I remember in South Florida when the Union demanded such high hourly rates that many theatres shut down matinees. This caused the elimination of many full time jobs and, of course, the professional projectionists who did them, who instead moved into other professions. A very stupid negotiation that ended up hurting everyone.
The test was never really very difficult, just badly outdated, badly written and controlled by the union. It DID have questions about nitrate film well into the eighties and some of the questions didn’t even make sense.
In my opinion, the union lost it’s footing by backing the continued employment of incompetent projectionists with a history of poor performance and at premium rates. The cinema chains in financial trouble had nothing to lose by playing hardball because the professionals were so few. The notoriously lazy cinema operators would have kept the status quo if more of the projectionists did their jobs, or at least showed up on time, and the union had helped replace the bad ones instead of insisting they kept their jobs in spite of gross negligence.
I think it is a sign of the times. I had the same experience at the Lincoln Art with a foreign film and senior citizens chattering away and playing with their phones.
I am moving into a NYC condo with 550 units and a screening room. It is down the street from two multiplexes with 38 screens between them. Once we record the movie, over 1200 residents will be able to see it for a one time $50.00 communal charge.
So let me get this right. Anyone with a large enough TV and venue, plus £50 becomes an exhibitor and starts selling as many tickets as he can to friends and family to offset his costs plus the snacks he will surely include as overhead profit.
It is amateur night at the local bar and the industry loses control of their product, safety standards, and the talent’s percentage cut which comes from exhibition.
If this happens it will be PIRATES 1, EXHIBITORS & TALENT 0
So who cares about AMC and Tom Cruise? What about the malls, restaurants and other already marginal legitimate businesses that will close along with the theatres?
Oh, wait! Why not just gauge exhibitors with ridiculous terms and let them be accountable? Oops, that’s called four-walling and it is illegal in most y states.
Any distributor who engages in this is irresponsible and detrimental to the industry. It would be the equivalent of driving licensed safe legitimate business out and replacing them with the local thugs.
They will monitor it for abuse, you say? As efficiently as they control piracy around the world today, I am sure.
Michael, these are compiled from different sources. The early dates are from Variety, the later dates from the New York Times. I do not live in NY and did not go to the library to do microfilm research. I have a history of it at home and just had to retype the older ones.
These are playdate weeks and not always actual opening dates. I can check back on individual dates for specific features but I find the process mostly meaningless and here is why.
Films often preview for days before opening and screen extensively at other venues, so an actual opening date is no guarantee you saw it there. About 90% of movies since the 70’s opened on Fridays and exceptions are easily checked on Proquest.
The purpose of my original research was for booking patterns of theatres, not the historical opening dates of movies.
This mostly dire nineties line-up makes one wonder not why the Astor Plaza closed, but rather, how it managed to stay open so long.
01/12/90 INTERNAL AFFAIRS
02/02/90 HEART CONDITION
03/02/90 HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE
05/04/90 TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE
06/08/90 ANOTHER 48 HRS.
08/10/90 TWO JAKES
08/31/90 LEMON SISTERS, THE
09/14/90 DEATH WARRANT
09/28/90 KING OF NEW YORK, THE
10/26/90 GRAVEYARD SHIFT
11/16/90 ROCKY V
12/25/90 GODFATHER III, THE
02/14/91 SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
03/22/91 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II
05/03/91 RAGE IN HARLEM, A
06/07/91 CITY SLICKERS
07/12/91 BOYZ N' THE HOOD
08/23/91 DEAD AGAIN
09/27/91 NECESSARY ROUGHNESS
10/11/91 FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
11/22/91 ADDAMS FAMILY, THE
01/17/92 JUICE
02/14/92 WAYNE’S WORLD
03/27/92 LADYBUGS
04/10/92 SLEEPWALKERS
06/05/92 PATRIOT GAMES
07/10/92 COOL WORLD
07/24/92 MO' MONEY
08/28/92 PET SEMATARY TWO
10/09/92 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE
10/30/92 RAMPAGE
11/13/92 BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA
12/18/92 LEAP OF FAITH
01/15/93 NOWHERE TO RUN
02/12/93 TEMP, THE
03/12/93 FIRE IN THE SKY
04/07/93 INDECENT PROPOSAL
05/21/93 SLIVER
06/30/93 FIRM, THE
08/27/93 NEEDFUL THINGS
09/17/93 STRIKING DISTANCE
11/05/93 FLESH AND BONE
11/19/93 ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES
01/21/94 INTERSECTION
02/18/94 BLUE CHIPS
03/18/94 NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT
04/22/94 BRAINSCAN
05/25/94 BEVERLY HILLS COP III
07/06/94 FORREST GUMP
08/03/94 CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
09/28/94 JASON’S LYRIC
10/28/94 DROP SQUAD
11/18/94 PROFESSIONAL, THE
12/16/94 DROP ZONE
02/03/95 IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS
03/03/95 MANGLER, THE
03/17/95 CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH
03/31/95 TOMMY BOY
04/19/95 NEW JERSEY DRIVE
04/28/95 PANTHER
06/09/95 CONGO
07/07/95 SPECIES
08/04/95 VIRTUOSITY
09/01/95 PROPHECY, THE
09/29/95 closed?
