General Cinemas
General Cinema Corporation Overview Parent Sears Holdings Type Movie Theatre Established 1935 Headquarters Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA Number of Locations 300 Number of States 46 Store Design General Cinema Corporation History The General Cinema Corporation was founded as a drive-in theater in 1935 by Philip Smith, who had previously owned a small chain of silent film theaters. Smith had chosen to open the chain after noticing the increasing sales of local Massachusetts theatres, and the introduction of films that were able to accommodate a synchronized sound and voice track into their reels. Originally, Smith planned to open indoor theatres, but had decided to open a small number of outdoor theatres instead, but later decided to open some indoor theatres as well. The company did not see much growth until 1939, when World War II started, due to heavy sales of news printed on film. After...
