The theater is in the news as analysts downgraded IMAX stock on word that AMC will install an EXT (Enhanced Theater Experience) at the complex. EXT boast a 20% larger, wall to wall screen, to compete with the digital IMAX and Cinemark’s Extreme Digital (XD) system which is the same thing. Essentially EXT was developed when AMC couldn’t install an IMAX at Younge & Dundas in Toronto (Scotiabank Theatre about a half mile away has one, and AMC and Scotiabank share a booking zone). Sadly it’s no big deal, or at least not when I saw a character driven drama at the Toronto International Film Festival in EXT.
Claims are IMAX rejected the auditorium for conversion – I’m not so sure this is true. Regal, when they purchased the Muvico Pointe Orlando (which had an IMAX, closed it, and Regal re-opened both the IMAX and the complex) – might have beat AMC to the punch, they may have an exclusive territory for IMAX in greater Orlando (although AMC Altamonte Mall has IMAX).
Theater chains developing their own digital large screen experiences is a direct result of IMAX giving exclusive rights to certain territories. Which is why Cinemark decided to develop their own system (IMAX is now suing them claiming copyright infringement).
Apparently this chain, Lakes and Rivers Cinemas has a customer service problem, stemming from the company’s VP (I read somewhere he’s the son of the owner – over an e-mail this moron told a customer with a pretty legit complaint to f- herself).
In the USA AMC backed down. The real question where is Tim Burton on all of this? While I’m not a huge fan of his (in fact I think he’s over rated) – I have to wonder as a filmmaker why isn’t he stepping up advocating for a full theatrical run that encourages customers to see the film in theaters verses waiting a very short time for the DVD. You bet James Cameron would be up in arms about this. Then again IFC Films has been shortchanging world class filmmakers by putting little to no effort into their theatrical releases – I’ve seen future, when day and date releases happen – it ain’t pretty.
You’ll end up watching an Standard Def DVD full of digital artifacts off a digital pre-show projector bought at Office Max in a 35 seat screening room for the low price of $12.50 a ticket. In case your wondering I’ve just described Auditorium #5 at IFC Center.
I had visited both some 7 years ago (wow, can’t believe it’s been that long) – both theaters were dated. The Carmike was bland but comfortable, Cinemark had the obnoxious headache lobby design with the checker boards. Both were unimpressive – actually Sandusky in general was pretty unimpressive, I was there on a family vacation to Cedar Point and 5 days was too long of a time to be there. Cedar Point has great roller coasters, sure, including the new that year Top Thrill Dragster, but the rest of the park lacked the attractions that Disney and Six Flags has, and thus we went to the movies (then again I need no excuse to go to the movies). There was also a Regal 20-plex about halfway between Sandusky and Cleveland that showed a few art movies I remember, probably due to over screening.
I’ve seen ads at Indiewire promoting a new Four Wall booking service for indie filmmakers. Not sure if that’s how Behind the Burly Q is getting released there or not, but it could explain a few other micro budget flicks get a shot there. 4-Walling is nothing new, and given the options indie filmmakers have this might be their only shot at a meaningful theatrical release. If anything I think Quad is sincere in their attempts to bring good cinema to their audience and knowing the theater and its weekly newsletter I can’t be cynical about the service. I don’t know if John Luke Montias' Off Jackson Ave was 4-walled or not, but I saw it during its week long run at the Quad and found it to be a solidly entertaining indie.
Great news indeed, hopefully they’ll continue the art house mix that Cineplex had – I only went once (and took the cinema tour pics on the eve of the 2008 TIFF, we saw Outsourced that night). I don’t know what impact Bell Lightbox will have aside from providing a permanent home for the Cinematheque Ontario – even though AMC and Scotiabank split films they certainly haven’t really made the best of over screening by playing more art pictures, which is sad since I’m now based in Buffalo and would dig an art movie day-cation in Toronto, but there’s not much to see that won’t come to Buffalo with the Carlton gone.
I once had an awful experience here: I was ejected from the theater because I entered the auditorium 5 minutes prior to the start of the show by some moron employee who though I had snuck in, even after I showed this a-hole my ripped ticket stub. (For the last 10 years I’ve seen 5+ movies a week and pay for each, this is the only time this has happened to me) The staff had no concept of crowd control I suppose and he accused me of not hearing his announcement that the theaters weren’t ready yet.
Fine, but every other scenario the theater the staff simply asks you to wait outside if the theater isn’t ready, they don’t forcibly remove you for no reason (this guy actually put his hands on me and at first refused to refund my ticket).