10/13/95 JADE
11/22/95 NICK OF TIME
12/15/95 SABRINA
01/12/96 EYE FOR AN EYE
02/02/96 BLACK SHEEP
02/23/96 BRAVEHEART
03/08/96 HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE
04/03/96 PRIMAL FEAR
05/17/96 HEAVEN’S PRISONERS
05/31/96 ARRIVAL, THE
06/07/96 PHANTOM, THE
06/21/96 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
07/26/96 KINGPIN
08/09/96 ESCAPE FROM L.A.
08/23/96 ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, THE
09/06/96 closed?
10/11/96 GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, THE
11/22/96 STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
12/20/96 SCREAM
01/29/97 GRIDLOCK'D
02/21/97 BLOOD AND WINE
03/07/97 PRIVATE PARTS
03/21/97 GODFATHER, THE
04/11/97 ANACONDA
05/02/97 BREAKDOWN
06/20/97 BATMAN AND ROBIN
07/11/97 CONTACT
08/01/97 SPAWN
08/15/97 EVENT HORIZON
08/27/97 HOODLUM
09/12/97 GAME, THE
10/03/97 KISS THE GIRLS
10/17/97 DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, THE
11/21/97 JOHN GRISHAM’S THE RAINMAKER
12/19/97 TITANIC
04/03/98 LOST IN SPACE
04/24/98 BIG HIT, THE
05/08/98 DEEP IMPACT
06/05/98 TRUMAN SHOW, THE
07/10/98 LETHAL WEAPON 4
08/05/98 HALLOWEEN: H20
08/14/98 HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
08/28/98 54
09/18/98 RUSH HOUR
10/16/98 PRACTICAL MAGIC
11/06/98 WIZARD OF OZ, THE
11/20/98 CELEBRITY
12/11/98 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
12/25/98 THE FACULTY
01/15/99 VIRUS
02/05/99 PAYBACK
03/12/99 THE CORRUPTOR
04/02/99 THE MATRIX
05/07/99 THE MUMMY
06/18/99 THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER
07/02/99 WILD WILD WEST
07/16/99 EYES WIDE SHUT
07/30/99 RUNAWAY BRIDE
08/20/99 MICKEY BLUE EYES
09/10/99 STIGMATA
09/24/99 DOUBLE JEOPARDY
10/22/99 BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
11/19/99 THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
12/10/99 THE GREEN MILE
You will notice all of 1977 was Wednesdays. Where I have exact dates I have used them but I did not compile these with exact dates and many are off by two to three days.
02/08/80 HERO AT LARGE
02/29/80 AMERICAN GIGOLO
03/07/80 THE BLACK MARBLE
03/28/80 SERIAL
05/09/80 FRIDAY THE 13TH
05/23/80 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
10/10/80 ORDINARY PEOPLE
12/12/80 THE SHINING
12/25/80 ALTERED STATES
04/03/81 HOLY TERROR
04/17/81 THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
04/24/81 HEAVEN’S GATE
05/08/81 SQUEEZE PLAY
05/15/81 LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT/HOUSE ON THE LAKE
05/22/81 THE FOUR SEASONS
06/12/81 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
11/20/81 TIME BANDITS
12/04/81 REDS
03/12/82 RICHARD PRYOR ON SUNSET STRIP
04/30/82 WRONG IS RIGHT
05/21/82 ANNIE
07/30/82 AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
12/17/82 THE DARK CRYSTAL
02/11/83 LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER
03/25/83 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
04/15/83 FLASHDANCE
05/27/83 RETURN OF THE JEDI
10/21/83 UNDER FIRE
11/25/83 TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
03/09/84 THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE
04/06/84 MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON
05/18/84 closed?
