The IMAX screen is currently closed. Maybe getting nicer seats? They don’t need hundreds of old fashioned in a screen that never sells out. A couple of the larger screens have the new AMC XL designation, which carries a $1 surcharge.
Scores of recliner boxes marked “Dolby” have been hiding in the hall between screens 3 and 4 for several weeks, and the Dolby Cinema is currently closed and roped off, likely to include unboxing all those new recliners marked “Dolby” and installing in Screen 8.
Likely being demolished any week now, as a construction fence has gone up around the entire site containing the old theatre building and the bank building on the corner which the theater (and its fire exit passage) wrapped around.
The HDR by Barco in the Theatre 13 RPX is, to my surprise, impressive. The blackest blacks that I can remember, a crisp image, and the pre-show had a dazzling color array. Much better image than the Dolby Cinema across the street.
The site where Regal was touted to open a theatre in Sunnyside around a mile from this location hasn’t had so much as a hammer lifted in several years, and the past year or two has had a banner hanging along the fencing that the site is for sale. Even when they were working on the site it was stop and start and slow. So, no, that ain’t happening.
There are plans for a new art house on the Upper West Side. A group announced a couple months ago that they closed on the purchase of the Metro thirty blocks up Broadway, several million dollars helped along with funding from NY State, and now they need perhaps three times as much money to renovate and open. https://uwscinema.org/
The recliners help provide a better view from the front rows since you can lean pretty far back and have a way better viewing angle, but they don’t change the forever problem that the auditoria are really badly designed, the front rows still too close, and the stadium seating rows all varying degrees of too far back with meh sight lines.
The box office has been entirely removed. No human oresence and you kind of have ti just know to go to the concession stand to buy a ticket.
Even the new screens they were working on since January there is still a punch list in the lobby area and the entryway areas to the individual screens.
No masking on the screens, but that’s a lot less an issue for me than the still bad sightlines.
Is it a nicer theatre now? Yes. The seats are super comfy and I would say better than what the AMCs and Alamo are giving at at any of their Manhattan locations. Kind of sad that moviegoing has declined to where Regal is happy giving up half the capacity here to put in these snazzy seats, early 2000s it wasn’t a problem to fill up a bunch of 200 seaters here on a busy weekend. But for the 2020s this is more worth leaving the living room for. But such. bad, sightlines.
Stoped in and asked an employee wassup as half the screens have been closed for months. They are getting recliners. The floor plans of the original auditoria are being redone completely, not the number or location of the screens but more than just putting recliners on the same rows. Will be interested to see what exactly, because the current auditoria have a lot of bad sight lines and it would be nice if that will improve. And a 4DX is going into Screen 13. Screens at the far end (5-9) are nearing completion.
I would put the word recliners in quotes at this location. The legs stretch out but there is absolutely zero backwards tilt to the headrest, so you’re not reclining, just sitting with your legs heading out at an uncomfortable angle. So long as you don’t go expecting to actually recline, the Dolby Cinema is a perfectly fine place to see a movie.
in the back of one of the auditoria a stack of boxes containing such things as a Dolby DSR 1360 and a Dolby CS136MH and a Dolby SB218 so some more freshening up coming upon the heels of the new plush rocker seats.
it is possible Regal is doing some work in the theatre since there are no showtimes being sold from Friday January 10 thru Wed January 15, and then pick back up with advance sales starting January 16.
They can’t lose the capacity with recliners. As is, losing a third of the seats in the regular auditoria will greatly limit either sales or limit variety of offerings for the four or six weekends a year that they have a Real Pain or similar on a two or three location NYC platform opening. Tonight, Moana, Wicked, Gladiator 2 and Queer all have 7/8pmish showtimes that would have long ago sold out or be down only to the front row seats no one wants to buy if recliners had cost dozens more seats from each screen. 4150 seats when it opened thirty years ago, now C Train says 2450. If attendance drops to where they can give up too many more seats in one of the country’s most successful theatres, more of our cinema treasures will be fitness centers. I could see them going the Prime or Dolby route for another two screens to have more upcharge opportunity and getting down to 2200 reclining seats.
Theatre 5 (Valencia) has been de-seated as the installation of the new seats is moving fast, and could be complete before the big Thanksgiving weekend. At least half the screens are upgraded.
Theatre 8 less blocked off today, and, wow New rocker seats in a hardwood seating bowl, full rows have 13 seats instead of 15. Three fewer rows of seats. I am counting 121 total spaces seats and wheelchairs down from an occupancy sign that still says 192.
A Sweetgreen, to be exact, entered via the preserved facade on Manhattan Ave. And FWIW the Peter Pan Donuts where Peter Parker works in the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies is just a couple doors down.
The IMAX screen is currently closed. Maybe getting nicer seats? They don’t need hundreds of old fashioned in a screen that never sells out. A couple of the larger screens have the new AMC XL designation, which carries a $1 surcharge.
Scores of recliner boxes marked “Dolby” have been hiding in the hall between screens 3 and 4 for several weeks, and the Dolby Cinema is currently closed and roped off, likely to include unboxing all those new recliners marked “Dolby” and installing in Screen 8.
Likely being demolished any week now, as a construction fence has gone up around the entire site containing the old theatre building and the bank building on the corner which the theater (and its fire exit passage) wrapped around.
