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.
It’s not entirely correct to say that the building was demolished. There is a completely new building on the site, but in order to take advantage of some zoning loophole they had to keep and then build up from most of the original steel superstructure. So of you walk into the candy store from Seventh Avenue you are walking in the exact same entranceway as the Embassy used, the candy store itself is still mostly in the footprint of the Embassy Two, and the exit on to 47th Street — well, it might be the same as the fire exit for the Embassy Two, but I don’t want to swear to that. I don’t want to say the theater wasn’t demolished, but also, this site probably has theatres that are considered as still being around that have less of the theatre left than you can find here.
The more or less definitive history, based on reviewing all the photos and my experience seeing movies there, my first at the location in 1977. Original theatre opens. Per ad in photos, the Cinema is then built directly next to the Theatre. The big Route 4 Theatre, the Route 4 Cinema in its shadow as a second screen. Becomes a triplex, and then a quad, with the Theatre being an upstairs/downstairs and the Cinema divided down the middle. I don’t know which of those happened first, but that was the configuration in 1977. An up and a down, and two side by side. Screens 5 6 7 were new construction. As you walked in these were to the left, between the older buildings and the parking lot. And then the original building was further divided, first dividing the balcony into two theatres to make 8 screens, and then taking the left section of the main downstairs theatre and dividing into a top of the rake and a bottom of the rake. If you are looking at the photos of the original single screen auditorium, the aisle on stage left is the center aisle of the main screen, and the area to the right of the other aisle a front and back screen.
New screens 9 and 11 are now open. According to the capacity signs - 8-68, 9-49, 10-67, 11-35, 12-53: for a total of 272 more seats in 5 screens when all are in operation.
This link showed up in the Chicago Showplace https://www.indiewire.com/news/box-office/kerasotes-theater-chain-closes-115-years-in-business-1235021814/
from Larry Wilson. The Showplace chain founded by the Kerasotes family which started in exhibition in 1909 sold off what it could in recent weeks and then closed what was left.
New reclining seats, same narrow width. Not much room for one’s elbows. If you have people on either side and then move the table towards you it’s something like being strapped into a high chair. By middle of next week six of the original screens will be back in service with #5 just about done and #4 not far behind. I was told sometime in July for the expansion to be completed.
“ We’ll be closing our doors from 2/05 - 2/06 to kickstart a massive renovation, including premium leather recliners, upgraded projectors, more bathrooms, and a massive 5-auditorium expansion to give you more movies and more awesome events”
Yikes! My first visit here in over thirty years, and it is so rundown and neglected and feels ready to blow away in the next big storm. It is in some ways better than I remembered, because the eighties sloped floor multiplex auditoria (opened in early 1990s but design very much of the 1980s) with their aging squeaking seats and the aisles down the center do at least have decent size screens, and they were filling some seats on a slow December weekend, but Manhattan deserves better than for this rundown multiplex to be the only option north of 60th Street and East of Central Park.
The new 4DX is coming along. Screen 12 is still closed, but a wall was removed since last visit and a Pepsi 4DX sign is visible at the entrance. I probably could’ve stepped over/around the rope and taken a peek inside on Sunday.
Visited for the first time in a while to see a movie on the RPX. Which is, per prior comment, now much better for wide screen, 21 of my paces across. Comfortable with wide seats and legroom and bigger screen than across the street, and I may choose this RPX over the Empire’s Dolby Cinema moving forward. But hardly anyone coming, 25 people here for first night of a movie that had much larger crowds across the street. The place is mostly open but also mostly a construction zone with almost all of the David Rockwell interior for the Loews days now destroyed. Concession stand a work in progress. Some screens which still have carpeting from the old days. Screen 12 was closed off.
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.
