There WAS a movie theatre where Duane Reade is now; the space formerly housed the two-screen Park & 86th Street Cinemas, which closed in the fall of 2002 with ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and ‘Road to Perdition’ and the marquee is the same used when the property was a theatre, merely with the signage replaced and some other minor (non-structural) alterations.
It IS showing its age a bit – it doesn’t take long for movie theatres in NYC to develop at least a bit of that down-on-its-heels appearance – but the Loews Lincoln Square still is one of the best multiplexes, if not THE best multiplex, in the five boroughs. I’ve never really heard much about the Loews 84th Street, though, one way or another, which suggests it’s a decent (but not much more) place to catch a flick. Any thoughts/opinions?
I’d guess via a prerecorded CD, tmq840. I’ve heard something similar at the nine-screen Clearview in Chelsea, with music and DJ announcements from WCBS-FM – relatively subtle, but yet another example of commercialization at the movies…
The Movieplex 42 was carved out of one of two Roxy Twin Theatre sites on the Deuce (this one being located to the direct right of the space the Empire formerly occupied).
The theatre you saw ‘High Fidelity’ at, Harper, was the Criterion Center, between 44th and 45th Streets on Broadway, which closed in April of 2000, and the auditorium you saw it in was the former balcony (one of seven auditoriums at the Criterion; the other six resided within a left/right split of the former orchestra and four carved out of the one-time lounge/basement area). The total space of the movie side of the Criterion (there was also a separate entity two-stage Criterion Center performing arts space located next door, to the left) was gutted later that summer and, along with most of the remainder of the building, now serves as home to Toys ‘R Us.
The exterior of the Olympic is visible in one scene towards the end of the 1999 film ‘Fight Club’. (On the marquee, by pure coincidence, I’m sure – ‘Seven Years in Tibet’.)
In one scene in the new flick ‘Be Cool’, John Travolta and Uma Thurman are shown driving away from the Million Dollar Theater, while the follow-up shot is of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. (Also, on prominent display on the Grauman’s marquee, via either stock footage or some sort of homage, is title signage from 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’.)
In one scene in the new flick ‘Be Cool’, John Travolta and Uma Thurman are shown driving away from the Million Dollar Theater, while the follow-up shot is of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. (Also, on prominent display on the Grauman’s marquee, via either stock footage or some sort of homage, is title signage from 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’.)
The Village East, at best, seems to be hanging on. Along with their usual handful of Angelika moveovers (which, since the opening of the Sunshine as an art-house multiplex in December of ‘01, have been 'moving over’ later in their shelf life), they showcase mostly lower-tier studio product (‘Alexander’, ‘Pooh’s Heffalump Movie’, and, this upcoming Friday, the oft-delayed Wes Craven-Kevin Williamson flick, ‘Cursed’), indie vanity projects, and the occasional major-studio flick that doesn’t give off that air of distinctly being a Loews or Regal reject (‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ being the most recent such example).
Depending on the film, the theatre still draws decent crowds (much as was the case when I saw ‘Zissou’ there last month), but it’s definitely lost some luster (if ‘luster’ is the appropriate term to use) over the last 5-7 years. Still, as noted above, it seems to be holding its own and I can’t imagine that and/or its mode of operation changing much in the foreseeable future.
Did you happen to catch a glimpse of the interior, Ken? In a post from March 23rd of last year, ‘Manwithnoname’ noted that the space appeared to have been gutted, with the back wall visible and all the auditorium seats removed.
The Kings bowling alley and its various lanes and lounges occupy the former downstairs three-auditorium and lobby space, while the Summer Shack restaurant is housed in the former upstairs, fourth-auditorium space.
The two key elements which remain from the total property’s time as the Cheri include, with some signage changes, the overall form of the original marquee and three exterior one-sheet display cases incorporated into the Summer Shack space and presently used for advertising.