05/23/84 INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
10/05/84 TEACHERS
10/19/84 CRIMES OF PASSION
11/16/84 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
11/23/84 INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
12/07/84 2010
02/08/85 WITNESS
05/24/85 A VIEW TO A KILL
07/12/85 EXPLORERS
08/02/85 WEIRD SCIENCE
08/16/85 YEAR OF THE DRAGON
09/27/85 THE STUFF
10/18/85 CEASE FIRE
11/01/85 TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
12/04/85 YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES
01/31/86 YOUNGBLOOD
02/14/86 OUT OF AFRICA
02/28/86 PRETTY IN PINK
03/26/86 THE MONEY PIT
04/18/86 LEGEND
05/16/86 TOP GUN
07/02/86 PSYCHO III
08/01/86 HOWARD THE DUCK
08/22/86 NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
09/26/86 CROCODILE DUNDEE
11/21/86 AN AMERICAN TAIL
12/19/86 PLATOON
04/24/87 EXTREME PREJUDICE
05/20/87 BEVERY HILLS COP II
07/31/87 THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
08/28/87 HAMBURGER HILL
09/25/87 BEST SELLER
10/30/87 FATAL BEAUTY
11/25/87 PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
01/15/88 THE COUCH TRIP
02/05/88 COP
02/26/88 APPRENTICE TO MURDER
03/11/88 VICE VERSA
04/01/88 BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY
04/15/88 COLORS
05/13/88 FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD
05/25/88 CROCODILE DUNDEE II
06/29/88 COMING TO AMERICA
08/19/88 A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
09/16/88 TOUGHER THAN LEATHER
09/30/88 ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
11/04/88 US RATTLE AND HUM
11/23/88 SCROOGED
01/13/89 I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA
02/17/89 THE MIGHTY QUINN
03/03/89 FAREWELL TO THE KING
03/17/89 LEVIATHON
04/07/89 MAJOR LEAGUE
04/21/89 PET SEMATARY
05/24/89 INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
07/14/89 LICENCE TO KILL
08/11/89 THE NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD
08/30/89 RELENTLESS
09/22/89 BLACK RAIN
11/03/89 STEPFATHER II
11/17/89 HARLEM NIGHTS
I was recently at this horrible little cinema for a sold out showing of THE LIVES OF OTHERS. I am fifty years old and the crowd was even older. They never shut up for one second throughout the film. So much for the rude younger generation…
With columns in the auditorium of this mutation multiplex theatre, I would rather stay on 42nd Street or at AMC Lincoln Center…
The Tivoli advertised as showing LA CUCARACHA in the New York Times, a Mexican all star hit headlining Maria Felix and Dolores del Rio in 1961. This implies it was showing Spanish product then and this one had cross-over potential.
Love movies, Tarantino tried doing just that with GRINDHOUSE. It didn’t work. Established titles have no subrun life either with DVDs two months later. Most multiplexes have no staffing control for those who have time for a double feature and they are well aware it happens.
06/26/74 FOR PETE’S SAKE
07/26/74 DEATH WISH
11/22/74 THE KLANSMAN
12/20/74 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
01/31/75 YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
03/14/75 ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
05/02/75 TEN LITTLE INDIANS
05/23/75 BREAKOUT
07/18/75 ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH
08/22/75 RUSSIAN ROULETTE
09/12/75 MITCHELL!
09/19/75 PAPILLON
09/26/75 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR
12/19/75 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
02/20/76 I WILL, I WILL … FOR NOW
03/05/76 MAN FRIDAY
03/26/76 GIVE ‘EM HELL, HARRY!
04/02/76 ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE/ DELIVERANCE
04/09/76 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
06/25/76 LOGAN’S RUN
08/13/76 THE SHOOTIST
09/17/76 closed?
10/22/76 MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH
10/29/76 THE OUTER SPACE CONNECTION
11/12/76 TWO-MINUTE WARNING
12/24/76 VOTAGE OF THE DAMNED
02/11/77 THE CASSANDRA CROSSING
03/04/77 TAXI DRIVER
03/18/77 JAWS OF DEATH
03/25/77 THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
04/15/77 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
04/29/77 PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN/RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER
05/06/77 closed?
