Chelsea Cinemas
260 West 23rd Street,
New York,
NY
10011
260 West 23rd Street,
New York,
NY
10011
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 50 comments
Hello-
to put it simply i can’t stand reserved seating. i don’t see what it accomplishes. its not like the old days of 2 shows a day roadshow movies.
All screens are open, now reserved seating. Still doing final touches on the exterior. Main refreshment stand open. My only problem is they moved the screen higher so only the last row in the handicap is good unless you don’t mind looking up. Bow Tie shoud of not raised the screens. Also, people don’t sit in their assign seats as I noticed during matinees. I look at what seats are sold and people not sitting were their supose to sit. It’s going to be a problem when shows are sold out.
Has anyone been to the Chelsea since the remodel. Still only 6 screens open. They must be working on the Screens 1 – 3 now. Reserved seating takes effect today. Hope to check it out soon. It was the theater I went to most when I was living a few blocks away.
Lower tier. Attended a matinee of “Godzilla” today. 15 minutes after the scheduled 10:00am start time the movie still hadn’t begun – just a Bow Tie slide on screen with music. I tracked down one of the janitors upstairs to let them know, and a couple of minutes later the movie started (thankfully they skipped the trailers). Picture OK, sound adequate but not what I’d anticipated. But then a couple minutes before the film’s presumed ending, the picture and sound just stopped, as if the DCP had gone offline. With no one else around, I told the manager downstairs, who seemed surprised (“Shut down?”). Even if they were to show the director’s cut of “Greed,” I will never go back here.
Chelsea Cinemas are getting a makeover. New signs posted at the theater when I attended this weekend. I posted a photo. New seats, new inside box-office, a complete makeover. reserved seats. The theater has been needing this for a while.
This incident did not take place at the theatre. It happened on the street a block away after the couple left the theatre.
Article in perez hilton about an incident at this theater. ..google perez hilton chelsea bow tie.
Saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” here Saturday night (Feb. 4, 2012). The theater is decently maintained. The theater we saw the movie in was #9. Ok size but the projection was excellent and the usher played “host” for the audience announcing the film’s director and his credits (nice touch) and asking that no one use a cellphone or other devices (nice touch to do this personally rather than through a screen presentation request). I have a trouble with these “stacked” theaters in the city, though. I know that it is likely the only way to handle this but the schlep up all those elevators is an odd experience and it felt “lonely” at first because the floors were so under populated (but the theater was packed). Compare this to a place out in the ‘burbs like Paramus’ theater and the experience is completely different. Lastly, I have to agree with some of folks posting for this theater that I was mightily impressed by the behavior of the audience. Not a single cell phone out during the movie, no one talking. Nice.
The theater was sold to a Great Neck, L.I.-based developer: The Parkoff Organization. Here’s a quote from the article: A spokesperson for Clearview indicated that their lease will continue under the new landlord and suggested the theater would not be closing any time soon, but did not specify the terms of the theater’s lease.
Who was this sold to?
I certainly hope the Chelsea is with us for a while. This is my theater of choice being that it is my “neighborhood” theater. I avoid the theaters on 42nd Street and the 34 St AMC. They attract the bridge and tunnel crowd. The Lincoln Square and the Union Square theaters are always way too crowded. The Chelsea is a comfortable place to see a film and the cliental tend to treat attending a movie here seriously. No talking, no use of cell phones.
A few years back, the Chelsea Cinemas were sold and rumors were rampant that the multiplex would be razed for an apartment tower or hotel. Well, the Chelsea Cinemas have been flipped again. This time for $35MM. Rumors are flying once again. This theater was the last multiplex built in Manhattan before stadium seating. Though I’m sure it does well, it will now be expected to do even better to justify the new sales price. My guess is that this theater’s days are numbered.