The HDR by Barco in the Theatre 13 RPX is, to my surprise, impressive. The blackest blacks that I can remember, a crisp image, and the pre-show had a dazzling color array. Much better image than the Dolby Cinema across the street.
The site where Regal was touted to open a theatre in Sunnyside around a mile from this location hasn’t had so much as a hammer lifted in several years, and the past year or two has had a banner hanging along the fencing that the site is for sale. Even when they were working on the site it was stop and start and slow. So, no, that ain’t happening.
There are plans for a new art house on the Upper West Side. A group announced a couple months ago that they closed on the purchase of the Metro thirty blocks up Broadway, several million dollars helped along with funding from NY State, and now they need perhaps three times as much money to renovate and open. https://uwscinema.org/
The recliners help provide a better view from the front rows since you can lean pretty far back and have a way better viewing angle, but they don’t change the forever problem that the auditoria are really badly designed, the front rows still too close, and the stadium seating rows all varying degrees of too far back with meh sight lines.
The box office has been entirely removed. No human oresence and you kind of have ti just know to go to the concession stand to buy a ticket.
Even the new screens they were working on since January there is still a punch list in the lobby area and the entryway areas to the individual screens.
No masking on the screens, but that’s a lot less an issue for me than the still bad sightlines.
Is it a nicer theatre now? Yes. The seats are super comfy and I would say better than what the AMCs and Alamo are giving at at any of their Manhattan locations. Kind of sad that moviegoing has declined to where Regal is happy giving up half the capacity here to put in these snazzy seats, early 2000s it wasn’t a problem to fill up a bunch of 200 seaters here on a busy weekend. But for the 2020s this is more worth leaving the living room for. But such. bad, sightlines.
FWIW there are signs posted regarding a liquor license application which was filed for in March
Stoped in and asked an employee wassup as half the screens have been closed for months. They are getting recliners. The floor plans of the original auditoria are being redone completely, not the number or location of the screens but more than just putting recliners on the same rows. Will be interested to see what exactly, because the current auditoria have a lot of bad sight lines and it would be nice if that will improve. And a 4DX is going into Screen 13. Screens at the far end (5-9) are nearing completion.
https://deadline.com/2025/03/landmark-theatres-kevin-holloway-upgrade-theaters-charles-cohen-foreclosure-1236353322/
plans announced for some major renovations
https://deadline.com/2025/03/landmark-theatres-kevin-holloway-upgrade-theaters-charles-cohen-foreclosure-1236353322/
plans announced for some major renovations
https://deadline.com/2025/03/landmark-theatres-kevin-holloway-upgrade-theaters-charles-cohen-foreclosure-1236353322/
plans announced for some major renovations
I would put the word recliners in quotes at this location. The legs stretch out but there is absolutely zero backwards tilt to the headrest, so you’re not reclining, just sitting with your legs heading out at an uncomfortable angle. So long as you don’t go expecting to actually recline, the Dolby Cinema is a perfectly fine place to see a movie.
in the back of one of the auditoria a stack of boxes containing such things as a Dolby DSR 1360 and a Dolby CS136MH and a Dolby SB218 so some more freshening up coming upon the heels of the new plush rocker seats.
it is possible Regal is doing some work in the theatre since there are no showtimes being sold from Friday January 10 thru Wed January 15, and then pick back up with advance sales starting January 16.
The IMAX screen now has AMC signature recliners. Typical reduction in capacity, somewhere in low 200s and previously several hundred seats
They can’t lose the capacity with recliners. As is, losing a third of the seats in the regular auditoria will greatly limit either sales or limit variety of offerings for the four or six weekends a year that they have a Real Pain or similar on a two or three location NYC platform opening. Tonight, Moana, Wicked, Gladiator 2 and Queer all have 7/8pmish showtimes that would have long ago sold out or be down only to the front row seats no one wants to buy if recliners had cost dozens more seats from each screen. 4150 seats when it opened thirty years ago, now C Train says 2450. If attendance drops to where they can give up too many more seats in one of the country’s most successful theatres, more of our cinema treasures will be fitness centers. I could see them going the Prime or Dolby route for another two screens to have more upcharge opportunity and getting down to 2200 reclining seats.
Theatre 5 (Valencia) has been de-seated as the installation of the new seats is moving fast, and could be complete before the big Thanksgiving weekend. At least half the screens are upgraded.
was told screens 7 and 8 are the first to be getting reseated, and after that from the top floor [19-25] down
Theatre 8 less blocked off today, and, wow New rocker seats in a hardwood seating bowl, full rows have 13 seats instead of 15. Three fewer rows of seats. I am counting 121 total spaces seats and wheelchairs down from an occupancy sign that still says 192.
A neighboring building has a full demolition in progress, but the current active Work Permit here is for full interior demolition.
Getting new seats. A row of rockers in the lobby with more leg room promised, and Theatre 8 aka Avalon screen is roped off for refurbishment.
New plans announced in Washington Post https://wapo.st/3ZSQvs8
A Sweetgreen, to be exact, entered via the preserved facade on Manhattan Ave. And FWIW the Peter Pan Donuts where Peter Parker works in the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies is just a couple doors down.
new seats are coming. A set of four rocker seats has been placed front and center in the lobby with a sign that they are on the way.