05/25/77 STAR WARS
07/28/78 NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE
11/03/78 THE WIZ
12/22/78 SUPERMAN
04/06/79 THE CHAMP
06/15/79 PROPHECY
07/13/79 THE WANDERERS
08/10/79 MEATBALLS
08/17/79 STAR WARS
09/14/79 CITY ON FIRE
09/21/79 A TOUCH OF CLASS/ I WILL, I WILL…FOR NOW
09/28/79 A MAN, A WOMAN AND A BANK
10/05/79 TOURIST TRAP
10/12/79 THE GRATEFUL DEAD
10/19/79 METEOR
11/09/79 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
12/07/79 AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
12/21/79 THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN
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.
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.
I realise no one with more insight has answered, so here are my experiences.
When I worked for ABC Florida State Theatres in the early seventies we were aligned with Warner Bros. and United Artists. We would play all their films without exception along with half of the Buena Vista product in rotation. There was little diversion on the whole but there were exceptions in zones where we either did not have a theatre or a competitor did not.
In the South Florida area, screens were divided into three “tracks”. The first track consisted of all the larger screens in each booking zone and was the largest group with every zone represented. The second group was around on third the size and represented about half the zones as many did not have more than one screen.
The third group was made up of three screens.
The large track would get wide releases such as James Bond, Disney and the dirty harry sequels. Track two would get the more eclectic films such as MIDNIGHT COWBOY, KLUTE and WHAT’S UP? which needed time to build an audience.
The third track consisted of exclusive long engagements in each major population area, in this case Miami, Miami Beach and Ft.Lauderdale. This track would host long runs of films such as ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST and A STAR IS BORN in smallish screens.
The film bookers negotiated the tracks with each distributors. If the movie proved to be a blockbuster it would simply sell out week after week in the small track with no threat from DVD and with film rentals dropping in favor of the exhibitor. It was not rare for films to sit in the small screen at a twin for six months while flop after flop moved through the big screen for one-week runs. If all three distributors had Christmas films something got bumped till later resulting in some films opening months after their dates elsewhere. When product available was low we would play re-releases usually from those same distributors. BILLY JACK and BLAZING SADDLES (WB), GONE WITH THE WIND and RYAN’S DAUGHTER (UA) were perennial fillers.
I read it as a hooker who refused to give the local cop services for free or maybe he just didn’t like the Irish, but I may just be too cynical for the roaring twenties.
During a recent visit to see WE WILL ROCK YOU (don’t ask) I noticed the proscenium is badly tarnished (damaged?) by what appears to be the show’s excessive use of dry ice special effects.
I understand that damaged may be caused by the wear and tear for the sake of art, but this ain’t no STARLIGHT EXPRESS. And that tells you all you need to know about this show.
No sooner does Lost Memory find this theatre and a crime gets committed.
New York Times January 2, 1925
ARREST POLICEMAN ON WOMAN’S CHARGE
Badly beaten victim says she was attacked in a theatre vestibule late at night
“Policeman William Oehlerking of the East 104th Street Station was arrested yesterday morning …charged with beating a women while he was on post. The alleged assault occurred about 2:30 o’clock in the morning in the outer vestibule of the North Star motion picture theatre at 106th street and fifth Avenue… Mrs O’Brien …could not identify the man she charged with having beaten her. Oehlerking was arrested after Captain Loonam found a belt bearing his shield number in the vestibule of the theatre.â€
“In a change of plans, United Artists and City Investing have dropped the idea of combining the Astor Theatre and the Bijou on Broadway into a single house. Instead, a complete renovating job will be done on the Astor alone. It’ll run to $800,000, the cost to be shared 50-50 by UA and City Investing.
Seating capacity of the Astor will be cut to 1001 from the present 1100 and the new wide screen will measure 50ft. by 27ft. The third balcony will be eliminated and the mezzanine section will be extended…It’ll reopen on Dec. 17 with the preem of ‘On the Beach’, the Stanley Kramer production. “
I remember in South Florida when the Union demanded such high hourly rates that many theatres shut down matinees. This caused the elimination of many full time jobs and, of course, the professional projectionists who did them, who instead moved into other professions. A very stupid negotiation that ended up hurting everyone.
The test was never really very difficult, just badly outdated, badly written and controlled by the union. It DID have questions about nitrate film well into the eighties and some of the questions didn’t even make sense.
