SEASIDE The days of buttered popcorn, soda pop and movies at the only multi-screen movie theater in Seaside are numbered. The Seaside Cinema at 1026 12th Avenue is up for sale at $1,850,000, according Dann Pickell, the Remax agent in charge of the sale.

The Cinema, originally called the Cannes Theater, was built and opened in 1992 by Seaside developer Warren Kan who recognized the need for a cinema in Seaside. The theater offered two screens for viewing when it first opened, and after an increase in public interest, the theater was expanded to six screens.

Kan sold the business in 2005 to current owners, Coming Attractions, based in Ashland.

The current cinema is in need of upgrades, according to Robin Knoll, the former general manager of the Cannes Theater for 13 years.

They have not upgraded from 35 millimeter film to the new digital film, said Knoll. The studios will not be making 35 millimeter prints after the end of the year, which means that cinemas with the older equipment will not be able to show the most current movies.

Coming Attractions also owns a cinema in Astoria that draws many Seaside moviegoers, according to Pickell.

Through market surveys, most of Seaside movie-goers do go to Astoria, said Pickell. As part of the sale agreement, the old theater cannot be transformed into a newer, commercialized, multi-screen cinema. Until a sale is pending, the Seaside Cinema will remain open.

Pickell suggests that the buyer could show old time movies; however, he said the property could be also developed into a microbrew pub.

It is sad to see the theater go, said Knoll. This community needs a movie theater for local residents and tourists. It helps enhance the vacation experience.