Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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It’s a fun movie and it’s in scope too.
It’s official – starts July 20th:
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There’s a 7-foot-tall can of hairspray on display in the lobby, so it probably will play there. I think every big movie musical made in the last few years has played the Ziegfeld.
Does anybody know if Hairpsray will premiere here?
And it will premiere in digital projection, I guess.
Another temporary closure, apparently for the next two weeks. The Clearview website has no listings for the Ziegfeld until June 29 (when “Ratatouille” opens).
The Ziegfeld Theatre is one of the (very) few reasons I’ll miss living in Manhattan. The last great movie screen left in the city. I didn’t go there very much, but when I did, it felt like pure movie magic:
Premieres – CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, GANDHI, CHICAGO
Revivals – VERTIGO, STAR WARS (SE), RAGING BULL
I hope it never closes.
Jeff: It’s not a Clearview survey. It was published in New York magazine.
A few more toilet stalls in the restroom (they only have three in the men’s room) would’ve put the Ziegfeld over the top and made it #1. The fact that it’s the only one in the survey that isn’t a mutiplex should’ve been good for lots of extra credit points. Surveys like this come and go, but the Ziegfeld will always be the best unless Radio City starts showing movies again.
I doubt Cleaview was behind this. Their Chelsea cinema has nine screens, not eight. I alway take these surveys with a grain of salt. All through the eighties the Angelika was consistently voted as New York’s best by reporters wanting to appear trendy.
I guess when you say it twice, it carries more importance? Sorry about the dupe, but you can blame this very slow system for that. My first posting never showed up prior to me entering it again.
Pete: Who cares about presentation quality? Do you know of anyone who does? Obviously bathroom cleanliness and stall accessibility are more important. Sad, no?
Pete: Who cares about presentation quality? Do you know anyone who does? Bathroom cleanliness is obviously more important. Sad, no?
Am I missing something, or did Clearview publish this guide? If so, I suspect a conflict of interest.
Strange article, the theatres were not rated for their presentation quality. Only a vague reference to digital projection at the Ziegfeld.
As usual for lists like that, the author has published unsubstantiated ‘facts’. Contrary to popular myth, the Ziegfeld does NOT have the largest screen in NYC. The AMC Kips Bay screen #11 holds that title, at 60+ feet.
In a recent magazine article, the ZIEGFELD was ranked the #2 best theatre in New York City.
Article: View link
Jodar, Digital and 3D formats cost a lot, have training, maintenance and parts demands, are obsolete once bought as they are constantly being improved, and most importantly, audience reaction has been indifferent so far as they generally can’t tell the difference.
As for MEET THE ROBINSONS, it is the latest version of what always killed 3D in the past. A bad movie.
As both you and Vito proved, it didn’t get you to wait to see it at the Ziegfeld. ROBINSONS did not cause a rush at the boxoffice in any format.
Industry hype never led audiences to drive past one theatre in favor of another unless the distinction was dramatic. THX, Dolby and even the multiplex mutation of 70mm did not come close to having the impact of say, Cinemascope or stadium seating. And neither has digital conversion, inevitable as it is.
Vito, I take it you didn’t see it at the Ziegfeld. Since it was playing there in DLP, they usually play the format trailer prior to the start of the movie. I was contemplating a Ziegfeld trip but couldn’t make it seeing instead at Baltimore’s Senator. Since it was on film, I can only point out to two “cheesy” CGI scenes and that is where they superimposed Peter Parker’s face on two freefalling action sequences. The face looked too cartoonish and lacked fleshtone. For reference, filmfans should refer to the Rock’s “Scorpion King” fight with Rick O'Connell in the Mummy 2.
The movie, for me, is a mixed bag. It is an enjoyable action film as far as that goes and I purposely avoided critical reviews so as to not become prejudiced by them, but I have to say that I’ve never been able to accept Tobey Maguire as Spiderman. He neither has the acting chomps nor film presence of say, a Christopher Reeve, the platinum standard for film comic heroes. Some of what Maguire does in this movie just doesn’t work and the audience that I saw it with agreed by the collective laughter in the most inappropriate parts. James Franco and Thomas Haden Church both shine in their parts while both Topher Grace and Kirsten Dunst deserve better material than what they were given.
Getting back to the Ziegfeld, I was quite impressed with their DP presentation the last time I was there and hope things are still running well. There is only one DP presentation in my market for this film. I can’t believe that with such a wide release there aren’t more DP versions here in this market. For whatever reason, theatres here are holding on to that awful Robinsons 3D movie thats already dead at the box office. If someone who reads this board, who is in the know, and can explain why exhibitors don’t/can’t get the choice formats, please enlighten us.
Theatres showing “Spider-Man 3” in Digital Cinema:
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Digital, according to Movietickets.com.
Well The Ziegfeld has a new box-office champ
Spider-Man 3" took in a record $59 million domestically on opening day Friday, breaking the previous all-time high of $55.8 million for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” in its first day last summer.
The movie took in an additional $45 million overseas on Friday for a worldwide total of $104 million, a record for single-day grosses worldwide.
The first “Spider-Man” pulled in $114.8 million domestically in its debut weekend in 2002, a record that stood until “Dead Man’s Chest” did $135.6 million last July.
Looks like “Spider-Man 3” will come in around the $135 million to $145 million range for its first weekend.
I saw it on Wednesday and thought it was a bit long but had an exciting second half. The two younsters (age 14 and 16) I took to the screening went nuts for it.
I wonder if any of you will agree the effects looked cheesy, and enough already with the girl friend, which really slows the movie down.
Is the Ziegfeld running film or digital?
Just got an email from Clearview Cinemas saying that tonight they’re showing one of the Ranger playoff games tonight at the Ziegfeld in HD one week before Spider-Man comes to the theater next week. Too bad I won’t make it tonight since I’m more of a Devils fan than a Rangers one. This is a good example of synergy since Cablevision is sponsoring it exclusively at the theater to attract a crowd who doesn’t want to travel a long way to the HSBC Arena to watch the game the way it was meant to be seen!!! The feed will come from MSG HD on a screen that’s bigger than most HDTVs!!! Is this the first time a sporting event has been shown at the Ziegfeld?
Would love to read that book Vito!
Not surprisingly, the Union did not want the platters either, but it became a disability issue.
My experience with New York projectionists was that they were some of the best and some of the worst in the country and their Union support was erratic and based on many things, none of which included job performance. We had guys in Brooklyn who never came to work when it snowed. One guy in Queens who refused to start the movie if there was bulb out anywhere in the building and a business agent who shut a multiplex theatre down when he and his mistress were not let in for free. One guy was collecting his phlegm in jar as proof that the xenon lamp was releasing ozone rays. One guy was arrested on site for stealing an Oscar. One guy brought a crack whore to work with him who promptly took all her clothes off and ran through the screen naked. One guy shut the theatre down when went up on the roof for a smoke and the door shut behind him and back to our Ziegfeld BACKDRAFT darling, he went home once BEFORE putting on the last reel.
On the positive side, one guy in Queens finished the show by hand- spinning the platter during a mid-film power fault.
The test was seriously outdated (people failed because they didn’t understand the questions, let alone the answers). It was difficult because it no longer applied to modern times and the Union could help those they wanted to pass it just a little by supplying a copy in advance.
Sample question:
Who moves to the print from the floor to the projection booth?
Answer:
The “reel” boy.
Of course! How silly of me.
Looks like the re-release of Dirty Dancing is pushed back to August.