, “Open Soon. If the rain ever stops.” Apparently it had been a wet start to the year and construction had been delayed. However, the town folks had read the sign and took it to mean that the theatre was about to open its doors and the first movie was going to be “If the Rain Ever Stops.” A funny misinterpretation indeed! However, the rain did eventually stop so the note was removed from the marquee and construction continued.
The Aptos Twin operated as a United Artists Theatre until April 1998, when Culver Theatres Inc. bought the lease, made some improvements, and changed the name to Aptos Cinemas.
Ownership changed once again in 2006 when Nickelodeon Theatres, who also owned The Nickelodeon and Del Mar Theatre, purchased the cinema.
In September 2013, a $250,000 remodel of the theatre included new plush seating, a digital screen with 3-D technology, and personal captioning for the hearing impaired. Because the seats were so much bigger than before, the capacity of auditoriums decreased to 240 in the big room and 92 in the small room.
In December 2015, Landmark Theatre purchased the 3 theatres (Nickelodeon, Del Mar, and Aptos) from Nickelodeon Theatres.
Unfortunately, just one month later, it was announced that the Aptos Cinemas would be closed for good. Landmark Theatres and Terramar Retail Centers (the owners of Rancho Del Mar) couldn’t come to a rental agreement and the last movie was played on January 26, 2016.
When the news first came out, everyone was very shocked and a lot of blame was thrown around. Most of it was based on assumptions. As we all know, it is never wise to trust what you see or read about on social media. What really happened is quite an interesting story but it is not the focus of my column. I am here to write about local history.
I want this article to remind everyone of the good times and entertainment the Aptos Twin brought to this town for so many years. I, too, am sad to say goodbye but I am grateful for the memories.
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For more information about the Aptos History Museum, upcoming events, or becoming a member of the museum, please visit www.aptoshistory.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @aptos_history_museum.