Center Cinemas

The original seating capacity was reported as 598. The Center first opened on April 24, 1942, with a double feature of "Sullivan's Travels" and "The Lady Has Plans." Due to competition from three Century theatres in the Sunnyside area, the independently owned Center had to rely on late runs and revivals, with three program changes per week. There used to be a sign over the entrance which said "Good Movies, Like Good Books, Never Grow Old." Though the Center survived and is now a first-run multiplex, its Century rivals are gone. The Sunnyside Theatre was demolished, the Bliss is a church, and the 43rd Street serves as a store warehouse.

Two signs were posted in the Center's boxoffice window this week that deserve mention. One reads "Due to new distributor rules, no passes will be accepted during the first two weeks of any engagement." The second reads "No passes will be accepted at any time for engagements of films from the Walt Disney Company." The Center still shows the newest movies at some of the lowest prices in the NYC area, including $4.50 at all weekday matinees and $3.50 for ALL performances on Tuesdays.

I'm making a point of checking this theatre out. Warren, what other bargains do you know of in the NYC area? I'm familiar with Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, which is $5 until 5PM on weekdays and all day Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I'm curious to learn of others.

Thanks,
Camden

The Main Street has the same owner and has the same Tuesday policy. I think the Clearview Squire and Port Jefferson also have a cheap night.

BY the way there are only 5 screens not 6, only one of the screens are in the basment, also Main Street bargain day is Wednesday, also Clearview Cinemas (We bring neibors to the movies, and screw you with our prices), they did away with their bargain day.

Clearview has the most expensive concessions I have ever seen.

The center was first twinned down the middle with one theater added in the basement. Then about 6 years ago the two upstairs screens were split in half to make a total of five screens for the building.

The Center is under the same management as the Main Street Cinemas and even has a sign in the boxoffice window mentioning it. But the Main Street might have higher admission prices since it's in a more expensive area of Queens.

I've only passed by the Center Cinemas on foot once - and God knows how many times on the 7, heading out to Shea for Mets games - but seem to remember seeing quite a bit of gray, trimmed with some rather familiar runs of purple and pink neon within its interior; was this once a Cineplex house?

Cineplex never had this theatre, the owner may just have copied their color schemes. I was suprised to recently discover at some point in the mid 60's this was part of the Rugoff-Cinema 5 chain.

Here is a photo of the Center Cinemas.

Snapped this photo on the way back from Manhattan with my son a few weekends ago...

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Queens%20Movie%20Theaters%202005/IMG_0613.jpg

Also grabbed a shot or two of the former Boulevard Theater on Northern Blvd in Jackson Heights on my way in to the city this same day. The following weekend I decided to take the camera out for a real tour of some cinema sites in Astoria, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, Flushing and even a stop in Fresh Meadows. I'll be posting those pics as well in the coming days.

Harrison Wiseman was architect of the Center.

Here's a new link to the photo I posted on Sep 6th. The old link no longer works.

Here are a few photos of the Center Cinemas.

I have just recently moved to Queens after 20 years in Manhattan. During the 80's I still was able to go to all of the great declining glory of 42nd street, all the revival houses, the few art-house screens. And of course, I saw them all go. So, I resisted going to the Center for the first 4 months that I lived here. It looked dingy and cheap. But, as a lover of movies, once I settled down in my seat with a little popcorn, I was happy to have the Center around the corner. Dingy and cramped though it may be, the sound is good, the price can't be beat, and I was glad to learn that Sullivan's Travels was the first film to play there, that knowledge courtesy of this website. There is a lot to be said for these old places, that were never grand in the first place, that never fell to a wrecking ball or another chain store or flea market.

does anyone know the capacities of each screen and does any have digital sound

3 theaters upstairs have DTS. The other upstairs theater has Dolby Digital EX. The downstairs theater has analog stereo.

OPERATOR ACQUIRES QUEENS TAXPAYER; Theatre in Sunnyside Building Leased Back by Seller

NY Times June 8, 1951

Maxwell Low, operator, has purchased the Center Theatre property at the northeast corner of Queens Boulevard and Forty-third Street, in Sunnyside, Queens, from the Squire-Queens Corporation, which took back a long-term lease on the theatre. Fans Wolper, Inc., were the brokers.

Francis Ford Coppola mentions seeing "The Thief of Bagdhad'' (1940) and other Alexandra Korda productions, as well as Universal productions including Abbott and Costello movies, in a commentary track for the new Criterion Collection DVD of "Thief of Baghdad.''

What is the connection between the Center Theatre and Francis Ford Coppola? Did he attend the Center Theatre in his youth?

Here is a 2008 exterior view and this is one of the auditoriums.

When you check movie listing sites such as Box Office Mojo, it lists the Center Cinemas as a five screen theater. Is the screen count five or six?

This is a July 2008 photo.