In my opinion, the union lost it’s footing by backing the continued employment of incompetent projectionists with a history of poor performance and at premium rates. The cinema chains in financial trouble had nothing to lose by playing hardball because the professionals were so few. The notoriously lazy cinema operators would have kept the status quo if more of the projectionists did their jobs, or at least showed up on time, and the union had helped replace the bad ones instead of insisting they kept their jobs in spite of gross negligence.
I think it is a sign of the times. I had the same experience at the Lincoln Art with a foreign film and senior citizens chattering away and playing with their phones.
I am moving into a NYC condo with 550 units and a screening room. It is down the street from two multiplexes with 38 screens between them. Once we record the movie, over 1200 residents will be able to see it for a one time $50.00 communal charge.
Excellent idea!
So let me get this right. Anyone with a large enough TV and venue, plus £50 becomes an exhibitor and starts selling as many tickets as he can to friends and family to offset his costs plus the snacks he will surely include as overhead profit.
It is amateur night at the local bar and the industry loses control of their product, safety standards, and the talent’s percentage cut which comes from exhibition.
If this happens it will be PIRATES 1, EXHIBITORS & TALENT 0
So who cares about AMC and Tom Cruise? What about the malls, restaurants and other already marginal legitimate businesses that will close along with the theatres?
Oh, wait! Why not just gauge exhibitors with ridiculous terms and let them be accountable? Oops, that’s called four-walling and it is illegal in most y states.
Any distributor who engages in this is irresponsible and detrimental to the industry. It would be the equivalent of driving licensed safe legitimate business out and replacing them with the local thugs.
They will monitor it for abuse, you say? As efficiently as they control piracy around the world today, I am sure.
Michael, these are compiled from different sources. The early dates are from Variety, the later dates from the New York Times. I do not live in NY and did not go to the library to do microfilm research. I have a history of it at home and just had to retype the older ones.
These are playdate weeks and not always actual opening dates. I can check back on individual dates for specific features but I find the process mostly meaningless and here is why.
Films often preview for days before opening and screen extensively at other venues, so an actual opening date is no guarantee you saw it there. About 90% of movies since the 70’s opened on Fridays and exceptions are easily checked on Proquest.
The purpose of my original research was for booking patterns of theatres, not the historical opening dates of movies.
Actually, that’s not true. EMPIRE opened on the 21st, but these are not exact dates.
This mostly dire nineties line-up makes one wonder not why the Astor Plaza closed, but rather, how it managed to stay open so long.
01/12/90 INTERNAL AFFAIRS
02/02/90 HEART CONDITION
03/02/90 HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE
05/04/90 TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE
06/08/90 ANOTHER 48 HRS.
08/10/90 TWO JAKES
08/31/90 LEMON SISTERS, THE
09/14/90 DEATH WARRANT
09/28/90 KING OF NEW YORK, THE
10/26/90 GRAVEYARD SHIFT
11/16/90 ROCKY V
12/25/90 GODFATHER III, THE
02/14/91 SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
03/22/91 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II
05/03/91 RAGE IN HARLEM, A
06/07/91 CITY SLICKERS
07/12/91 BOYZ N' THE HOOD
08/23/91 DEAD AGAIN
09/27/91 NECESSARY ROUGHNESS
10/11/91 FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
11/22/91 ADDAMS FAMILY, THE
01/17/92 JUICE
02/14/92 WAYNE’S WORLD
03/27/92 LADYBUGS
04/10/92 SLEEPWALKERS
06/05/92 PATRIOT GAMES
07/10/92 COOL WORLD
07/24/92 MO' MONEY
08/28/92 PET SEMATARY TWO
10/09/92 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE
10/30/92 RAMPAGE
11/13/92 BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA
12/18/92 LEAP OF FAITH
01/15/93 NOWHERE TO RUN
02/12/93 TEMP, THE
03/12/93 FIRE IN THE SKY
04/07/93 INDECENT PROPOSAL
05/21/93 SLIVER
06/30/93 FIRM, THE
08/27/93 NEEDFUL THINGS
09/17/93 STRIKING DISTANCE
11/05/93 FLESH AND BONE
11/19/93 ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES
01/21/94 INTERSECTION
02/18/94 BLUE CHIPS
03/18/94 NAKED GUN 33 1/3: THE FINAL INSULT
04/22/94 BRAINSCAN
05/25/94 BEVERLY HILLS COP III
07/06/94 FORREST GUMP
08/03/94 CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
09/28/94 JASON’S LYRIC
10/28/94 DROP SQUAD
11/18/94 PROFESSIONAL, THE
12/16/94 DROP ZONE
02/03/95 IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS
03/03/95 MANGLER, THE
03/17/95 CANDYMAN: FAREWELL TO THE FLESH
03/31/95 TOMMY BOY
04/19/95 NEW JERSEY DRIVE
04/28/95 PANTHER
06/09/95 CONGO
07/07/95 SPECIES
08/04/95 VIRTUOSITY
09/01/95 PROPHECY, THE
09/29/95 closed?
