Demolition has begun on the Riverfront Park IMAX in Spokane, Washington.

The Spokeman-Review published an article recently with a photo of an excavator taking the first chunks out of the former theater's exterior.

We last received showtimes for the theater in April 2015.

Background information was found on the City of Spokane's website:

Demolition

The first phase of IMAX demolition will involve a high reach excavator and remove the top 25-30’. It is anticipated to take most of the week. Later, smaller excavators will be used to remove the remainder of the building.

Demolition will also remove other items not part of the original Expo ’74 Pavilion, including the Ice Palace roof and science building. The cable net structure from Expo ’74 will remain.

 

IMAX history

The IMAX opened in 1978, four years after Expo ’74, at a cost of about $1 million. A 30-year contract with IMAX giving the City exclusive rights to IMAX films in the region expired in 2008. The right to first-run IMAX movies also ended and shifted to another theater.

By 2012, the IMAX was no longer financially viable with a loss of about $165,000. It was removed from the future of the Pavilion site in the 2014 Master Plan through a robust public process with community input.

Moviegoers in the area will need to visit one of the other nearby theaters, including the AMC River Park Square 20 and The Magic Lantern Theatre in Spokane.

Related News Articles

• Historic IMAX demolished as part of new pavilion design -- KXLY [Jan 31, 2018]
• Riverfront Park Imax demolition ‘like a big dinosaur eating the building’ -- The Spokeman-Review [Jan 30, 2018]
• Imax demolition in Spokane fast-tracked to start Monday -- The Seattle Times [Jan 28, 2018]
• Imax theater demolition and other Riverfront Park construction projects about to start -- The Spokeman-Review [Oct 16, 2017]