Warner Bros. Studio Store

History

The first Warner Bros. Studio Store was opened on Friday, September 20, 1991, at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, California by Time Warner. The chain had 130 locations at its peak. In October 1993, a location opened at the corner of 57th St. and 5th Ave. in New York City, the first ever Studio Store in the city. Some of the store's attractions included a glass elevator carried by Superman and the 4D experience Marvin the Martian in the Third Dimension, the first ever computer-animated 3D movie produced in the world. In 1996, the chain signed a long-term lease for a three-story building at 1 Times Square and six of its billboards and opened a store on all three floors in 1997.

Closure

In January 2001, the AOL-Time Warner merger was completed, at which time the chain was placed up for sale with plans to close if not sold. In February 2001, the flagship location on New York's Fifth Avenue was closed, and on September 11th, 2001, the store at the World Trade Center was destroyed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. High-profile stores in Los Angeles and Palo Alto were also closed. In July, AOL Time Warner announced that the chain, then consisting of 85 stores, would be shut down by October as Warner Bros. Studio Store moved out of the owned and operated retail business. Its three-story, 40,000-square-foot Times Square location started liquidation in July and closed in October. Warner Bros. then placed the building up for rent without the billboards. The last stores closed by December 31, 2001.

International locations

From 1997 to 2008 several stores operated in Australia with the flagship location being in Crown Casino Melbourne. These stores, however, were owned by now defunct Paradise Retail Holdings and were run completely independently from stores of the same name internationally.

In January 2004, Warner Bros. announced they were opening the first Chinese Studio Store location, after agreeing on a licensing deal with Hutchison Harbour Ring. On March 25, 2006, a grand opening celebration was held for the grand opening of the first Studio Store location in China. In October 2006, the second Chinese Warner Bros. Studio Store location opened in Macau.

In 2016, Warner Bros., with the Thinkwell Group opened a new entertainment center in Macau, which featured a new Warner Bros. Studio Store location.

Locations

Warner Bros. Studio Store is currently used as the name of various theme park stores around the world, including at the Warner Bros. World theme park and at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

References

References

1. McNARY, DAVE. (September 20, 1991). "Warner Bros. opens studio stores". United Press International.
2. Robaton, Anna. (March 5, 1994). "Corporations Showcase Stores On Rise".
3. (July 7, 2001). "Warner Bros. Studio Stores to Close". Los Angeles Times.
4. What's Up on 5th Avenue? A Studio Store, The New York Times, David W. Dunlap Feb. 10, 1993
5. link. (21 July 2008)
6. (July 12, 2001). "Bugs Bunny Is Losing His Times Square Home in October". The New York Times.
7. (February 5, 2001). "THAT'S ALL, FOLKS: Warner Bros. to Shut its 130 Stores". Chicago Tribune.
8. (7 July 2001). "Warner Bros. Studio Stores to Be Closed". The Washington Post.
9. (July 7, 2001). "AOL to close all Warner Bros. stores". SFGate.
10. Whiteman, Bobby. (January 13, 2004). "Warner Bros. sets up shop in China". [[Variety (magazine).
11. (March 25, 2006). "Warner Bross. Consumer Products And Pmw Retail Group Celebrate Grand Opening Of First Warner Bros. Studio Store In Shanghai, China".
12. Schiller, Gail. (October 23, 2006). "Warner Bros. opens store in Macau". The Hollywood Reporter.
13. (March 28, 2016). "Making Macau Family Friendly". InPark Magazine.
14. "Shop Warner Bros. Studio Store".
15. "– THE EXPERIENCE – Warner Bros. Studio Store".