Visiting OLS should be a special occasion – to the point of studios offering one week exclusive runs. Of course the curtains should be used. No brainer
A real shame…one of my go to’s growing up and when I lived in the neighbourhood again in the late 80’s
They’ll squeeze in another skyscraper but the UES dramatically underscreened – there were a total of 9 single and twins when I was growing up there in the 70s – TransLux 85th, RKO Twin, Loews Twin, UA East, 86th St East and Juliets
Am probably repeating myself but so many memories here…Yellow Submarine…Love Story…The Great Gatsby…All the President’s Men…Mississippi Burning…and a few duds Don’t Make Waves…Caprice
I am now 62 years old and have been going to the movies on 3 continents for over 50 years. Have we become that spoiled that we can’t enjoy sitting in the company of others for 2 hours to enjoy the 7th art without over analysing the whole experience – and this from someone who has worked in hospitality for most of that and now lectures in operations management.
Cinemas used to run movies continuously. You could walk in and out at any time – see the end of a film and then the beginning. Seats might not have been the most comfortable, but were good enough for young lovers to make out in, or for singletons to fall asleep in. The popcorn was freshly made, hot and salty. The whole point was that it was an affordable shared experience.
It is now less and less affordable and more and more cosseted. I am relatively proud of the fact that I have never seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have never reclined in a theatre…simply thrown my legs over the side of the seat in front of me if it was empty.
Lovely description by Frank McCourt visiting the 68th St Playhouse to see Hamlet with Olivier. An amazing mix of arthouse and commercial, 1st and 2nd run went through this theatre over the years
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/02/22/new-in-town
I am not their target audience and certainly don’t object to multiplexes but miss the days of a clean sponsorship partnership free marquee telling me what’s playing. Movies for the sake of storytelling not technology
A good time to be skeptical about cinemas in basements of mixed use facilities…With cinemas even in Leicester Square all showing the same product will moviegoers find the screens? Will there be a separate entrance? The Loews State 4 inside the Virgin Megastore in NYC lasted barely 5 years (killed off partly by location partly by the expanded 42nd St theatres).
Nice piece on the Uptown…I lived in DC 95-97…My first trip was to see 12 Monkeys released at the back end of a week-long snow storm…People had cabin fever so a good crowd Saturday…remember sliding out on the ice and the ramp next to theatre and a car just missing me…Good crowds also on Saturday nights for American President and Twister
The nearby Chinese restaurant was also part of the treat of going up to Cleveland Park from Dupont for a movie
Special £5 shows of Blow Up and Stalker Friday and Saturday to celebrate if possible the end of the Chelsea as we know it…Have tickets for Friday night
Sad news I used to live around the corner and saw some great ones here – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Jamie Eliott, a lot of Woody Allen, Jean de Florette, Short Cuts
Still a difficult neighborhood in which not to have disabled access – the place needed some work! Long live!
I agree Paint Your Wagon much maligned as a movie…probably miscast in terms of talent for musicals but the story, the songs are great and Lee Marvin Clint Eastwood Jean Seberg can only be faulted for a lack of chemistry
Just what we don’t need is 4 tiny cinemas that don’t really add to the programming although if the Curzon goes I may eat my words…
Give us more genuine arthouse / repertory screens that keep people interested in movies not screens that just add capacity!
Neighbourhoods change…cinemas wear out
It’s a shame and can only hope that when the building works are done they bring in a new and updated theatre. All the construction on the far West Side is likely to create new destinations and reasons to visit the Landmark
Manhattan still seems underscreened…particularly the UES where the 86th St East if half mainstream half arthouse
As for questions of what the highest grossing screen in Europe is – I doubt that it is this or Vue Stratford. I would bet on UGC Cine Cite Les Halles. More central location 25 screens huge number of previews. Shows start as early as 9:00 am and smaller screens very tightly packed on the weekends with a more discerning crowd than Vue Westfield
I am a regular here and completely missed that they had raised the number of screens to 20 until yesterday…18/19/20 are on an upper level accessible by lift…Saw Wind River in 18 yesterday (3 of us for a 10 am show)…these screens seem more comfortable than 16 & 17 even though they are single aisle.
I’ve been going through old copies of the Inquirer on Newspapers.com the last few days…I lived in Philly in the late 70s – shocking reminders of how oddly programmed Center City theatres were in those days – kung fu, hard core porn and horror double features that were rougher than NY’s 42nd street and this in the mainstream Budco and Eric houses before they were acquired by AMC and UA respectively. The only ones that seemed not to show porn were the Milgram theatres but they made up for it with blaxpo and kung fu. I’m not being judgemental – I appreciate this went with the times just seems so odd in retrospect especially when there were good studio films and foreign films being made
Visiting OLS should be a special occasion – to the point of studios offering one week exclusive runs. Of course the curtains should be used. No brainer
A real shame…one of my go to’s growing up and when I lived in the neighbourhood again in the late 80’s They’ll squeeze in another skyscraper but the UES dramatically underscreened – there were a total of 9 single and twins when I was growing up there in the 70s – TransLux 85th, RKO Twin, Loews Twin, UA East, 86th St East and Juliets
Is this closing or going through refurbishment Big big shame if it was closing…Thanks for any updates
Thanks for including this..a lovely neighbourhood cinema
Am probably repeating myself but so many memories here…Yellow Submarine…Love Story…The Great Gatsby…All the President’s Men…Mississippi Burning…and a few duds Don’t Make Waves…Caprice
A real gift of some art house movies when I lived in LV
I am now 62 years old and have been going to the movies on 3 continents for over 50 years. Have we become that spoiled that we can’t enjoy sitting in the company of others for 2 hours to enjoy the 7th art without over analysing the whole experience – and this from someone who has worked in hospitality for most of that and now lectures in operations management.
