Avenue U Theater
1602 Avenue U,
Brooklyn,
NY
11229
1602 Avenue U,
Brooklyn,
NY
11229
6 people
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The Avenue U Theater was a small neighborhood house that was best known for it large Cinemascope screen. At one time it was run by the Cinema 5 chain and was sub-run.
It was a first run house, and then it became a dollar theater. In its twilight days, it had a twin theater policy of seperate admissions for different movies, all shown in the same theater.
When UA opened the Sheepshead megaplex, the owner resorted to XXX, but the community balked and the theater closed for good.
It was gutted, the floor leveled and prepared for retail use. Yet the store has never been rented and has sat vacant for over a decade.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 24 comments)
I checked the address on Google Maps, and their satellite view of the neighborhood confirms ArchaeoNut’s claim above. The crested buildings in the photos show from above as the nearest of four adjoining structures located between the corner of E. 15th Street and the transit line. The address 1602 Avenue U would be on the near side of the Avenue, and at the corner of E. 16th Street farthest from the transit line, and thus in these photos the theatre’s location would be entirely out of view, off to the photographer’s right.
Archaeonut, I don’t mind the correction. If I’m wrong, I want to know. I did the best, and came as close as I could, with the images that I knew about, and which were available to me. I hope we get a link to an image of the theater posted here.
Doesn’t Anybody want to speak about Century’s AVENUE J?
The Avenue U Theater Corporation was located in the same building at 1602, in 1940. Phone was SHeepshd 3-2550.
Flyman47 refers to Century’s Avenue J. Isn’t that the Midwood theatre?
Address numbers do and can change sometimes!This might lead to some of the confusion in the Google maps.This is rare but it does happen.
This was a relatively small, average theater that usually had long lines throughout the 1970s due to its dollar admission. My parents used to go there a lot and it was quite popular due to its low admission price. I saw several films there throughout the 70s: Live and Let Die (for the second time,) The Deep, The Great Gatsby, The Legend of Hell House, etc. I think the last time my wife and I were there was to see Hannah and her Sisters in the early ‘80s. As stated this was basically a small, unattractive neighborhood theater with nothing really distinctive to remember it by.
The Avenue U in 1970. Battle of Britain and Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell are playing.
The vintage bus forces me to real;ize that the photo was taken over 40 yrs. ago. I remember when the new marquee was installed and the sense that the Rugoff chain was finally trying to spruce up the place.
i worked at the avenue u at about the same time that kirk doulas’s lonely are the brave made its debut. what was most intriguing to me was the theater’s basement (near the bathrooms. which were downstairs, too.) where i found promotional items like tiny red dice sent rolling on a spinning circular platform, encased under glass and activated by a plunger you pushed with your thumb, as well as illustrated ticket stubs for a presentation of king kong.