Cineplex Odeon Route 17 Triplex

85 South Route 17,
Paramus, NJ 07652

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Showing 1 - 25 of 127 comments

Moviefan333
Moviefan333 on January 14, 2023 at 5:39 am

I never saw it as a single screen theater. It wasn’t that terrible when they split it into 3. A little bit rundown but still decent size screens and pretty good sound. It was kind of spooky inside. Stepping back into a time warp even in the 2000s

vindanpar
vindanpar on January 13, 2023 at 7:09 pm

Maybe not a cinema treasure? It most definitely was during its brief period as a single screen theater. Very elegant with a large screen and spacious auditorium nicely designed. As soon as it was spit in half it felt like a dump. Small screens that you had to look at at an angle. Too sad. 70MM here would have been a joke. Totally pointless. Even as a single screen it never showed a genuine 70mm film at all as far as I know. Had it been built sooner it would have been a great hard ticket house. Even in the second half of the 60s it could have shown reserved seat films. NJ suburbanites wouldn’t have had to drive up to NY State to see films like Zhivago, Lion in Winter, Oliver and Funny Girl. Strangely they didn’t play in Bellevue, North Jersey’s big reserved seat center.

RyanToDaF2044
RyanToDaF2044 on January 13, 2023 at 6:02 pm

Anyone have pictures of this theatre as a Cineplex Odeon?

ridethectrain
ridethectrain on March 10, 2021 at 10:51 pm

Please update, theatre became a triplex on December 9, 1983. RKO Century Warner also triplex it’s sister theatre the Green Acres Cinemas the same month. Grand Reopening ad posted.

fred1
fred1 on September 1, 2019 at 8:24 am

And Also Century’s Roosevelt Field

ridethectrain
ridethectrain on August 31, 2019 at 7:00 pm

The theatre was very similar to the Century Green Acres Theatre, Valley Stream, NY

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on July 18, 2019 at 4:42 pm

This was the second theater in Paramus to use 70mm projection when it opened.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on December 15, 2018 at 10:54 am

Superman made its debut here 40 years ago when it was a twin in Dolby Stereo.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on November 16, 2018 at 7:53 am

That Stanley Warner Triplex in that ad is the Route 4 theatre, not the Century Route 17 twin.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on November 16, 2018 at 1:26 am

Opened with “The art of love”. Opened as a twin (theatre 1) with “The touch” and “Take the money and run”, and(theatre 2) with “The Organization”.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on November 11, 2018 at 3:09 pm

When did a third screen get added? Any ad?

rivest266
rivest266 on November 11, 2018 at 2:31 pm

This opened on June 30th, 1965 and reopened as a twin cinema on October 29th, 1971. Grand opening ads in the photo section.

MSC77
MSC77 on June 24, 2018 at 8:34 am

shthead: I’m sure any of the numerous Cinema Treasures members who reside(d) in Northeren New Jersey can chime in and offer a confirmation. I reside on the west coast and the only evidence I can offer is what I’ve seen in trade reports and newspaper promotion that were referenced for the many historical articles I’ve written on the movie in question. I’m sure if the newspaper ads were wrong they would’ve been corrected within a day or two and couldn’t possibly have remained wrong day after day for the many months the movie played there.

shthead
shthead on June 24, 2018 at 5:42 am

MSC77: are you sure? I vaguely remember the tile work out front, although you could be 100% correct.

MSC77
MSC77 on June 11, 2018 at 1:14 am

shthead: “Return of the Jedi” played at the Route 4, not here.

shthead
shthead on May 15, 2018 at 11:47 am

I got to see Return of the Jedi, a movie that had the best happy ending of all time—outside of a porn theater—on opening day, 5/25/83. Unfortunately, the fact that the bad guys are in charge again in The Force Awakens nullifies the ending of ROTJ.

RGAMCRegal
RGAMCRegal on March 2, 2018 at 7:16 am

I remember this theater. It was pretty much a meh.

moax429
moax429 on September 29, 2017 at 3:57 pm

I meant 1996. I guess I pressed the wrong key on my keyboard.

Thanks very much, moviebuff82.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on September 29, 2017 at 12:52 pm

THe rerelease was in 1996, moax429. Independence Day was a carryover from the Tenplex, as was Oliver and Company. I saw Oliver when it was reissued and before that at the Allwood in Clifton. It came around the same time as Land Before Time, which was a better movie. ID4 I saw in Secaucus Meadow six. I saw James and the Giant Peach at the Cinema 35 during that year too.

moax429
moax429 on August 30, 2017 at 3:34 pm

I remember seeing “Star Wars, Episode IV” along with “The Empire Strikes Back” on the same program (an exclusive to the NYC area) when I moved to Saddle River, New Jersey in June 1983.

Other films I saw at the Route 17 Triplex during my brief time in New Jersey were: “War Games” (1983) “2010” (1984) The 1985 rerelease of “Gremlins” (1984); that would be the last film I would see at this theater.

When I made a return visit to the area in September 1986, I remember the Route 17 had the original “Independence Day” and the rerelease of Walt Disney’s 1988 animated film “Oliver and Company.” I don’t remember what the other film they screened in the other auditorium was.

Sad to see the Route 17 Triplex is gone. But the AMC Garden State Plaza is definitely a worthy successor; when I returned for another visit in September 2014, my best lady friend (who never saw New York City before, but loved it afterward) and I saw “No Good Deed” there. A very pleasant experience.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on August 30, 2017 at 2:56 pm

The rolling stones concert movie “Let’s Spend the Night Together” was shown in 70mm here for a limited run back in 82.

hotwaterbottle
hotwaterbottle on May 23, 2017 at 12:13 pm

moviebuff82, what are you talking about? The trailers were part of the regular show, just like they are today. Your comment about paying a separate fee just to see a trailer is incorrect. Also, most people did not consider this theatre to be a grindhouse. I suggest giving your opinions more thought before posting them.

Coate
Coate on May 10, 2017 at 3:38 pm

moviebuff82: In your comment from January 10th you stated “Pink Floyd: The Wall” played here in 70mm, but now in your May 4th comment you’re stating it didn’t play here in 70mm. So which is it???

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on May 8, 2017 at 5:39 pm

Back then, most people would refer to this theater as the Century, while the theater on Route 4 was the Stanley Warner.