Founding In 1931, at the age of 16, Dwight "Red" Harkins left
Cincinnati, Ohio, for
Los Angeles, California hoping to become involved in the film scene there. However, by the time he arrived in
Tempe, Arizona, he could no longer afford to reach Los Angeles.
Early years In 1934, Red Harkins built an outdoor theater in
Tempe Beach Park, which lasted for only one summer. In 1940 Harkins built the College Theater (later Harkins Valley Art). The last theater opened by Red Harkins was the "Camelview 5" theater in 1973. The Camelview 5 closed down in December 2015 and the "
Camelview at Fashion Square" location opened as a 14-theater space in the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall.
Dan Harkins In 1974, Dwight Harkins died, leaving the company to his wife, Viola. Dwight had 6 children. The company was near
bankruptcy at that time. After reworking the company, Dwight's fourth son Dan expanded the theatre chain from five locations in the
Phoenix, Arizona area to 33 locations in four states - Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, and Southern California. The
Southlake, Texas location was operational until November 2, 2020. Being unable to secure many
first-run movies caused Harkins Theatres to experience financial difficulties. Dan Harkins sued a group of movie distributors in 1977, claiming they had stopped him from scheduling a number of high-profile first-run films. After Harkins won the lawsuit, the chain was able to show a run of the 1940
Walt Disney animated film
Fantasia in May 1982, starting a string of successful releases. Dan Harkins has won several awards for his work in the exhibitor industry and his community involvement. •
Phoenix Film Festival Visionary Award (2010) • Arizona Culture Keepers (2010) • United Motion Picture Association of America National Showman of the Year (1976, 1980 & 1982) •
American Institute of Architects Community Vision Award (1996)
Expansion In the early 1990s, Harkins acquired several theaters operated by
Mann Theatres. Most of the theaters acquired were a result of a lawsuit. Despite over 200,000
signatures in a preservation effort led primarily by KTAR's
Pat McMahon, the theater was demolished in 1998. In 2003, a newer version of the Cine Capri theater opened at the Scottsdale 101 14 multiplex. Harkins Theatres also built Cine Capri auditoriums at its Bricktown 16 (
Oklahoma City, OK), Northfield 18 (
Denver, CO), Southlake 14 (Southlake, TX) and Tempe Marketplace 16 (Tempe, AZ) locations. The Southlake 14 location would close in 2020. In November 2004, Harkins opened its Yuma Palms 14 location in
Yuma, Arizona. The first film shown at this location was
The Polar Express. . during the
Phoenix Film Festival. . In 2023, with the closure and bulldozing of
Metrocenter Mall in Phoenix, Harkins Metro 12 was also permanently closed on May 29 after 31 years in operation. According to William Olson, senior executive vice-president for Concord Wilshire Companies and project leader for the Metrocenter redevelopment, a new version of the theater will be considered. In 2023, Harkins announced that they are opening up a "new family entertainment concept" in North Phoenix called BackLot in 2024. Themed after movie
backlots, it will include a restaurant with a bar, a sports-viewing area, bowling lanes, an outdoor patio, and immersive virtual-reality experiences. ==Premium formats==