It’s not entirely correct to say that the building was demolished. There is a completely new building on the site, but in order to take advantage of some zoning loophole they had to keep and then build up from most of the original steel superstructure. So of you walk into the candy store from Seventh Avenue you are walking in the exact same entranceway as the Embassy used, the candy store itself is still mostly in the footprint of the Embassy Two, and the exit on to 47th Street — well, it might be the same as the fire exit for the Embassy Two, but I don’t want to swear to that. I don’t want to say the theater wasn’t demolished, but also, this site probably has theatres that are considered as still being around that have less of the theatre left than you can find here.
Took in a movie at the venue this month, and thank you to DavidSimpson because I quite enjoyed looking over the photo display
added a current photo of building
The more or less definitive history, based on reviewing all the photos and my experience seeing movies there, my first at the location in 1977. Original theatre opens. Per ad in photos, the Cinema is then built directly next to the Theatre. The big Route 4 Theatre, the Route 4 Cinema in its shadow as a second screen. Becomes a triplex, and then a quad, with the Theatre being an upstairs/downstairs and the Cinema divided down the middle. I don’t know which of those happened first, but that was the configuration in 1977. An up and a down, and two side by side. Screens 5 6 7 were new construction. As you walked in these were to the left, between the older buildings and the parking lot. And then the original building was further divided, first dividing the balcony into two theatres to make 8 screens, and then taking the left section of the main downstairs theatre and dividing into a top of the rake and a bottom of the rake. If you are looking at the photos of the original single screen auditorium, the aisle on stage left is the center aisle of the main screen, and the area to the right of the other aisle a front and back screen.
New screens 9 and 11 are now open. According to the capacity signs - 8-68, 9-49, 10-67, 11-35, 12-53: for a total of 272 more seats in 5 screens when all are in operation.
This link showed up in the Chicago Showplace https://www.indiewire.com/news/box-office/kerasotes-theater-chain-closes-115-years-in-business-1235021814/ from Larry Wilson. The Showplace chain founded by the Kerasotes family which started in exhibition in 1909 sold off what it could in recent weeks and then closed what was left.
New reclining seats, same narrow width. Not much room for one’s elbows. If you have people on either side and then move the table towards you it’s something like being strapped into a high chair. By middle of next week six of the original screens will be back in service with #5 just about done and #4 not far behind. I was told sometime in July for the expansion to be completed.
they been building away! Added photo of what’s there now.
“ We’ll be closing our doors from 2/05 - 2/06 to kickstart a massive renovation, including premium leather recliners, upgraded projectors, more bathrooms, and a massive 5-auditorium expansion to give you more movies and more awesome events”
Two day closure on Feb 5 and 6 as part of what the email from Alamo says is a five screen expansion.
Yikes! My first visit here in over thirty years, and it is so rundown and neglected and feels ready to blow away in the next big storm. It is in some ways better than I remembered, because the eighties sloped floor multiplex auditoria (opened in early 1990s but design very much of the 1980s) with their aging squeaking seats and the aisles down the center do at least have decent size screens, and they were filling some seats on a slow December weekend, but Manhattan deserves better than for this rundown multiplex to be the only option north of 60th Street and East of Central Park.
added photo of the new 4DX in Screen 12. Not yet open but looks like it will be for the busy holiday season.
The new 4DX is coming along. Screen 12 is still closed, but a wall was removed since last visit and a Pepsi 4DX sign is visible at the entrance. I probably could’ve stepped over/around the rope and taken a peek inside on Sunday.
Visited for the first time in a while to see a movie on the RPX. Which is, per prior comment, now much better for wide screen, 21 of my paces across. Comfortable with wide seats and legroom and bigger screen than across the street, and I may choose this RPX over the Empire’s Dolby Cinema moving forward. But hardly anyone coming, 25 people here for first night of a movie that had much larger crowds across the street. The place is mostly open but also mostly a construction zone with almost all of the David Rockwell interior for the Loews days now destroyed. Concession stand a work in progress. Some screens which still have carpeting from the old days. Screen 12 was closed off.
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/bow_tie_movie_theater
closing in two weeks
only showtimes for 8 screens on Saturday and Sunday. Any chance they’re doing refurbishment?