tl20001204-000 "Monday www.thetowerlight.com Th/Mer Published twice-weekly by students of Towson University 12/4/00 Towson mom wins new car Former dropout writes book TU wins Charles St. challenge 15 AIA combines sports with faith 17 Departments News 3 Nation 4 Campus briefs 5 A&E. 7 Sound Bites 10 Backstage Pass 11 Sports 15 Fast Break 15 Athlete of the Week....18 Op/Ed. 22 General Cinema bankrupt; future of theater in doubt General Cinemas, the parent company for the Towson Commons movie Moviegoers, local store owners wonder about future of Towson Commons, downtown area Beth Merchant The Towerlight Freshman David Hufnageo, like many others, enjoys a trip to the movie theater every now and then. It is one way for stu-dents to unwind from the stress of schoolwork and to spend time with friends. Hufnageo, like all other fresh-man, does not have a car on campus. He is limited to places that are within walking distance of the campus. Fortunately, General Cinema, which is located at Towson Commons, is very close to the university. ""I've been there [the cinema] three times,"" Hufnageo said. ""It's only a five to 10 minute walk from my dorm."" However, Hufnageo may need to find a new destination. General Cinema, the operating company for the Towson Commons theater and more than a dozen others in the region, recently filed for bank-ruptcy, a move that could have a huge impact on the Towson community and the downtown area. ""I would cry [if the movie the-ater closed],"" he said. ""I don't know where I would go for Chris Henry The Towerhght theater, filed for bankruptcy, leaving the future of the theater in doubt. movies."" Lori lannacone is not sur-prised that General Cinema is bankrupt. She was outraged by the price of tickets and knows other the-atergoers felt the same way in recent years. ""I don't think that it is worth the money. They shouldn't charge that much, especially since they are so close to a col-lege campus,"" Iannacone said. ""I can go home and see the movies I want for $5 or less."" General Cinema's officials had no comment on the bank-ruptcy or the future of the movie theater. Freshman Scott Zwiebel admitted that the loss would prohibit him, and most other on-campus residents, from going to the movies. ""Most of my friends go there because of how close it is [to the campus],"" he said. However, he does not think that it would too much of a tragedy for students because there are other things to do besides going to the movies. The loss of General Cinema could, however, be tragic for the local business community, much of which is built around the theater. Chris Szocik, a manager at the Ruby Tuesday's in Towson Commons, said he believes a theater closing would have an effect on the restaurant's overall business. They would lose the customers who dine before or after a movie. ""It would mainly affect our late night business. I would say that five percent [of the clien-tele] are a result of the cinema,"" See COMMONS, page 4 Today High 42 Low 23 Tuesday High 48 Low 24 1 Wednesday High 40 Low 21 Thursday High 40 Low 24 "
