I agree with you Peter. The Newton theater always played that cute cartoon before each feature, the one where all the snack characters go to the lobby. Unlike most conservative big screen chains like AMC and Clearview where price reigns over service, the Newton Twin theater never had any changes in presentation and service when Galaxy Theater Corp. and then New Day Cinemas (owned by a dot-com company specializing in classic sci-fi movies) took over the independently run theater, which was one of the longest running theaters in New Jersey, if not America. Most recently, they had a Date Night offering each monday; two tickets for only $12!!!! Too bad it didn’t catch on with the new generation going to the high-tech theaters.
i agree with you. btw, what will happen to the building? it’s an important icon of downtown newton. this is bigger than what happened to the fancy spring house restaurant, now a bar restaurant. the closest thing to a local theater is the one in blairstown that once again showing movies besides musicals and other vauldiville acts. give it a try!
The last movies that the theater showed were “30 Days of Night” and “The Game Plan”, which enjoyed nearly a month of success at the theater as the Newton was a popular place for showing kid movies, especially Disney fare such as the “Pirates” movies, all three of which played in Newton. This theater has withstood competition from many new theaters surrounding northwest new jersey from 5/15/1924- sometime in 1997 and from 1997-2007 when Nathan Page took over the theater and most recently sold the twin to New Day Cinemas, who then closed the theater. Why did they close it? Was it because of the new AMC theater in rockaway or declining attendance? I hope it reopens and gets bought by Clearview.
just went to amc’s website for the upcoming sawfest next thursday, and looks like this theater won’t participate. the closest one is in clifton, which could be a nightmare for die hard saw fans in the morris county area. this adds more insult for this nearly year old theater, which isn’t keeping up to date on technology like the clearviews in succasunna and parsippany. one reason is taxes and the credit crunch. this theater was built before all that happened. as of this weekend, not a single movie is playing on two screens, a result of this weekend’s record count of new releases. the only movie not playing at this theater is that sarah paranormal flick, not to mention the jessie james film. next summer will be a successful summer for amc in rockaway, when indiana jones will return since his last crusade ended at the old amc. by then, amc will return to the stock market and hopefully dlp arrives before 2009, when that strike could bring fewer good movies and the first box office slump in four years!
We’ll see. Considering the news surrounding the parent company of the theater regarding the fight to take Cablevision private is more important to shareholders than what will come with the new christmas spectacular. Once in a few years, I always go there for the spectaculars (Easter and Xmas) as well as tapings of TV shows (e.g., Celebrity Jeopardy). I can’t wait until the theater turns 100!!! Maybe the new opening will be in IMAX, even though RCMH can’t show a format like that (only the Lincoln Square and Naturemax theaters show that format!!!).
Good thing I never go to this theater in Bergen County, the Garden State 16 is the best theater in Bergen County, and mostly north jersey. I like AMC’s three 16plexers in Rockaway, Paramus, and Clifton, even though I haven’t been to AMC’s clifton location in awhile since I last visited it as a general cinema location. It’s a good thing AMC acquired that popular theater and kept it the way it is while adding digital projection to it, and pretty soon they’ll do it to theaters with stadium seating, not those without it (ex: Wayne, East Hanover, the two secacus theaters even though Phantom Menace played only for awhile in DLP). Plus the fact the theater is near a marsh area, and it will become a landfill soon.
View link
this link tells of one NYTimes reporter’s love for the theater and the impact the new Clifton commons theater had on its attendance. BTW, what’s the latest on the theater, LUISMEL? Is it gone for good? Send me some recent pictures!!!
Is it me, or does some of the theaters that AMC owns lack stadium seating that its AMC theaters have (you know, the CO, non-stadium Loews/Sony/Star/MJ complexes)? They should update it for today’s audience and make them all accessible for the disabled. Like most updated theaters, this one has rear window captioning as well as DVS for the disabled. Other than that, this theater’s a bit cheaper than the other theater that AMC owns (Rockaway) and the one they used to own (Morristown).
not sure, it’s still highly profitable for Clearview as it’s still the only place in town where you can buy movie tickets for cheap. When AMC bought the Loews theater in 2006, it put in AMC Cinema, which is a godsend for senior moviegoers who want to pay $5 for a movie, far cheaper than the matinee tickets that CLearview offers. And unlike Clearview, the AMC in Loews has rear window captioning/DVS for disabled people alongside the spaces for wheelchairs. I hope the AMC in Wayne gets a huge makeover and has stadium seating in all of its auditoriums, much like Loews did to its theater in Danbury a few years ago before being bought by AMC. They should add a couple more screens to make it a true multiplex.