10/13/95 JADE
11/22/95 NICK OF TIME
12/15/95 SABRINA
01/12/96 EYE FOR AN EYE
02/02/96 BLACK SHEEP
02/23/96 BRAVEHEART
03/08/96 HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE
04/03/96 PRIMAL FEAR
05/17/96 HEAVEN’S PRISONERS
05/31/96 ARRIVAL, THE
06/07/96 PHANTOM, THE
06/21/96 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
07/26/96 KINGPIN
08/09/96 ESCAPE FROM L.A.
08/23/96 ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, THE
09/06/96 closed?
10/11/96 GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, THE
11/22/96 STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
12/20/96 SCREAM
01/29/97 GRIDLOCK'D
02/21/97 BLOOD AND WINE
03/07/97 PRIVATE PARTS
03/21/97 GODFATHER, THE
04/11/97 ANACONDA
05/02/97 BREAKDOWN
06/20/97 BATMAN AND ROBIN
07/11/97 CONTACT
08/01/97 SPAWN
08/15/97 EVENT HORIZON
08/27/97 HOODLUM
09/12/97 GAME, THE
10/03/97 KISS THE GIRLS
10/17/97 DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, THE
11/21/97 JOHN GRISHAM’S THE RAINMAKER
12/19/97 TITANIC
04/03/98 LOST IN SPACE
04/24/98 BIG HIT, THE
05/08/98 DEEP IMPACT
06/05/98 TRUMAN SHOW, THE
07/10/98 LETHAL WEAPON 4
08/05/98 HALLOWEEN: H20
08/14/98 HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
08/28/98 54
09/18/98 RUSH HOUR
10/16/98 PRACTICAL MAGIC
11/06/98 WIZARD OF OZ, THE
11/20/98 CELEBRITY
12/11/98 STAR TREK: INSURRECTION
12/25/98 THE FACULTY
01/15/99 VIRUS
02/05/99 PAYBACK
03/12/99 THE CORRUPTOR
04/02/99 THE MATRIX
05/07/99 THE MUMMY
06/18/99 THE GENERAL’S DAUGHTER
07/02/99 WILD WILD WEST
07/16/99 EYES WIDE SHUT
07/30/99 RUNAWAY BRIDE
08/20/99 MICKEY BLUE EYES
09/10/99 STIGMATA
09/24/99 DOUBLE JEOPARDY
10/22/99 BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
11/19/99 THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
12/10/99 THE GREEN MILE
You will notice all of 1977 was Wednesdays. Where I have exact dates I have used them but I did not compile these with exact dates and many are off by two to three days.
02/08/80 HERO AT LARGE
02/29/80 AMERICAN GIGOLO
03/07/80 THE BLACK MARBLE
03/28/80 SERIAL
05/09/80 FRIDAY THE 13TH
05/23/80 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
10/10/80 ORDINARY PEOPLE
12/12/80 THE SHINING
12/25/80 ALTERED STATES
04/03/81 HOLY TERROR
04/17/81 THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
04/24/81 HEAVEN’S GATE
05/08/81 SQUEEZE PLAY
05/15/81 LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT/HOUSE ON THE LAKE
05/22/81 THE FOUR SEASONS
06/12/81 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
11/20/81 TIME BANDITS
12/04/81 REDS
03/12/82 RICHARD PRYOR ON SUNSET STRIP
04/30/82 WRONG IS RIGHT
05/21/82 ANNIE
07/30/82 AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
12/17/82 THE DARK CRYSTAL
02/11/83 LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER
03/25/83 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
04/15/83 FLASHDANCE
05/27/83 RETURN OF THE JEDI
10/21/83 UNDER FIRE
11/25/83 TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
03/09/84 THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE
04/06/84 MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON
05/18/84 closed?
