It used to just be a buck, until “about 10 years ago it went to $2,” writes a moviegoer. By then the theater had already been around for decades in the back of its namesake Wind Chimes Shopping Center at Westheimer and Eldridge — once the setting itself of a movie shot by a local production company. Following roughly 40 years there, “It was just about the last dollar movie open in Houston,” the former patron declares. (Still around, notes the sign, is the North Oaks Cinema 6 at FM 1960 and Stuebner Airline — where the same owners will sell you a $2 ticket to see any of 8 selections right now.)

What that price got you at Windchimes: admission to feature films that hadn’t quite made it to DVD yet after finishing up their time in first-run theaters. And on top of that, arcade games:

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They spanned the hallway adjacent to the concessions:

The 73,096-sq.-ft. space went up for lease early last year, according to a listing. Though it’s currently locked up, its lights and signage remain illuminated for now.

Photos: Alex M. (exterior); Caroline R. (arcade); Eddie S. (concessions); Swamplox inbox (sign)



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