Pioneer Theater
155 East Third Street,
New York,
NY
10009
155 East Third Street,
New York,
NY
10009
6 people
favorited this theater
Opened in February 2000, this little theater in the East Village was surrounded by a video store and pizzeria, which were all owned by the same company. Specialized in independent films—particularly of the punk rock variety. Very small but charming screening room. The Pioneer closed on November 7, 2008.
Contributed by
Gena H.
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
The Pioneer Theater opened in February 2000. The first film shown was the documentary The Blank Generation.
It pains me to write this, as I am the Gena H. who contributed the original description, but Pioneer Theater is closing following Halloween. There will be a party to remember this great theater in November. Check their web site for more details. Another Lower East Side casualty. New York is losing every last bit of fun it had.
Thank you, gentrification!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Pioneer as a movie theatre (I generally hate anything small boxy theatres with no ambiance) but they had some of the best alternate programming I’ve ever seen. I’d love to run a theatre like it in Los Angeles, if I had deeper pockets and a better space to do it in.
I kind of got the idea that this theatre never did that well. The fare always seemed to be too obscure, even for New York.
I too was a frequent patron of the Two Boots Pioneer theatre since 2004 and I will certainly miss it when it finally closes after tomorrow’s farewell party at 6PM, which I will be there. In my opinion it was the best independent little single movie theatre in NYC and it was a miracle that it lasted almost 9 years since it’s opening in 2000, when it was not economically feaseable to open a new single movie house in this era of multiplexes. It will certainly leva a void in this area and that leaves only the Ziegfeld and Paris theatres as the only single movie theatres in Manhattan.
Here is a photo from September of 2008.
“Thank you, gentrification!”
Edward, I think the Pioneer was more a product of gentrification than a victim of it.
The photo link posted on Dec 3, 2008 isn’t working for me. Here is a new link to that photo.
Quite true, mp775.
Once the Sunshine on Houston re-opened it made this theatre even less viable for the newbys.
So what has become of Two Boots' basement now that the theater is closed?