AMC Rockaway 16

363 Mount Hope Avenue,
Rockaway, NJ 07866

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moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on January 4, 2009 at 5:04 pm

With three screens becoming one, the AMC Rockaway 16 would become the AMC Rockaway 13, which is one screen more than Parsippany but one screen less than Mansfield, both Clearviews if the IMAX is completed. If they do construction, does that mean part of the theater will be closed? I don’t know for sure; hopefully they get it in before the flood of new movies come out in the IMAX format.

JJD
JJD on January 4, 2009 at 7:47 am

Sorry for the continued rants on Rockaway’s IMAX. It comes from two sources, frustration and ignorance. We have a beautiful new 16-screen theater with stadium seating, great sound, and large slightly curved screens but no digital 3D presentation. Most of all, there seemed to be a lack of vision on the part of AMC to forsee and invest in the coming digital 3D revolution prior to construction. Personally, I could be satisfied with RealD on those screens but that doesn’t seem to be in the works. When I heard IMAX was coming, naturally I thought traditional IMAX, not IMAX-lite. Who would not get excited – hence, all the questions. I now defer to you guys, the experts. Thanks for providing some clarity. I’m still trying to visualize what the screen will look like if it is to fill the width of three auditoriums with no additional height. Anybody?

Michael R. Rambo Jr.
Michael R. Rambo Jr. on January 3, 2009 at 10:10 pm

In the Philadelphia/South Jersey area, the projectors are run by our projectionists, as well as our Operation Coorinators, and Projection Manager. And, no, I am not a projectionist, but I know a former booth manager who been running projection booths for AMC and, before that, for Sameric Theatres and Budco Theatres.

and we do get the tecknitions that come out from both IMAX (for our Digital IMAX Theatre) and Christie Digital (for our regular Digital projector, Slide projectors and in-lobby HDTV’s)

markp
markp on January 3, 2009 at 10:01 pm

Beg your pardon there MikeRa, I assume since you work for AMC you are a non-union projectionist, I mean operator, but when I ran 70mm IMAX my theatres had complete digital sound. But as JodarMovieFan pointed out, everyone has been warned. And yes I am a UNION projectionist who has almost 34 years in the business.

Michael R. Rambo Jr.
Michael R. Rambo Jr. on January 3, 2009 at 9:53 pm

Pretty soon, there will be more Digital IMAX Theatres than there are the 5 stories 70mm iMAX Theatres and the Omnimax 70mm IMAX. And the screens in the Digital IMAX Theatres are not the same size as the 1.85:1 “Flat” screens.

And, no, they will not raise the roof on the Rockaway 16 for the Digital IMAX. They did not raise the roof on the Digital iMAX Theatres at AMC Neshaminy 24 with IMAX, AMC Hamilton 24 with IMAX, AMC Cherry Hill 24 with IMAX, AMC White Marsh 16 with IMAX, AMC Century City 15 with IMAX, REG Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14 and IMAX, REG Aliante Stadium 16 & IMAX, or AMC Burbank 16 with IMAX, amung the new Digital IMAX Theatres at AMC and REG.

The Empire 25’s Digital IMAX theatre has a theatre above and below it. Also, the Digital IMAX uses two projectors, and the theatres have 1 other thing the 70mm IMAX do not have, and that is complete digital surround sound.

JodarMovieFan
JodarMovieFan on January 3, 2009 at 5:03 pm

OMG, my virtual ears are ringing from these incessant posts about IMAX!! :)

I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many ‘IMAX’-lite presentations at the AMC installs in the DC area and let me tell you its nothing to write home about. For one things its not true IMAX with the multi story high screens. The immersion aspect of drawing you into the movie is barely there and if only you sit at the back row, of the first tier of seats.

You all rattle on like its the second coming or something, or as if motion pictures just discovered sound. Its not all that. And you’ll probably be disappointed. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you… :)

JJD
JJD on January 3, 2009 at 2:11 pm

For what it’s worth, I was at the theater today and asked the usual question – Will the IMAX be in this month? One employee didn’t know and said they don’t tell us anything. Another said the plan is to combine three – not two – theaters into one big IMAX and construction will start in February. Sounds fantastic even if we have to wait a little longer once again. I wonder how they’ll handle screen height. Will they raise the roof? I figured out how they could handle more than one 3D (or even 2D) IMAX movie released in the same week – the same way IMAX theaters do today – show them at different times each day – for example, one at 11am, 3pm, 7pm and the other at 1pm, 5pm and 9pm, assuming contracts permit it.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on January 3, 2009 at 6:51 am

i agree; they need to install reald since the amcs in paramus and clifton and jersey gardens have reald.

