Ritz East Theater

Have many fond (and many not so fond) memories of working at the East in 2001. We didn't get much foot traffic, being off on our on at the middle of the block, but we held our own. Ritz did a nice job remodeling, but didn't replace the glass front doors. Looked at in the right light, the AMC logo was still visible. First show I saw there was "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and worked there for about 9 months in 2002. Can remember every film I saw at each of the four theatres. I've since moved from the city and miss picking up my Filmbill every month!

More information about the Ritz Theatre chain (the three in Phila. and the one NJ location) can be found at http://www.ritzfilmbill.com

This and the two other Center City Philadelphia Ritz Theatres are being acquired by indy chain Landmark Theatres, but not the one in Voorhees, New Jersey. The full story can be read at the following Philadelphia Inquirer link:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20070317_Indie_chain_buying_citys_Ritz_theaters.html

As of 3/30/2007, the Ritz Theatres in Center City Philadelphia (Ritz 5, Ritz Bourse, and Ritz East) are now offically owned by Landmark Theatres

And more importantly, or at least I feel, is that it will be the FIRST -- yes, you read that right, FIRST -- time any movie theaters directly IN Philadelphia will have digital projection. Or at least this according to the Philadelphia Inquirer for Sat., March 31, 2007: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20070331_Chain_takes_over_the_Ritz_theaters_in_Phila_.html

And let's hope the Philadelphia Inquirer is telling it straight this time. For if it is true I compare this to the Berlin Wall finally coming down or something. Yet Landmark is saying -- at least according to that article -- that at least two of the Ritz Theatre auditoriums will get digital projection.

And if so, can democracy be very far behind?

The auditorium to the right is larger. Irvin Glazer's hardback book "Philadelphia Theatres A-Z" states each auditorium had 450 seats each. That might have been then true for the auditorium to the right.

I began attending in April 1988, and my notes indicate 421 seats for the larger auditorium, the one on the right.

An article on 12-14-1998 stated that the AMC Old City 2 had closed, one year ahead of its lease term, but would reopen in the spring as
the Ritz East, and had a total of 750 seats.

In 2001, I estimated 300 seats for the Ritz East auditorium on the right, which was then stadium seated, and a 30 to 35 feet wide scope screen.