Final comment from me on this (and know that I respect and completely agree with your position, CConnolly; I’m stating my position for clarification’s sake): I’m not taking ANYONE’S side. Calling any other person or people names, attaching labels to others, throwing around insults – it’s all childish and I’d want to believe, as adults, that we’re above such nonsense. As stated previously by other individuals, if incorrect information is posted, a polite revision is all that’s required – nothing more, nothing less. We all make mistakes – major ones, minor ones (spilling a cup of coffee, grabbing a pencil when we wanted a pen, posting what we believe in our heart of hearts is an accurate statement on a web site message board, etc.) – most of us on a daily basis and anyone who states otherwise just isn’t being honest. In other words, let’s respect one another and let’s respect that we’re all fallible human beings.
This is a site dedicated to those of us who love movie theatres new and old; it’s not nuclear physics or an attempt to balance a city budget. Let’s just chill, folks…
Enough with the B.S. Let’s focus on what this site is about – posting information, comments, and memorances about various movie theatres and lay off the potshots and insults, O.K.?
In July of 2003, long-simmering plans to sell the DGA building to a developer who planned to construct a 40-story, mixed-use luxury apartment tower on the site fell through; instead, the property was renovated by the present owner.
I’d been hoping to hear from someone who had ties in one way or another to the Nova. (See my post from this past September 2nd.) Even though I never saw a film at the Nova, I was saddened when it closed – to think a movie theatre could last 89 years and then, in a matter of months, just disappear into the streetscape and become just another 99-cent store… what a shame. When did your father work there, Lissy? Are there any memories he’d be willing to share?
There WAS a movie theatre where Duane Reade is now; the space formerly housed the two-screen Park & 86th Street Cinemas, which closed in the fall of 2002 with ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ and ‘Road to Perdition’ and the marquee is the same used when the property was a theatre, merely with the signage replaced and some other minor (non-structural) alterations.
The EasyEverything internet cafe occupies the former lobby space of the Liberty, just behind the building’s landmarked exterior.
It IS showing its age a bit – it doesn’t take long for movie theatres in NYC to develop at least a bit of that down-on-its-heels appearance – but the Loews Lincoln Square still is one of the best multiplexes, if not THE best multiplex, in the five boroughs. I’ve never really heard much about the Loews 84th Street, though, one way or another, which suggests it’s a decent (but not much more) place to catch a flick. Any thoughts/opinions?
I’d guess via a prerecorded CD, tmq840. I’ve heard something similar at the nine-screen Clearview in Chelsea, with music and DJ announcements from WCBS-FM – relatively subtle, but yet another example of commercialization at the movies…
The Movieplex 42 was carved out of one of two Roxy Twin Theatre sites on the Deuce (this one being located to the direct right of the space the Empire formerly occupied).
The theatre you saw ‘High Fidelity’ at, Harper, was the Criterion Center, between 44th and 45th Streets on Broadway, which closed in April of 2000, and the auditorium you saw it in was the former balcony (one of seven auditoriums at the Criterion; the other six resided within a left/right split of the former orchestra and four carved out of the one-time lounge/basement area). The total space of the movie side of the Criterion (there was also a separate entity two-stage Criterion Center performing arts space located next door, to the left) was gutted later that summer and, along with most of the remainder of the building, now serves as home to Toys ‘R Us.
The exterior of the Olympic is visible in one scene towards the end of the 1999 film ‘Fight Club’. (On the marquee, by pure coincidence, I’m sure – ‘Seven Years in Tibet’.)
In one scene in the new flick ‘Be Cool’, John Travolta and Uma Thurman are shown driving away from the Million Dollar Theater, while the follow-up shot is of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. (Also, on prominent display on the Grauman’s marquee, via either stock footage or some sort of homage, is title signage from 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’.)
In one scene in the new flick ‘Be Cool’, John Travolta and Uma Thurman are shown driving away from the Million Dollar Theater, while the follow-up shot is of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. (Also, on prominent display on the Grauman’s marquee, via either stock footage or some sort of homage, is title signage from 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’.)
