Comments from Christophersepp

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Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on Aug 8, 2007 at 11:13 am

The Devils Arena is very similar to the tenplex situation. The new theater at the mall costs more per ticket and is in a worse location re: parking and traffic. The new Devils Arena will have costlier tickets, less seats than Continental, yet more extremely costly luxury boxes/club seats, and is in a much worse and less hockey friendly area. Most of my friends who’ve had season tickets at Continental all these years have finally been priced out of their seats $150 versus $90 or so, and the fact that you’re paying $150 to risk going to Newark is the straw that broke the camels back. The Devils thought they had trouble filling the arena before, so they decided let’s charge more and put the arena in the worst place possible?

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on Aug 8, 2007 at 11:06 am

Part of the money for the new Devils Arena is coming from the state, but most is coming from Newark. Newark Mayor Corey Booker recently forced a large number of city workers to retire early or were let go, due to the fact that the city budget deficit is so ridiculously high, and yet hundreds of millions of dollars go into an arena that wasn’t needed. I’ve been a huge Devils fan my whole life, and spent a huge percentage of my youth watching games at the arena. They should have just renovated Continental. The lower tier tickets at the new arena, in one of the highest crime areas of the state, will be almost double what they cost at Continental, $150. For that kind of money they should have built it in Upper Saddle River or Mahway, not Newark.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on Aug 6, 2007 at 10:00 pm

Actually, what I should have said was: if only I knew about the closing early enough to get something accomplished. The article in the paper didn’t cover the situation from a sympathetic angle, and the writer I spoke with forget to put the website in the article, so most people thought it was a written petition. All the politicians I spoke to gave me lip service, but what else is new in New Jersey. We have the highest taxes in the country, property/state income/sales tax, and yet the Jets/Giants/Devils get state money and millions in tax incentives to build new stadiums/arenas that no one wanted, especially in Newark of all places. Why I foolishly thought a NJ politician would have helped out in this situation is beyond me.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on Aug 6, 2007 at 9:53 pm

Most, if not all, of the Tenplex employees were offered jobs at the new theater, but turned them down. I, and all of my friends and family, will never go see a movie at the new theater, so I can understand why they wouldn’t want to work there. For a lot of the employees of the Tenplex I spoke to, it wasn’t just a job, it was like a second home. It’s kind of the same feeling a lot of us patrons had for it over the past 30+ years or so. I’m still really disappointed because I had two independent theater owners interested in leasing the property, but when AMC let the lease go, the owners of the property leased it to a company who will eventually turn it into an extension of the newer Bergen Mall. If only I acted faster.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on Jun 5, 2007 at 6:49 am

Photoman1001, thank you so much for the link to the pictures. It is greatly appreciated. I’m still calling/emailing everyone I can think of to save this theater, but it looks like I’m running out of venues to pursue. At least I’ll now have your pics to keep my memories alive. Thanks again.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 29, 2007 at 5:47 pm

A lot of the above posters have some really good ideas in relation to what the Tenplex could become. Now, if only the borough would step in to foster those kinds of cultural investments, instead of more retail. Remember, even though AMC owns the property, it’s still ruled over by Paramus. In other words, if they don’t want it zoned for retail, they can step in and say it’s not happening. I still don’t know how the Bergen Mall would extend across the road, but that’s what I’ve heard. I’m not sure how true that is. The Tenplex might not be as nice as it once once, but it’s still far from a dump. In relation to the above comment about families frequenting the GSP theater, most won’t. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has children has said they will probably go to the Secaucus 6 or 8 instead of the mall due to the ease of parking and lack of traffic. I’m sure the GSP theater will do best with the teens who frequent the mall, as spoken about above, with their neverending cell phone conversations and talking through the movies. I know the Willowbrook AMC, while not actually connected to the mall, doesn’t get the amount of families as the older theaters, like Cinema 46 did. It’s all teens and preteens there, which is why I avoid it like the plague. Peter, thanks for the link to AMC investor relations.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 29, 2007 at 8:08 am

Peter, there actually was an individual who contacted me, after the article in The Record, who was interested in leasing the Tenplex. He’s been in the business of leasing older theaters, when the companies that own them decide to close, for about 30 years. The only problem is that no one seems to be able to reach AMC directly. If you go to their website, there is no email address or phone number listed for any form of contact whatsoever, only mailing addresses. Even the historical societies I’ve been in contact with haven’t had any luck speaking with AMC directly. As I said originally, there is no reason you can’t keep the Tenplex open for first run movies. The new theater at GSP was only showing 4 movies this past weekend, on its 16 screens, which leaves a lot of smaller and independent films that could be shown at the Tenplex. I know that won’t always be the case when the summer blockbuster season is over, but the Hyway Theater, a few minutes further up Rt.4 has always shown first run movies, and that was never a problem with the Tenplex or the old theater at the mall. There were rumors about the Tenplex being closed, but up until recently, it was never definitive. Their own staff wasn’t even informed until a couple of weeks ago. Where did you read about the stipulation of the tenplex closing?