Originally slated to open just in time for the fall 1998 season, it was delayed until spring of 1999. Here are a few articles that I found using google news' archive section… View link View link View link View link View link
Check out the Rutherford forum at nj.com (http://www.nj.com/forums/rutherford). Then search for “Williams”. You’ll see lots of backlash against the cleanup and restoration of the center, which will cost taxpayers in Rutherford lots of money. This doesn’t affect the cinemas, as they are still open and will soon face competition from their next city neighbor East Rutherford, with the Xanadu megaplex opening next year.
so what’s up with the tenplex now that AMC is making money on its successor? I hope there should be a strip mall where it’s located, or maybe a concert hall since the only location nearby that has arts is the BergenPAC center in Englewood.
hey hotwaterbottle, the new theater in paramus is now the largest amc theater in bergen, with more seats, better projection and sound, and stadium seating. amc needs to improve the loews buildings that dont have stadium seating and upgrade it just like the loews in danbury. btw, janet seabold, who’s now the principal at nearby slocum skewes school in ridgefield, was one of the first employees when it opened nearly two decades ago..she worked behind the concession stand serving popcorn!
i agree with you, mikep. to the people of paramus, they needed a better theater, and they got it right. stadium seating, dlp in two screens, dolby ex in all screens as well as great restrooms and excellent service make it the hottest spot in paramus since the malls.
I went to this theater last night to see “The Game Plan”, and lots of things have changed since a year ago. For one, all the employees wore the New Day Cinemas logo and red vests and some of them do their best to quiet the sometimes rowdy audience down by not using cell phones. Another thing is that the theater now shows slideshows before each movie at the two auditorium and plays movietunes instead of the classic movie music. Is the organ still in use in theater 1? Also, I sat in the balcony seats and they made them more comfortable. On Monday nights, it’s date night. For $12, two people can go see a movie for that price. BTW, since the acquisition of this theater, a megaplex in Rockaway opened as well as the return of movies to Sparta.
BTW, the plasma TVs are too small to watch than the ones at the Clearview in Succasunna, but they show the same stuff as you’d expect at the theater with the first look thing. While I was at the theater last weekend, when I first sat into one of those seats, it squeaked for a while before quieting down. The armrests in each seat lack the leather that others have.
I agree with your last sentence, vito. Newer theaters that opened in the last few months, such as the one I go to regularly, don’t know how to make a movie picture perfect. AMC does a bad job of doing this. Clearview, on the other hand, does a great job showing movies in sharp projection, whether it’s digital or film.
Just checked out the theater’s ticket site and tickets are not for sale on the web via movietickets.com, just only on moviefone.com. Why is that? It seems more people visit moviefone than movietickets.com.
How about Paramount? They’re logo was cool looking when Vistavision came along, and then when Panavision came, it made the Mountain more surreal. Even though some CGI made the mountain more real, it still is a cool looking logo, as much as the Universal globe and the Warner Shield.
most recently, there was a fatal accident near that theater, but there was no damage. I first heard about it on the radio.
I agree with you Peter. The Newton theater always played that cute cartoon before each feature, the one where all the snack characters go to the lobby. Unlike most conservative big screen chains like AMC and Clearview where price reigns over service, the Newton Twin theater never had any changes in presentation and service when Galaxy Theater Corp. and then New Day Cinemas (owned by a dot-com company specializing in classic sci-fi movies) took over the independently run theater, which was one of the longest running theaters in New Jersey, if not America. Most recently, they had a Date Night offering each monday; two tickets for only $12!!!! Too bad it didn’t catch on with the new generation going to the high-tech theaters.
any changes since amc took over?
after the closing of the newton, will this theater be next?
i agree with you. btw, what will happen to the building? it’s an important icon of downtown newton. this is bigger than what happened to the fancy spring house restaurant, now a bar restaurant. the closest thing to a local theater is the one in blairstown that once again showing movies besides musicals and other vauldiville acts. give it a try!
The last movies that the theater showed were “30 Days of Night” and “The Game Plan”, which enjoyed nearly a month of success at the theater as the Newton was a popular place for showing kid movies, especially Disney fare such as the “Pirates” movies, all three of which played in Newton. This theater has withstood competition from many new theaters surrounding northwest new jersey from 5/15/1924- sometime in 1997 and from 1997-2007 when Nathan Page took over the theater and most recently sold the twin to New Day Cinemas, who then closed the theater. Why did they close it? Was it because of the new AMC theater in rockaway or declining attendance? I hope it reopens and gets bought by Clearview.
that’s sad. now the only theater left in sussex county is in sparta. at least the newton lived a long life.
just went to amc’s website for the upcoming sawfest next thursday, and looks like this theater won’t participate. the closest one is in clifton, which could be a nightmare for die hard saw fans in the morris county area. this adds more insult for this nearly year old theater, which isn’t keeping up to date on technology like the clearviews in succasunna and parsippany. one reason is taxes and the credit crunch. this theater was built before all that happened. as of this weekend, not a single movie is playing on two screens, a result of this weekend’s record count of new releases. the only movie not playing at this theater is that sarah paranormal flick, not to mention the jessie james film. next summer will be a successful summer for amc in rockaway, when indiana jones will return since his last crusade ended at the old amc. by then, amc will return to the stock market and hopefully dlp arrives before 2009, when that strike could bring fewer good movies and the first box office slump in four years!
this theater was one of a few that were opened by loews some 25 years ago.