The Village East, at best, seems to be hanging on. Along with their usual handful of Angelika moveovers (which, since the opening of the Sunshine as an art-house multiplex in December of ‘01, have been 'moving over’ later in their shelf life), they showcase mostly lower-tier studio product (‘Alexander’, ‘Pooh’s Heffalump Movie’, and, this upcoming Friday, the oft-delayed Wes Craven-Kevin Williamson flick, ‘Cursed’), indie vanity projects, and the occasional major-studio flick that doesn’t give off that air of distinctly being a Loews or Regal reject (‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ being the most recent such example).
Depending on the film, the theatre still draws decent crowds (much as was the case when I saw ‘Zissou’ there last month), but it’s definitely lost some luster (if ‘luster’ is the appropriate term to use) over the last 5-7 years. Still, as noted above, it seems to be holding its own and I can’t imagine that and/or its mode of operation changing much in the foreseeable future.
Did you happen to catch a glimpse of the interior, Ken? In a post from March 23rd of last year, ‘Manwithnoname’ noted that the space appeared to have been gutted, with the back wall visible and all the auditorium seats removed.
The exterior of the Million Dollar Theater can be very briefly glimpsed in the new Keanu Reeves flick ‘Constantine’.
The Kings bowling alley and its various lanes and lounges occupy the former downstairs three-auditorium and lobby space, while the Summer Shack restaurant is housed in the former upstairs, fourth-auditorium space.
The two key elements which remain from the total property’s time as the Cheri include, with some signage changes, the overall form of the original marquee and three exterior one-sheet display cases incorporated into the Summer Shack space and presently used for advertising.
Boston University did continue to use the Nickelodeon for classes after Loews pulled out, although for how long I cannot account for.
The State’s opening was trumpeted at the time in several newspaper ads, all carrying the slogan ‘There’s a new State in Times Square’.
This was the Sony State when it first opened in May of ‘96. The marquee wasn’t added, if memory serves, until not long before the theatre opened.
Final comment from me on this (and know that I respect and completely agree with your position, CConnolly; I’m stating my position for clarification’s sake): I’m not taking ANYONE’S side. Calling any other person or people names, attaching labels to others, throwing around insults – it’s all childish and I’d want to believe, as adults, that we’re above such nonsense. As stated previously by other individuals, if incorrect information is posted, a polite revision is all that’s required – nothing more, nothing less. We all make mistakes – major ones, minor ones (spilling a cup of coffee, grabbing a pencil when we wanted a pen, posting what we believe in our heart of hearts is an accurate statement on a web site message board, etc.) – most of us on a daily basis and anyone who states otherwise just isn’t being honest. In other words, let’s respect one another and let’s respect that we’re all fallible human beings.
This is a site dedicated to those of us who love movie theatres new and old; it’s not nuclear physics or an attempt to balance a city budget. Let’s just chill, folks…
Enough with the B.S. Let’s focus on what this site is about – posting information, comments, and memorances about various movie theatres and lay off the potshots and insults, O.K.?
The official web site of the DGA: http://www.dga.org
Seating capacity of the NYC DGA Theatre is 484.
In July of 2003, long-simmering plans to sell the DGA building to a developer who planned to construct a 40-story, mixed-use luxury apartment tower on the site fell through; instead, the property was renovated by the present owner.
In NYC, National Amusements operates as such — i.e., the National Amusements Whitestone Multiplex in The Bronx.
I’d be curious to know how many porn theatres are in operation in the U.S. today. I suspect the number is somewhere around 100-125, 150 at the most.
I’d been hoping to hear from someone who had ties in one way or another to the Nova. (See my post from this past September 2nd.) Even though I never saw a film at the Nova, I was saddened when it closed – to think a movie theatre could last 89 years and then, in a matter of months, just disappear into the streetscape and become just another 99-cent store… what a shame. When did your father work there, Lissy? Are there any memories he’d be willing to share?
The 57 never had more than two screens.