Nova Theatre
3589 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10031
3589 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10031
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 110 comments found
Ace, I can confirm that it was still operating as the Bunny (and Bunny Roof) well into the thirties. By the late forties and early fifties it was known as the Dorset.
The sixties and seventies remain a mystery to me but by 1981 it was already the Nova and it became a twin around 1989-1990.
This is another recent photo of the former Bunny Theater.
My father’s uncle is listed in the NY City Directory as manager of the Bunny Theater in 1920-21. He later managed the Endicott Theater in Brooklyn. I’m looking for whatever information I can find on him and these places.
Another closeup view showing the Bunny name can be seen here.
Here is a closeup of the bunny head on the building.
This is what the former Bunny Theater looks like today.
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?
My dad managed this movie theatre also. Mr. Nova had 4 theatres that I know of, The Alpine, The Nova, The Riverdale Twin and finally the Colliseum. My dad worked at all 3.
Thanks for answering my questions; I’d long wondered about those booking and advertising policies and it’s great to finally have some clearance. Again, thank you…
Newspaper ads that list all theatres in the area showing that movie are called co-op ads. Theatres have to pay to be placed in these ads. We had an average of $9,000 a week to be placed an ad for Friday-Sunday.
This is why many owners be placed in the time clock which is free in most papers.
An agreement is made with all studios for first run and second run along with the contracts you get when you first open. I operate several theaters one is a twin and we have “Racing Stripesâ€. Warner states that when we got the picture when hade to keep it four weeks. We got the movie January 14th on the National
Release date. We could not split the movie for the first three weeks. This Friday it will show with a split with “National Treasure†which we are bringing back for one showing nightly. â€Racing Stripes “ will still show twice on weekdays and three times this weekend.
An agreement is made with all studios for first run and second run cinemas.
Along with the contracts you get when you first open. I operate several theaters one is a twin and we have “Racing Stripesâ€. Warner states that when we got the picture we hade to keep it for at least four weeks.
We got the movie January 14th on the National
Release date. We could not split the movie for the first three weeks. This Friday it will show with a split with “National Treasure†which we are bringing back for one showing nightly. “Racing Stripes” will still show twice on weekdays and three times this weekend.
Actually, sorry, that was THREE questions; thanks in advance for your answers (or those of someone else of equal reliability)…
There are two other film booking questions I have, Robert, that perhaps you (or someone else in the know) can answer for me:
1) Is there a standard length of engagement agreement between the major studios for all their releases and the exhibitors or is it negotiated on a per-film basis?
2) Prior to a film’s release, can an exhibition agreement be broken? I’ve noticed the theatres a film is scheduled to open in vary sometimes from what’s listed within advance-release print ads and the theatres in which it actually opens. One recent example involves ‘Coach Carter’ and ‘Racing Stripes’, both of which were scheduled to open at the New York Twin; ‘Racing Stripes’, though, opened at the 64th & 2nd/Gemini instead…
3) Sunday newspaper print ads, specifically those which run in the NY Times, Post, and Daily News, don’t always list every Manhattan theatre in which the film opens – commonly, the Nova was left off and the New Coliseum continues to be with regularity. Any idea why this tends to be so?
Robert that is very true Kent is a triplex but often “shows
4 movies” playing on the recording at 12,220,440,7,930 a few weeks back and even around the first week or so of December they listed 5 movies.Coliseum sometimes has six movies playing at or around the same time (8:45,9:10,9:15,9:25,9:40).
A long-standing personal mystery solved; thanks for that bit of info, Robert. I’m surprised none of the distributors have caught on; it’s probably safe to say they pay more concern to the venues their films show in on, say, the UWS of Manhattan than they do of the ones in Washington Heights or Corona.
Thats done on purpose so they can double book films onto one screen. Many of these are in the first few weeks and the distributor would never allow the screen to be split. In addition to the papers being wrong they give they wrong times on the tape so if anyone checks they can say that particular movie is playing alone. This causes people to show up at the theatres furious. It’s worth it though to give out a few free passes to be able to not have to pass on a film on it’s opening week because your stuck with the 5th week of a commitment on an ongoing film. Check out the Kent in brooklyn during peak release times they will have 5 movies advertised all with times like 130 330 530 730 930.
Newspaper display ads and general movie clocks for Creative Entertainment-booked theatres (as was true with the Nova) often provide inaccurate information, listing more showtimes than a given theatre can support (i.e., four full showtime runs for a three-screen venue) or a showtime schedule on one or more screens which doesn’t jibe with running times.
The Nova was converted into a three-screen venue in the early to mid-‘90s and closed as such.
Yes, but one of the movies might have been showing on two screens!
About midway through the 1985 film “Death Wish 3” a delivery truck drives by the Nova Cinemas. The film must have been shot sometime in 1984 most likely summer; anyway “Beverly Hills Cop” is one of the movies advertised on the marquee. The Nova at this time must have been a twin because only two movies were on the marquee.
‘Spy Kids 2’, ‘Undisputed’, and ‘XXX’ were the final offerings at the Nova – which became a triplex sometime in the early ‘90s – in August of 2002.
1989 films
5/19 1- Fistfighter 2- See No Evil
6/2 2- Renegades 2- See No Evil
6/16 1- No Holes Barred 2- See No Evil & Renegades
6/23 1 & 2 Batman
7/7 1- Lethal Weapon II 2- Batman
8/11 1- Lethal Weapon II 2- Nightmare on Elm Street V
8/18 1- Casualties of War 2- Nightmare V
8/25 1- Casualties of War 2- Millenium
9/1 1- License to Kill & Casualties of War 2- Lockup & Do Right Thing
9/8 1- The Abyss 2- Casualties of War & License to Kill
9/15 1- Casualties of War 2- Kickboxer
9/22 1- Black Rain 2- Kickboxer
9/29 1- Black Rain 2- Kickboxer & War Party
10/13 1- Black Rain 2- Halloween V
10/20 1- Look Who’s Talking 2- Black Rain & The Package
10/27 1- Look Who’s Talking 2- Shocker
11/10 1- Best of the Best & Shocker 2- Look Who’s Talking
11/17 1- Harlem Nights 2- Look Who’s Talking
11/24 1- Harlem Nights 2- Back To The Future 2
1/12/90 1- Downtown 2- Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
1/19 1- Tremors 2- Downtown & Texas Chainsaw 3
1/26 1- Tango & Cash 2- Little Mermaid & Tremors
2/16 1- Nightbreed 2- Hard to Kill
Thanks for your response to my September 2nd post, Robert – just out of curiosity, where was the Astro located?
The exterior of the property looks much as it did – see my posting from this past March 7th – during its years of operation as a movie theatre. Of the marquee, all that remains are stubs of the wire supports visible to the left and right of the center of the marquee in the above photo.