Brandon Cinemas 2
70-20 Austin Street,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
70-20 Austin Street,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
7 people
favorited this theater
Located in the Forest Hills section of Queens. Developer Heskel Elias, in tandem with United Artists Theatres, gave the former Continental I / II a $1 million refurbishment in 1999.
The theater reopened with stadium seating, a new look, and a new name — the United Artists Brandon Cinema Center. The theater is named for Elias' son, Brandon.
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Recent comments (view all 46 comments)
Bway, my experience was very much like yours. I first got to know the community in which I now call home when, in the mid-1970’s, I frequently took the G train from my native Greenpoint to catch a first run film in Forest Hills. At the time, the Meserole was on its last legs and would soon close its doors and the Chopin, when it was open, was not really an option – though I did visit it occasionally. Forest Hills, on the other hand, hosted four theaters, and many more screens, in the immediate Continental Ave./Queens Blvd. vicinity. Just about all of the non-art house cinematic fare that was playing in Manhattan could be seen here, for a slightly lower price. And Austin St. was a really great place to visit. Given these options, Forest Hills clearly trumped Manhattan. As the 70’s turned into the 80’s, my cinematic preferences, for some reason, shifted west to Manhattan and I lost contact with this neighborhood.
While I did catch a few films at the Branden – then the Continental – and did see Full Metal Jacket at the long lost Continental 3, now a health club, it was the Forest Hills Theater that I enjoyed the most. It was, thus, very disappointing when, after a many years absence, I visited the neighborhood in 2001, in the course of buying my coop apartment, and learned that the Forest Hills was now a drug store. However, all is not lost and the Brandon and the Midway continue to serve this terrific neighborhood – and there is always the trusty old Cinemart on Metropolitan Ave! So the bottle is still at least half full, for now.
I didn’t see many movies in the Forest Hills Theater. It never seemed to be playing “the movie” I wanted to see. The Continental or the Midway usually had the movies I wanted to see.
The Midway was also well maintained in the 80’s and early 90’s, even before the Midway’s transformation. I remember the two story balcony, with it’s ornate iron railing up to the balcony. They used to have an area upstairs in the lobby with video games you could play while waiting for the movie to start. Great times.
I haven’t been to the Cinemart often either, as it also never seemed to have the movies I wantec to see. Also, I liked the subway better than the bus to get places, and it was much easier to get to the Austin St area by subway.
The Ceinemart seems to be one of those old workhorse theaters that you always expect will be there….like the Ridgewood. But then the Ridgewood was taken away very suddenly.
This nice image of the original Continental Theatre, circa 1981, was posted by Tinseltoes to the Continental 3 page. If the link no longer works, hopefully, that would be only because he moved it into this theater’s photo collection.
In the image, you can see the old ramp to the right of the entrance that led to a small parking lot behind the building, just up against the LIRR embankment. That area seems to have been improved with a new commercial structure, since the last time I visited this cinema many years back.
Ed — link no work.
Tinseltoes, please re-post your image of the Continental from 1981, with “Fort Apache The Bronx” on the marquee. It would be the only photo on CT showing the original neon signage that has since been replaced.
You know, re-reading your last comment, Tinseltoes, it occurs to me that you suggest that the Brandon Cinemas 2 is not located where the original Continental Theatre was. I don’t think that’s the case. Unless there was an even earlier Continental, the former Walter Reade house that is depicted in your 1981 image was indeed re-branded the UA Brandon in the 1990’s.
Perhaps confusion arises with respect to the much newer Continental 3, which was opened in nearby retail space on the opposite side of Austin Street in the 1980’s, after the first Continental was twinned.
Thanks for this, Tinseltoes.
Remember being able to see a bit of the marquee from the LIRR train each day (also could see the back of and a bit of the marquee of the then Austin from the same vantage point.
Went to 1:40 PM showing of “Atlas Shrugged II: The Strike” here today, $10 for matinee!!! $10 for matinee, is that price for all showings and they have no discounted times. If it is that’s quite extreme.
The screens are small and no 3D. They close off the balcony.