The Dolby Digital “Egypt” and “Rain” trailers are indeed promos that advertise Dolby Digital in an auditorium. Even though most theaters (if not all) have Dolby Digital installed, it depends if the theater decides to play a trailer before the film. Having a Dolby promo before a film may be a tradition at some theaters, or some chains, but all the other Dolby Digital equipped theaters I’ve been to don’t play a trailer advertising the system. You can easily search for the Egypt and Rain trailers on YouTube, as they are common in home theater circles.
thebrat, can you tell us what Dolby EGYPT and Dolby RAIN mean? Are these Dolby promo ads we should have noticed/remembered?
Damn… On that photo you could clearly see the after-image of the old Cineplex Odeon logo.
I remember seeing The Chronicles of Narnia: TLW&tW (2005) at this theater, and seeing the Dolby Digital “Egypt” trailer before the film began. That was the only time I’ve been to that theater, and the only time I saw a Dolby trailer in a theater, until I saw The Illusionist (2010) at Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema, which played the Dolby “Rain” trailer prior to the film.
Good news Mets fans….Mets at the Movies will be showing at this theater.
Just attended a showing today of the movie “Outrage” a documentary of the closeted hypocritical republican politicians and the ongoing efforts to out them. It was supposed to start at 12:50. The commercials were showing with no sound. Then, the screen went blank. At 1:00PM a theater employee entered the auditorium and announced that the start of the movie would be delayed because they had only one projectionist for the entire complex and he was busy in another screen room. Someone then shouted out that the theater was too warm. She said she was sorry and turned on the air conditioning. About 10 minutes later the movie started. No Previews. Pretty good documentary!
I went to see The Poseidon Adventure as part of there Classic series on Sat night at 10pm.Had a BLAST! Great to see My favorite film back on the big screen. About 100 people were in attendance and they roared with applause when Shelly Winters jumped into the water to save Gene Hackman. Im going to write about the experience on my blogmovie website View link
chuck
The Squat Theatre, mentioned in the introduction at this location, showed movies in 1984, prior to being razed for this multiplex.
I just saw two movies here on Sunday — the renovation is really charming, and for a nine screen cinema it is very cozy. Nice couches and tables on each level for socializing, and big screens, bright picture and clear sound made this a lovely experience. Even the closed snack bars on the upper level had accent lighting on. Craig and his staff have every reason to be proud of this house.
I have to say that what surprises me is that this is happening so soon after they renovated the theater. I can’t believe that Chelsea is going to be without a single movie theater; though it’s not a far walk to 19th St, the Union Square or the 34th St. Two theater buildings will remain: The Chelsea West will be totally renovated and redesigned to meet the needs of its new owner (the School of Visual Arts) and The Joyce Theater (the former porn palace – The Elgin) back when Chelsea was a slum. Progress marches on!
Jesus Christ… I realize I’m stating the obvious, but real estate developers truly know no limits. I swear they’d give serious thought to selling their own children if someone offered them enough money…
Thanx William! I ended up
finding out their number as well… How terrible that it may close soon… Another reason to catch a good flick now!
Chelsea Cinema Shocker…….
According to this weeks issue of The Real Deal, the real estate industry’s bible, Chelsea Cinemas is in contract to be sold and will most likely be torn down for a hotel leaving Chelsea without a nabe theater.
The quote is as follows: “Chelsea Cinemas could close soon. A hotelier is in contract to buy the nine-screen cinema, according to Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail leasing and sales division at Prudential Douglas Elliman, who is working with the hotelier.
Consolo would not reveal the identity of the developer or the asking price for the space, which is owned by Mutual Redevelopment Houses Inc. She said her client is interested in building a boutique hotel of up to 10 stories, hoping to capitalize on the gallery-going crowd.
This would leave area residents with three options for nearby theaters. The Regal Union Square (which I think is the worst multiplex in Manhattan), the Loews 19th Street and the Loews 34th St.
The Chelsea Cinemas was not a palace in any form of the word, and until the recent renovations, I would have called it a dump. The renovations, however, did make it more more enjoyable to see a movie here and if I still lived in the neighborhood I would miss it, but I always preferred Loews 34th St and the theaters of 42nd St.
Well MovieTicket.com has it opening there tomorrow.
Clearview’s Chelsea 9 is 260 West 23rd. Street.