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 28, 2007 at 2:28 pm

Nothing will be done on the Tenplex site for a while, which is why there is still a chance to save it. Local legislators are looking into the zoning issues and NJ Historical societies are still looking into its historical significance. If it is true that they’re going to extend the Bergen Mall on to the Tenplex property, that’s still months, if not years away from happening. It’s not cost effective to demolish a property, if you’re not all set to build something new there. A lot of people are still surprised to hear about the closing, due to the fact that AMC kept it very quiet. Other than the article in The Record, which was not instigated by AMC, who actually tried to quash the article, there wasn’t anything in the press about it. AMC knew there would be a lot of public outcry, if the story got to the public earlier. Now, most people think it’s a done deal, and don’t want to be bothered calling AMC, local legislators, historical societies, etc… when they think it’s already too late to have an effect. The more public outrage, the more chance it can still be saved as long it’s still standing. Boycotting the new theater will also help to get that point across, but with all the teens at the mall, that’s an uphill battle in itself.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 25, 2007 at 7:18 pm

I’m hoping the Fairlawn Theater is going to be ok, mostly because, unlike the Tenplex, it’s independently owned. Remember, it wasn’t failing ticket sales that doomed the Tenplex, it was AMC’s market strategy. The Tenplex was still packed every weekend. I think the Fairlawn theater might actually do better after the GSP theater opens, and the Tenplex is closed, because there is no parking/traffic problems there.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 25, 2007 at 10:29 am

For those of you who are still interested in trying to save the Tenplex, while the Tenplex is still standing, please call any of the following legislators to express your concern. I’ve spoken with their reps. already, and the most important thing I was told was to get as many people to call them as possible to express their feelings on the Tenplex situation, to show them how important it is to their constituents/voters. You can reach the Mayor and Council of Paramus at 201-265-2100 ext. 613, State Assemblywoman Joan Voss at 201-346-6400, State Assemblyman Robert Gordon at 201-703-9779, and State Senator Joseph Coniglio at 201-576-9199. As most of you already know, the online petition is located at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/tenplex Trust me, if you keep the pressure on these legislators, there might actually be a chance to save the Tenplex, because everything I’ve heard is that the building isn’t going anywhere until they really get far with the Bergen Mall renovation. Thanks again, oh, and boycott the one at Garden State Plaza at all costs. Can you ever imagine having the same kinds of experiences that many of you posted above that you had at the Tenplex at the sterile assembly line 16plex at the mall? Me neither. :)

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 25, 2007 at 10:18 am

I’m so happy to hear that there are many others who share my feelings about this truly special theater. If you grew up in Bergen County in the 70s/80s, the Tenplex was/is a touchstone from the “Wonder Years” of youth. I have so many countless memories of this theater, from my first film, Raggedy Anne and Andy: A Musical Adventure, to waiting in endless longlines around the building for any of the original Star Wars films. The Tenplex changed over the years, as did we all. Sometimes it was for the better and sometimes for the worst, but it was always there to help us get through those tough times when we needed a cinematic experience to take us away from the trials and tribulations of real life. I totally agree with one of the earlier posters, in the fact that, it corrupt local politicians who get kickbacks from contractors and corporations that are responsible for letting this happen. It’s the same reason why we have the highest property taxes in the country. It’s the local councils and mayors that are profiting from the loss of our cultural landmarks and the rising cost of living in NJ. If any of the above posters has the pics they took last night online, please refer me to the site they are on, or email them to me on here. Thanks, in advance.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 24, 2007 at 7:44 pm

John, I didn’t want you to think my post was aimed at you. It posted at the same time as yours and I’m very appreciative to hear your feelings on the history and emotion this theater has evoked from so many. It’s such a shame that AMC had to be so shady about the whole situation because if they had actually announced the closing months ago when they made their decision, the public outcry would have swayed both them and the borough. This way, they hoped it would disappear as quietly as Sportsworld on rt. 17 and The Paramus Picture Show, which many of us thought was being redone with the renovation of that mini-mall.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 24, 2007 at 7:38 pm