05/23/84 INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
10/05/84 TEACHERS
10/19/84 CRIMES OF PASSION
11/16/84 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
11/23/84 INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
12/07/84 2010
02/08/85 WITNESS
05/24/85 A VIEW TO A KILL
07/12/85 EXPLORERS
08/02/85 WEIRD SCIENCE
08/16/85 YEAR OF THE DRAGON
09/27/85 THE STUFF
10/18/85 CEASE FIRE
11/01/85 TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
12/04/85 YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES
01/31/86 YOUNGBLOOD
02/14/86 OUT OF AFRICA
02/28/86 PRETTY IN PINK
03/26/86 THE MONEY PIT
04/18/86 LEGEND
05/16/86 TOP GUN
07/02/86 PSYCHO III
08/01/86 HOWARD THE DUCK
08/22/86 NIGHT OF THE CREEPS
09/26/86 CROCODILE DUNDEE
11/21/86 AN AMERICAN TAIL
12/19/86 PLATOON
04/24/87 EXTREME PREJUDICE
05/20/87 BEVERY HILLS COP II
07/31/87 THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
08/28/87 HAMBURGER HILL
09/25/87 BEST SELLER
10/30/87 FATAL BEAUTY
11/25/87 PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
01/15/88 THE COUCH TRIP
02/05/88 COP
02/26/88 APPRENTICE TO MURDER
03/11/88 VICE VERSA
04/01/88 BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY
04/15/88 COLORS
05/13/88 FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD
05/25/88 CROCODILE DUNDEE II
06/29/88 COMING TO AMERICA
08/19/88 A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
09/16/88 TOUGHER THAN LEATHER
09/30/88 ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
11/04/88 US RATTLE AND HUM
11/23/88 SCROOGED
01/13/89 I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA
02/17/89 THE MIGHTY QUINN
03/03/89 FAREWELL TO THE KING
03/17/89 LEVIATHON
04/07/89 MAJOR LEAGUE
04/21/89 PET SEMATARY
05/24/89 INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
07/14/89 LICENCE TO KILL
08/11/89 THE NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD
08/30/89 RELENTLESS
09/22/89 BLACK RAIN
11/03/89 STEPFATHER II
11/17/89 HARLEM NIGHTS
I was recently at this horrible little cinema for a sold out showing of THE LIVES OF OTHERS. I am fifty years old and the crowd was even older. They never shut up for one second throughout the film. So much for the rude younger generation…
With columns in the auditorium of this mutation multiplex theatre, I would rather stay on 42nd Street or at AMC Lincoln Center…
The Tivoli advertised as showing LA CUCARACHA in the New York Times, a Mexican all star hit headlining Maria Felix and Dolores del Rio in 1961. This implies it was showing Spanish product then and this one had cross-over potential.
Love movies, Tarantino tried doing just that with GRINDHOUSE. It didn’t work. Established titles have no subrun life either with DVDs two months later. Most multiplexes have no staffing control for those who have time for a double feature and they are well aware it happens.
They are Friday to Thursday weeks as is traditional in the industry.
Michael, these are all within a week.
06/26/74 FOR PETE’S SAKE
07/26/74 DEATH WISH
11/22/74 THE KLANSMAN
12/20/74 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
01/31/75 YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
03/14/75 ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
05/02/75 TEN LITTLE INDIANS
05/23/75 BREAKOUT
07/18/75 ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH
08/22/75 RUSSIAN ROULETTE
09/12/75 MITCHELL!
09/19/75 PAPILLON
09/26/75 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR
12/19/75 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
02/20/76 I WILL, I WILL … FOR NOW
03/05/76 MAN FRIDAY
03/26/76 GIVE ‘EM HELL, HARRY!
04/02/76 ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE/ DELIVERANCE
04/09/76 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
06/25/76 LOGAN’S RUN
08/13/76 THE SHOOTIST
09/17/76 closed?
10/22/76 MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH
10/29/76 THE OUTER SPACE CONNECTION
11/12/76 TWO-MINUTE WARNING
12/24/76 VOTAGE OF THE DAMNED
02/11/77 THE CASSANDRA CROSSING
03/04/77 TAXI DRIVER
03/18/77 JAWS OF DEATH
03/25/77 THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
04/15/77 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
04/29/77 PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN/RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER
05/06/77 closed?
