Quake closed Carmike

In the immediate aftermath of the Tuesday, August 23 earthquake, it appeared Charlottesville had avoided the building damage that closed two schools for a year and crumbled countless chimneys in Louisa County near the quake's epicenter. Turns out, at least one building in town sustained enough impact for a temporary shutdown.

"We remained closed on Wednesday and Thursday," says Carmike 6 General Manager Joseph W. Horton, adding that the damage to the multiplex was mostly "cosmetic," including ceiling tiles that fell. No one was injured, says Horton, and employees assisted several wheelchair-bound or walker-using patrons during the Tuesday afternoon evacuation.

"We didn't have any rush," says Horton, noting that some patrons believed the shaking was caused by the sound system's bass and that everyone remained calm.

The evacuation was not the first in Carmike's recent history. Back in December 2009, a week after the epic Snowpocalypse, icy water poured down on moviegoers watching Avatar, prompting the closure of several of the theaters until the roof could be repaired.