Scottsdale mall expansion could knock Harkins Camelview out of the picture
Oct 3, 2013, 11:23 AM | Updated: 11:23 am
PHOENIX — The recent announcement of a proposed expansion of Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall has indie movie fans in the Valley worried about the future of Harkins Camelview 5 theater.
The mall has submitted a formal request to the city for almost 142,000 additional square feet for development to be completed possibly within the next two years.
A 12-14 screen theater could be in the works for the site but that isn’t of much comfort to Arizona State University student Peter Northfelt, an arthouse movie fan. He isn’t going to stand idly by and watch the place go down.
He authored an online petition at change.org to save the theater and has already drawn 2,000 or so signatures.
The five-screen theater, which opened in 1973 as a three-screen movie house, shows strictly foreign and independent films.
“These are going to be pushed out by the major blockbusters that will be co-existing in this 12-14 screen theaters they’re proposing to build,” Northfelt said.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, mall owner Macerich said it was engaged in early talks about a new theater with Harkins.