There will still be a Tenplex tomorrow. It just won’t be open for business. As I said in my earlier posts, as long as the building is still up, there is still a chance the Borough of Paramus, NOT the planning board, or Bergen County officials could step in to keep the property zoned for only cultural, not retail use. According to the historical trust and other state historical reps I’ve spoken to, there is still a chance this theater might be protected for its historical significance. I’m not saying it will, but please stop making it sound like tomorrow morning there will just be a big hole where the Tenplex once stood, because that’s just not the case. Ask the other 400+ people who signed the petition, a lot of us are in no way looking forward to the theater at the mall. Remember, that number might be small, but it’s purely based on word of mouth. It wasn’t listed in the article in The Record and it wasn’t advertised at the Tenplex. Thank heavens NYC is so close, as I can still go to historic theaters there and enjoy the cinematic experience associated with that, without feeling like I’m in an assembly line. To a lot of us, the Tenplex has been more than just a movie theater. It has really meant something to us, as we’ve grown up with it. Please stop dismissing it so lightly.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 23, 2007 at 5:17 pm

It’s funny you mention Xanadu. I’ve heard rumors that AMC might close the 6 and 8plex in Secaucus when Xanadu opens, due to too much competition. Most people I’ve spoken to who can’t avoid AMC altogether, due to distance and time constraints, have told me they’d probably go to one of the two Secaucus theaters instead. Both the 6 and 8 are similar in design to the Tenplex, and neither has the traffic, parking, or security problem that the Garden State Plaza theater will have. If it’s true that both the 6 and 8 will be gone when a 26 screen theater is opened at Xanadu, it will really be a shame for people in this area who don’t want jumbo assembly line theaters with tons of traffic and parking issues. It would be nice if everyone could just go to the classic theaters in NYC, but I understand that it can be impossible for people with kids and larger families. Many of my good friends live in East Rutherford, and I know, due to what they’ve heard at past public meetings, that the residents of East Rutherford were dead set against Xanadu. It’s amazing that we live in a state with the highest property taxes in the country, yet the citizens have so little say in how their communities are developed. I think part of the problem is we hear about stuff AFTER it’s already too late to do anything about it.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 23, 2007 at 3:47 pm

Peter, you understood what I was saying exactly. It’s closing this week, not being demolished. I’ve gotten mixed messages from the legislators I’ve spoken to, in regards to what’s actually going to be happening to the Tenplex. Most were taken completely unaware that anything would be happening to it at all. AMC has really kept the closing very quiet. In fact, most people I spoke to, including the legislators, told me they wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t read the article in The Record or gotten a call from me. I think the main misunderstanding/disagreement is between the Borough of Paramus itself and its own planning board. I’m still disheartened to know that the courts found in favor of the Planning Board versus what the borough itself and its citizens wanted in regards to the theater at the mall. I actually got a call from an individual who runs independent theaters in the tri-state area who said he would be very interested in leasing the property to make it a second run theater. If the mall got Pirates this weekend, the Tenplex would get it 3 or 4 weeks later and charge $5 or $6 versus $10 at the mall. That way, neither theater would actually cause problems for the other. This would only work if AMC would lease or if Paramus actually took over for the good of the community.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 23, 2007 at 9:04 am

Justin, where do you get your information? I spearheaded the campaign to save this historic theater, and have been in constant contact with the employees and Eric, the general manager, of the Tenplex. While the theater is scheduled to close after Thursday night’s shows, there are NO imminent plans to demolish it. There is a supposed deal to knock it down when the Bergen Mall gets enlarged into that property, but this isn’t going to be for a while. I have been speaking with all the local legislators, Assemblyman/woman, State Senators, and anyone else who represents this voting district. They, along with the mayor of Paramus, are looking into the historic significance of the theater, along with the zoning laws which could prevent it from being turned into more retail space. The NJ Historic Trust and the League of Historic American Theaters are also looking into what can be done. Please do not give people the impression this is a done deal. There are a lot of us, including most on the petition, who are working hard to save this theater. Read some of the comments on the petition and you’ll see how much it means to many people. I know the chances of saving it are slim, but I feel the need to try as hard as I can to save this theater. I will only go to Clearview or Landmark theaters now.

Christophersepp
Christophersepp commented about AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex on May 16, 2007 at 7:43 am

If you have always been a fan of this theater, please help save it. Sign the Save The Tenplex petition at http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/tenplex The new theater at Garden State Plaza is going to be the typical AMC assembly line theater with lots of small theaters with little screens. The Tenplex is one of the few classic orchestra style seating theaters left in Northern New Jersey with wide screens. There is no reason to knock it down for more retail stores, which Paramus doesn’t need. Other than signing the petition, you can call the Mayor and Council of Paramus at 201-265-2100 ext. 613 and State Senator Joseph Coniglio at 201-576-9199, who’s based in Paramus, to express your concerns. Thank you for any help you can provide.