We’ll see. Considering the news surrounding the parent company of the theater regarding the fight to take Cablevision private is more important to shareholders than what will come with the new christmas spectacular. Once in a few years, I always go there for the spectaculars (Easter and Xmas) as well as tapings of TV shows (e.g., Celebrity Jeopardy). I can’t wait until the theater turns 100!!! Maybe the new opening will be in IMAX, even though RCMH can’t show a format like that (only the Lincoln Square and Naturemax theaters show that format!!!).
Good thing I never go to this theater in Bergen County, the Garden State 16 is the best theater in Bergen County, and mostly north jersey. I like AMC’s three 16plexers in Rockaway, Paramus, and Clifton, even though I haven’t been to AMC’s clifton location in awhile since I last visited it as a general cinema location. It’s a good thing AMC acquired that popular theater and kept it the way it is while adding digital projection to it, and pretty soon they’ll do it to theaters with stadium seating, not those without it (ex: Wayne, East Hanover, the two secacus theaters even though Phantom Menace played only for awhile in DLP). Plus the fact the theater is near a marsh area, and it will become a landfill soon.
Is the sign still there?
View link
this link tells of one NYTimes reporter’s love for the theater and the impact the new Clifton commons theater had on its attendance. BTW, what’s the latest on the theater, LUISMEL? Is it gone for good? Send me some recent pictures!!!
Is it me, or does some of the theaters that AMC owns lack stadium seating that its AMC theaters have (you know, the CO, non-stadium Loews/Sony/Star/MJ complexes)? They should update it for today’s audience and make them all accessible for the disabled. Like most updated theaters, this one has rear window captioning as well as DVS for the disabled. Other than that, this theater’s a bit cheaper than the other theater that AMC owns (Rockaway) and the one they used to own (Morristown).
not sure, it’s still highly profitable for Clearview as it’s still the only place in town where you can buy movie tickets for cheap. When AMC bought the Loews theater in 2006, it put in AMC Cinema, which is a godsend for senior moviegoers who want to pay $5 for a movie, far cheaper than the matinee tickets that CLearview offers. And unlike Clearview, the AMC in Loews has rear window captioning/DVS for disabled people alongside the spaces for wheelchairs. I hope the AMC in Wayne gets a huge makeover and has stadium seating in all of its auditoriums, much like Loews did to its theater in Danbury a few years ago before being bought by AMC. They should add a couple more screens to make it a true multiplex.
Originally slated to open just in time for the fall 1998 season, it was delayed until spring of 1999. Here are a few articles that I found using google news' archive section…
View link
View link
View link
View link
View link
Check out the Rutherford forum at nj.com (http://www.nj.com/forums/rutherford). Then search for “Williams”. You’ll see lots of backlash against the cleanup and restoration of the center, which will cost taxpayers in Rutherford lots of money. This doesn’t affect the cinemas, as they are still open and will soon face competition from their next city neighbor East Rutherford, with the Xanadu megaplex opening next year.
so what’s up with the tenplex now that AMC is making money on its successor? I hope there should be a strip mall where it’s located, or maybe a concert hall since the only location nearby that has arts is the BergenPAC center in Englewood.
hey hotwaterbottle, the new theater in paramus is now the largest amc theater in bergen, with more seats, better projection and sound, and stadium seating. amc needs to improve the loews buildings that dont have stadium seating and upgrade it just like the loews in danbury. btw, janet seabold, who’s now the principal at nearby slocum skewes school in ridgefield, was one of the first employees when it opened nearly two decades ago..she worked behind the concession stand serving popcorn!
i agree with you, mikep. to the people of paramus, they needed a better theater, and they got it right. stadium seating, dlp in two screens, dolby ex in all screens as well as great restrooms and excellent service make it the hottest spot in paramus since the malls.
I went to this theater last night to see “The Game Plan”, and lots of things have changed since a year ago. For one, all the employees wore the New Day Cinemas logo and red vests and some of them do their best to quiet the sometimes rowdy audience down by not using cell phones. Another thing is that the theater now shows slideshows before each movie at the two auditorium and plays movietunes instead of the classic movie music. Is the organ still in use in theater 1? Also, I sat in the balcony seats and they made them more comfortable. On Monday nights, it’s date night. For $12, two people can go see a movie for that price. BTW, since the acquisition of this theater, a megaplex in Rockaway opened as well as the return of movies to Sparta.
BTW, the plasma TVs are too small to watch than the ones at the Clearview in Succasunna, but they show the same stuff as you’d expect at the theater with the first look thing. While I was at the theater last weekend, when I first sat into one of those seats, it squeaked for a while before quieting down. The armrests in each seat lack the leather that others have.
I agree with your last sentence, vito. Newer theaters that opened in the last few months, such as the one I go to regularly, don’t know how to make a movie picture perfect. AMC does a bad job of doing this. Clearview, on the other hand, does a great job showing movies in sharp projection, whether it’s digital or film.
Just checked out the theater’s ticket site and tickets are not for sale on the web via movietickets.com, just only on moviefone.com. Why is that? It seems more people visit moviefone than movietickets.com.
How about Paramount? They’re logo was cool looking when Vistavision came along, and then when Panavision came, it made the Mountain more surreal. Even though some CGI made the mountain more real, it still is a cool looking logo, as much as the Universal globe and the Warner Shield.