JJD
JJD on January 3, 2009 at 6:14 am

When you start seeing fewer movies listed on AMC Rockaway’s weekly schedule, then you know they started construction on the IMAX theater. So far, that hasn’t happened. Unless they can work really fast, I don’t see how they can do it by the 23rd. Also, I say again, one screen will not be able to handle all the 3D movies coming out this year and beyond. Rockaway needs to invest in REALD as well as IMAX. That investment will pay off since 3D versions pull in about 3 times the revenue as 2D versions.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on January 2, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Only 20 days left until the IMAX theater opens…I’ve checked the website and the date’s still there. I’ve been checking the showtimes lately…no movie has not been sold out…must be a slow weekend at the box office without any new movies. Maybe it’s because of the price of admission and too many movies playing.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 30, 2008 at 12:20 pm

The next Imax movie that the AMC in Rockaway will play after Dark Knight has its run will be Under the Sea 3D, which opens on February 13th, a date that several AMC Imax theaters will open on.

markp
markp on December 29, 2008 at 9:39 pm

Probably the they do everything else…like crap.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 28, 2008 at 6:53 pm

ha ha ha. cant wait how they’ll handle the imax.

markp
markp on December 28, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Yup,quality non-union projection at its best. You should have asked the guy popping the popcorn to fix the focus, since he was probably the same person running the booth. AMC at its best. Maybe we can start calling them ‘American Mutilation Cinemas’.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 28, 2008 at 4:59 pm

Just came back from a showing of Benjamin Button in theater #1 (3:05), very crowded…a long line at both the box office and the concession stand but my dad bought tickets at the atm machine. Once we got in, the film started, but there were some minor issues. First was the focus during the previews and at points during the movie. It was blurry, that it was hard to read some of the credits on screen during the trailer for Duplicity and also during Revolutionary Road, that some of the audience yelled, “Focus!!!”. The problem was fixed before the movie started….at least the surround sound worked well and the crowd was well behaved. The movie was weird but decent.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 26, 2008 at 4:13 pm

speaking of holidays, AMC’s holiday pricing went into effect yesterday and will continue until January 4th. This is good news for me, since I’ll be catching up on some oscar-calibur flicks in a recession year. The last time a recession happened, people in Rockaway went to the older theater to catch a flick, and the chain survived, although it closed before it was over. I got an AMC gift card for xmas, about $25, so I’ll spend it on two tickets for Benjamin Button between me and my aunt, use my two coupons for a free small drink and small popcorn, and save the rest for an AM Cinema IMAX showing, since they’ll be the most expensive ticket in town!!!

markp
markp on December 24, 2008 at 5:49 pm

I agree Cinemark. You and I have gone back and forth on this for a while now. I have nothing against Justin, he’s a good patron of our industry, and I applaud him for that. But he does not work in the industry, and as a projectionist for almost 34 years, I can tell you, been there, done that. I have not run or seen digital IMAX (dietmax as you so apptly put it) but I have not heard one good thing yet. When I ran the IMAX at White plains N.Y. in 2004, it blew me away. Imax will destroy itself, like you said. Give it a few years.
Happy Holidays.

CinemarkFan
CinemarkFan on December 24, 2008 at 5:39 pm

Meanwhile image quality isn’t as good as real IMAX film projection. I mean really, who would want to spend $15 on a screen which is nothing more than a 1.85: 1 screen with digital projection?

Pretty soon, IMAX will end up phasing themselves out with this move. Mark my words.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 24, 2008 at 10:55 am

digital imax saves time and money compared with regular imax but costs more than a dlp installation.

mhvbear
mhvbear on December 24, 2008 at 10:28 am

I don’t get the excitement over the Digital IMAX. I went to the one at the AMC Empire 25 and it is a pale imitation if the IMAX at Lincoln Square. Nothing can compare to an 8 story screen…. and 70 mm.

markp
markp on December 24, 2008 at 8:33 am

If they start construction on the first monday in January, the 5th, then it is possible to have the IMAX going on the 23rd. When I was involved with the one in White Plains N.Y., it took a little over 3 weeks, and that was only because of the problem of how to get the MPX projector, which was HUGE, up 5 stories. The screen and speaker conversions take about a week, and another week to integrate all the existing and new projection systems together.
I still would rather see them get 15/70 IMAX, but I know the whole world is ga-ga over this digital crap, so be it. Enjoy your new IMAX when you get it.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 24, 2008 at 6:08 am

No construction on the imax theater yet the last time I was at the theater. I was checking the showtimes on Google, and advance tickets are available for two Met showings in HD. I’m not an opera fan, but for those who like it, it’s nice that they’re showing this popular film series for those who can’t make it to the city to see a sold-out show; this series is also held in Parsippany. The date is still on track for the IMAX theater to open with the re-release of The Dark Knight. Watching the film again on Blu-Ray can’t make up for seeing it again on a giant screen just in time for Oscar nominations.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 20, 2008 at 5:39 pm

I just went to this theater for a 4:50 showing of “The Day The Earth Stood Still”, the 2008 version of the 1951 sci-fi classic that I grew up with when I first saw it on VHS from a local library and saw it again on Monsters HD in a restored version. This version is way different than the original. The presentation was good, very few splices, and the crowd behaved well. Getting there was a chore, as there was traffic around the mall and some of the parking space wasn’t plowed well due to all that extra snow. The next movie I’m planning on seeing is Benjamin Button, and that Wrestler movie looks interesting since I used to like pro wrestling and liked Mickey Rourke in Sin City. Hopefully they’ll get some good art-house product sooner than later since most of the stuff playing here are remakes, kids stuff that no one hears of, and sequels that suck.