RC Ritz Center 16
900 Haddonfield-Berlin Road,
Voorhees,
NJ
08043
900 Haddonfield-Berlin Road,
Voorhees,
NJ
08043
6 people
favorited this theater
This theater opened as the Ritz 12 in September 1996 as part of a shopping strip with a 1,200 space parking lot. Both theater and shopping stip were owned by the Ritz Theaters of Philadelphia, arthouse film exhibitors. The Ritz 12 cost 7-million dollars to construct. The huge 5,000 square feet lobby was designed to recall a European hotel lobby, and included a lounge, a cafe and a concession area. Concessions included espresso, cappuccino, cafe au lait, and pastries. The hall leading to the auditoriums was adorned with portraits of dozens of renowned film makers. The auditoriums seating capacitys ranged from 187 to 437 people, with the largest two auditoriums sporting very large 40 feet wide screens. All auditoriums were built with digital surround sound, luxury seats, and what was referred to in 1996 as ‘terraced seating’ and explained as a 16 foot drop from back to front (as compared to the four foot drop in most theaters) for excellent sight-lines.
Four auditoriums were added later and the theatre was renamed the Ritz 16.
Following Ritz founder Raymond Posel’s death in June 2005, the Ritz Theaters were sold. The Philadelphia theaters and the Ritz Theaters name were sold to Landmark Theatres. The Voorhees theatre was sold in April 2007 to National Amusements. Showcase is one of the brands of National Amusements. As the shopping center was known as the Ritz Center, this theater was renamed Showcase at the Ritz Center. In December 2009, Rave Motion Picture Theatres took over operation. In the Philadelphia region, the name ‘Ritz’ has been the gold standard for upscale movie exhibition since the first Ritz opened in 1976 in Philadelphia.
Contributed by
Howard B. Haas
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
There is something totally unAmerican about a theater, or any other type of U.S.-based establishment for that matter, seeking to alienate anyone. The far better — and more ethical — thing to do is to plan out the theater using the Murphy’s Law approach. Have it so it works out well for everyone no matter who comes to it. There’s the old saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” But if someone tries to bring back a theater style of old and it is greatly clashed by such things as teenagers with cellphones or whatever it’s time to face the music and recognize that what worked out well in the past needs to be seriously updated. For as Murphy’s Law states, if something can go wrong it will.
Now to Dr Pepper, what you said caught my interest. You stated, “I think the Ritz was the best thing to do in South Jersey” (referring to the years you were growing up there.) Now I don’t know when that was, but to me if going to a theater is the best thing to do in South Jersey there’s something majorly wrong with South Jersey. And this you’re hearing from someone who spent much of his youth in South Jersey. But in my case — and I felt very fortunate — the best thing to do in South Jersey was to hit the Jersey beach every summer. And while all my life I’ve always loved movie theaters, the whole point of them was to greatly enhance how we view life itself. Take the Beatles' movie HELP!, for instance. My having seen that at a theater when I was a kid when it was all new (1965) the beach scenes shot in the Bahamas made me want to get down to the South Jersey beaches and enjoy life for all it’s worth. And then there was that movie documentary ENDLESS SUMMER that motivated me to get out there to see what real surfing is like.
Now admittedly the Shore scene in South Jersey these days is a total mess. For the past 20 years straight it’s been a disgusting rip-off at every turn. And made all the worse by the media rarely daring to tell it like it really is. And so if you grew up in South Jersey during that last 20-year time period I can fully understand your saying that going to a movie theater is the best thing to do in South Jersey. But at the same time can you see why I see that statement as being very sad? For movies and movie theaters in themselves — as much as I personally really love them — are not enough. They shouldn’t be enough. If they’re looked upon as if they are sufficient just in themselves and without really motivating anybody to do anything really exciting with their lives it’s like they’re cannons designed not to fire or what have you. Movie theaters should not merely be pacifyers but actual motivators — eye-openers, awareness-raisers, truth-revealers and all that good stuff. Things that get the people really riled up to bring about positive change where it’s needed. And South Jersey could really use that right now I feel.
after being let go by regal i worked at the ritz for 5 days, i was hired as a projectionist and was stuck behind the candy stand becuse managers there didnt like this guy coming in so they tried to break me down and it worked but i was very put off by this place, while i like seeing films there the employees and managers had a very looking there nose down on you way which never gelled with my past with amc and regal
The quality is slipping already – saw Darjeeling Limited here and the sound was low and muddled, like it wasn’t even in stereo.
I worked at the Ritz 16 back in high school. It was an amazing place. I got payed minimum wage to clean up garbage (and on one occasion-poop) in the auditoriums. The hours weren’t great and the job itself was demeaning to say the least. However, it was still my favorite place in the world.
People think its a better place now because they sell hot dogs or because they show children’s cartoons in the mornings or because you can watch a Harold and Kumar sequel while eating nachos or whatever your cup of tea is, but honestly the standard has plummeted. Ray Posel dying was the worst thing to happen to modern cinema; and as if that wasn’t bad enough, National Amusements, the worst theater group there is, bought and ruined Ray’s masterpiece. Why not draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa while you’re at it? The Showcase would have already gone out of business by now if it hadn’t been recycled from the Ritz’s corpse.
I also managed a National Amusements theater after college so I am entitled to speak poorly of them. Its a bottom-line kind of corporation that seems to hate their own customers as much as they love profits and every policy they have is ass-backwards.
Don’t get me wrong though. The Showcase is still a better theater than you’re going to find in most places. Some of the Ritz touches are still there and you can even still see some art films and maybe a documentary or two as long as Al Gore is attached in some way. The artwork on the walls may be gone but at least they kept the portraits of yesteryear’s great movie icons. The flowers in the bathrooms is a classy little accent but its really not enough to polish that turd.
Rave Motion Pictures is slated to acquire this theatre, as well as The Bridge: Cinema De Lux, and 33 other National Amusements locations.
Rave has officially purchased this theatre and taken over as of last weekend I believe. It’s listed on Rave’s website as “RC Ritz Center 16”.
Should be back there soon to see what, if anything, has changed.
`I think business will be same as usual,Rave will honor NA gift cards and other programs till early next year.
World cinema has a very short shelf life here. But, they do have the opera. After three years, this theater did not turn into the nightmare I thought it would. I perfer seeing art films at the Phila. Ritz instead of New York. IFC Center: except for main theater(Waverly)The others are small, boxy, bad projection. Lincoln Plaza: crowed theater no butter for popcorn. Angelika: tunnel cinemas subway train noise. Sunshine: good theater. Ritz Five needs works but Ritz at the Bourse and Ritz East are better art house cinemas than anything in New York.
The official National Amusements to Rave changeover happened today. Showtimes are no longer listed on the NA site, and the theatre is now “Rave Motion Pictures Ritz Center”.
Went there tonight, and saw the first notable changes since the sale:
—Rave ticket stubs, popcorn bags, and uniforms are in use.
—“Showcase Art” is now called “Rave Review”. The old sticky letter box office marquees are still up.
—Coke has replaced Pepsi (yay!)
—No policy trailer on the 3D screening I’ve seen, and no Screenvision digital, just opera music.
It’ll be interesting to see what the signage will look like. The Ritz 16 is practically the exact opposite of Rave’s typical “put neon everywhere” philosophy.
A beautiful place when Ray Posel built and ran it. Managed there for about a year. Very popular with the upscale crowd…