Kent Theater

And in those days most theatres had smokeing sections like in the last 5 rows so the aroma of a lit spliff always filled the air at the kent.Nothing like a good spliff and an bud while watching those b films back then.

From the wnet.org website concernig the new Woody Allen documentary:

Mia Farrow plays a Depression-era waitress who’s mad about the movies in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985). While the film takes place in New Jersey, the theater where Cecilia (Farrow) sees the madcap comedy The Purple Rose of Comedy over and over again is named after The Jewel movie house in Brooklyn — one of the first movie houses in Allen’s Brooklyn neighborhood to show foreign films. The theater scenes were actually filmed in the Kent Theatre on Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush, still operating today.

I went here for the first time with a friend. Wednesday’s are Bargain Day (All Seats $5.) all day. School was out and the inner lobby was full of young folks for “SpongeBob”. The theatre lobby retains the poste cases (6) and seats for people awaiting entrance (Nice touch as most don’t). Some details remain intact, but the lobby resembles an arcade with a table to play air hockey which is annoying to people in the small 75 seat theatre (where we sat watching “50 Shades Of Grey”. On the way out I viewed the other two screens which were a bit larger but away from the noise of the lobby. The bathrooms were clean for such a busy matinee. The popcorn was good and I bought a can of soda at the stand. The staff was cordial and polite. This theatre is an excellent bargain as Brooklyn is at a loss for neighborhood theatres. For a 76 year old building it serves its' purpose. Digital projection and seats were fine. I suggest late afternoon shows when schools are out. For $5. there are no complaints as today’s movies are not worth more than $5. The theatre is not to far from my home and I will visit it again. You can keep your modern multiplexes. Remember, It’s a good time for a “Kent” on a Wednesday. (Forgive the cigarette pun!)

Theatre seats in Theatre 1 240 Theatre 2 130 Theatre 3 75 They all run REALD 3D and usually show them all day compared to the big chains Limiting the showtimes.

They have a Dolby Digital sign next to Theatre 1. Lastly, theatre still uses the old tickets from the days of the 70’s but you could purchase tickets online at Fandango

In the early 1980s it was a 2nd run theatre. Became first run sometime in 1985 and was twin around 1986 and in 1990 it became a triplex.