05/25/77 STAR WARS
07/28/78 NATIONAL LAMPOON’S ANIMAL HOUSE
11/03/78 THE WIZ
12/22/78 SUPERMAN
04/06/79 THE CHAMP
06/15/79 PROPHECY
07/13/79 THE WANDERERS
08/10/79 MEATBALLS
08/17/79 STAR WARS
09/14/79 CITY ON FIRE
09/21/79 A TOUCH OF CLASS/ I WILL, I WILL…FOR NOW
09/28/79 A MAN, A WOMAN AND A BANK
10/05/79 TOURIST TRAP
10/12/79 THE GRATEFUL DEAD
10/19/79 METEOR
11/09/79 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
12/07/79 AND JUSTICE FOR ALL
12/21/79 THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN
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.
Barring, I have a photo I can email you if you wish.
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.
TOMMY R
I realise no one with more insight has answered, so here are my experiences.
When I worked for ABC Florida State Theatres in the early seventies we were aligned with Warner Bros. and United Artists. We would play all their films without exception along with half of the Buena Vista product in rotation. There was little diversion on the whole but there were exceptions in zones where we either did not have a theatre or a competitor did not.
In the South Florida area, screens were divided into three “tracks”. The first track consisted of all the larger screens in each booking zone and was the largest group with every zone represented. The second group was around on third the size and represented about half the zones as many did not have more than one screen.
The third group was made up of three screens.
The large track would get wide releases such as James Bond, Disney and the dirty harry sequels. Track two would get the more eclectic films such as MIDNIGHT COWBOY, KLUTE and WHAT’S UP? which needed time to build an audience.
The third track consisted of exclusive long engagements in each major population area, in this case Miami, Miami Beach and Ft.Lauderdale. This track would host long runs of films such as ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST and A STAR IS BORN in smallish screens.
The film bookers negotiated the tracks with each distributors. If the movie proved to be a blockbuster it would simply sell out week after week in the small track with no threat from DVD and with film rentals dropping in favor of the exhibitor. It was not rare for films to sit in the small screen at a twin for six months while flop after flop moved through the big screen for one-week runs. If all three distributors had Christmas films something got bumped till later resulting in some films opening months after their dates elsewhere. When product available was low we would play re-releases usually from those same distributors. BILLY JACK and BLAZING SADDLES (WB), GONE WITH THE WIND and RYAN’S DAUGHTER (UA) were perennial fillers.
I read it as a hooker who refused to give the local cop services for free or maybe he just didn’t like the Irish, but I may just be too cynical for the roaring twenties.
Incidentally, the mice running around on stage during intermission were captivating. The audience stayed in and applauded!
During a recent visit to see WE WILL ROCK YOU (don’t ask) I noticed the proscenium is badly tarnished (damaged?) by what appears to be the show’s excessive use of dry ice special effects.
I understand that damaged may be caused by the wear and tear for the sake of art, but this ain’t no STARLIGHT EXPRESS. And that tells you all you need to know about this show.
According to Variety, March 23, 1960, this was the converted Renata Theatre.
No sooner does Lost Memory find this theatre and a crime gets committed.
New York Times January 2, 1925
ARREST POLICEMAN ON WOMAN’S CHARGE
Badly beaten victim says she was attacked in a theatre vestibule late at night
“Policeman William Oehlerking of the East 104th Street Station was arrested yesterday morning …charged with beating a women while he was on post. The alleged assault occurred about 2:30 o’clock in the morning in the outer vestibule of the North Star motion picture theatre at 106th street and fifth Avenue… Mrs O’Brien …could not identify the man she charged with having beaten her. Oehlerking was arrested after Captain Loonam found a belt bearing his shield number in the vestibule of the theatre.â€
Variety, August 12, 1959
Broadway Astor’s 800G Facelift
“In a change of plans, United Artists and City Investing have dropped the idea of combining the Astor Theatre and the Bijou on Broadway into a single house. Instead, a complete renovating job will be done on the Astor alone. It’ll run to $800,000, the cost to be shared 50-50 by UA and City Investing.
Seating capacity of the Astor will be cut to 1001 from the present 1100 and the new wide screen will measure 50ft. by 27ft. The third balcony will be eliminated and the mezzanine section will be extended…It’ll reopen on Dec. 17 with the preem of ‘On the Beach’, the Stanley Kramer production. “