Cinemas used to run movies continuously. You could walk in and out at any time – see the end of a film and then the beginning. Seats might not have been the most comfortable, but were good enough for young lovers to make out in, or for singletons to fall asleep in. The popcorn was freshly made, hot and salty. The whole point was that it was an affordable shared experience.
It is now less and less affordable and more and more cosseted. I am relatively proud of the fact that I have never seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have never reclined in a theatre…simply thrown my legs over the side of the seat in front of me if it was empty.
Let’s keep it simple, sit and enjoy the show!
Lovely description by Frank McCourt visiting the 68th St Playhouse to see Hamlet with Olivier. An amazing mix of arthouse and commercial, 1st and 2nd run went through this theatre over the years https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/02/22/new-in-town
I am not their target audience and certainly don’t object to multiplexes but miss the days of a clean sponsorship partnership free marquee telling me what’s playing. Movies for the sake of storytelling not technology
Such a cool place…saw The Wilby Conspiracy here in 75 and I’m guessing something here earlier than that
A good time to be skeptical about cinemas in basements of mixed use facilities…With cinemas even in Leicester Square all showing the same product will moviegoers find the screens? Will there be a separate entrance? The Loews State 4 inside the Virgin Megastore in NYC lasted barely 5 years (killed off partly by location partly by the expanded 42nd St theatres).
Nice piece on the Uptown…I lived in DC 95-97…My first trip was to see 12 Monkeys released at the back end of a week-long snow storm…People had cabin fever so a good crowd Saturday…remember sliding out on the ice and the ramp next to theatre and a car just missing me…Good crowds also on Saturday nights for American President and Twister
The nearby Chinese restaurant was also part of the treat of going up to Cleveland Park from Dupont for a movie
Washingtonians visit and save at all costs!
There are no dates listed after Thursday June 28th…Please tell me that this is not closing
This was a measly little triplex at a time when the Champs had a lot more theatres with smaller numbers of screens…Saw the Universal picture FM here
Great atmosphere last night…free drinks and £5 show of Blow-Up This will be missed
Special £5 shows of Blow Up and Stalker Friday and Saturday to celebrate if possible the end of the Chelsea as we know it…Have tickets for Friday night
Sad news I used to live around the corner and saw some great ones here – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Jamie Eliott, a lot of Woody Allen, Jean de Florette, Short Cuts
Still a difficult neighborhood in which not to have disabled access – the place needed some work! Long live!
I agree Paint Your Wagon much maligned as a movie…probably miscast in terms of talent for musicals but the story, the songs are great and Lee Marvin Clint Eastwood Jean Seberg can only be faulted for a lack of chemistry
Just what we don’t need is 4 tiny cinemas that don’t really add to the programming although if the Curzon goes I may eat my words… Give us more genuine arthouse / repertory screens that keep people interested in movies not screens that just add capacity!
This was a good place to see movies well before stadium seating…Saw Clockers, City Hall, Seven, Heat here…a great place to escape to
Neighbourhoods change…cinemas wear out It’s a shame and can only hope that when the building works are done they bring in a new and updated theatre. All the construction on the far West Side is likely to create new destinations and reasons to visit the Landmark Manhattan still seems underscreened…particularly the UES where the 86th St East if half mainstream half arthouse
Walked by here around 20:00 recently…appears deserted almost scary Shame…There is always a need for screens in the West End for sub and second runs
As for questions of what the highest grossing screen in Europe is – I doubt that it is this or Vue Stratford. I would bet on UGC Cine Cite Les Halles. More central location 25 screens huge number of previews. Shows start as early as 9:00 am and smaller screens very tightly packed on the weekends with a more discerning crowd than Vue Westfield
I am a regular here and completely missed that they had raised the number of screens to 20 until yesterday…18/19/20 are on an upper level accessible by lift…Saw Wind River in 18 yesterday (3 of us for a 10 am show)…these screens seem more comfortable than 16 & 17 even though they are single aisle.
The outside looks cheap…Paris cinemas manage to display the films that they are showing while looking elegant
Malletti pizza is a treat but again not sure it’s appropriate to the venue
I’ve been going through old copies of the Inquirer on Newspapers.com the last few days…I lived in Philly in the late 70s – shocking reminders of how oddly programmed Center City theatres were in those days – kung fu, hard core porn and horror double features that were rougher than NY’s 42nd street and this in the mainstream Budco and Eric houses before they were acquired by AMC and UA respectively. The only ones that seemed not to show porn were the Milgram theatres but they made up for it with blaxpo and kung fu. I’m not being judgemental – I appreciate this went with the times just seems so odd in retrospect especially when there were good studio films and foreign films being made