Needless to say I’m glad it’s gone (after complaining to corporate I was given 4 free passes for my trouble, disappointingly when I returned a few months later to see an independent film that had only been playing here and not at Montclair, the a-hole that ejected me had sold us our tickets – proving customer service wasn’t a top priority for Clearview I suppose).
Clearview as a chain has gotten better, but thinking in remember that incident I’m still angry that the film I had gone to see that night, I still have yet to see. They did show good independent film like Dogtown & Z-Boys that didn’t fit the bill at Tenafly which caters to a less teen centric crowd than this one did and that Westwood’s Pascack didn’t show.
I thought parking was free after 6, if you go out to eat at City Walk a restaurant might validate. When we went many years ago before City Walk opened I remember hating having to walk from the garage to the studios with nothing along the way and no monorail, now with other stuff including Islands of Adventure its bearable. Also they offer Valet Parking next to the theater, which I remember was only a few bucks more than the regular parking and therefore seemed worth it since you were much closer to the gates to the parks.
City Walk has two floors, I don’t remember the divide, but I do remember they have a huge theater upstairs with seating right outside the doors (sort of a mini-lobby, reminds me for all you NJ movie goers of theaters 6 and 7 at the old Route 4 Tenplex). They also have a “party pass” I remember where for $20 bucks or so you can get dinner and a movie at certain restaurants (of coarse Emril’s wasn’t one of them), it was a great value. I hadn’t been there since AMC took over, but it suffered from the same issues as other Loews Cineplex sites, in that that chain had horrible operations, for that reason I preferred Muvico/now Regal down the street at Pointe Orlando (also why this theater won’t get an IMAX). I also remember this theater serving beer at the main concession stand as well.
Still, it’s worth noting this was intended to be a Cineplex Odoen theater before the merger happened, I also think it was intended to have 16 screens, but later was upgrade to 20. Fondest movie memory here: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the late show opening night – fun crowd.
vintage 1980’s AMC. The only vintage AMC that they are still running is the weird last theater of theirs standing in Amherst (Buffalo, NY) – the Maple Ridge 8.
If this were facebook, and I’m sure glad it isn’t – I would hit the “like” button on that comment.
I think some people on here work for DCIP or AMC the way they talk up digital non-stop, truthfully I couldn’t care less, from a consumer end if it’s not in 3-D it really doesn’t make that much of a difference provided the theater has good operations in its booth. And if they don’t – then digital or 3-D you should go elsewhere.
Those digital projectors in multiplexes have done nothing aside from brining programed content like concerts and events, for independent cinema. Then again IFC and its cinema probably have no interest in exploring delivering indie films this way and smaller distributers don’t have the clout. It would take a distributer with a vested interest in the future of theatrical exhibition to launch a program that would make using those digital projectors actually matter, not the micro distributer sending a DVD of an obscure documentary for a screening room in the basement of an art gallery.
Loews ran the Loews name into the ground in their last few years of operations – dirty theaters, rude customer service, horrible concessions including those with funky linger odors (Nacho Grande for example), and terrible projection – I was happy to see AMC take over. AMC isn’t my favorite chain but I they were an improvement. As soon as they merged with Cineplex the standards declined, they were actually best run under short lived Sony Theaters banner if you ask me. AMC made a few improvements at the larger plexes and did little at these (knowing the replacement was on the horizon). The ones to look at are Loews Richfield Park which is still in decent condition, and the Loews Village 7 which is clean and well run despite the creepy layout of the place.
Ironically enough AMC has only rebranded the inside signs (ie: snack bar, poster cases, ect) of Loews sites, whereas General Cinema' (a long time rival of theirs) was gone in a matter of months, but unlike Cinemark who has opened new builds with the Century brand, they’ve made sure anything new was AMC.
I just poked around on Google Streetview and it looks like an awful location, it’s sort of in the middle of nowhere, a few blocks from shopping and restaurant districts but the only parking it looks like it has is on the street – there’s a field across the street. I might be wrong but from my virtual visit, it’s no wonder this location was a lost money. A smaller theater with a better location might do alright.
Updated website now says it’ll be open February 19th with Shutter Island, Avatar, Percy Jackson, The Wolfman, Book of Eli, Valentine’s Day, Edge of Darkness and The Tooth Ferry.
True: they do festivals, private screenings, benefits, and cultural screenings for the Tribeca Film Institute. While some of these are open to the public, not all are, and they aren’t running a commercial art house in the sense that the Angelika is. They also do screenings during the Tribeca Film Festival. I had a film show in the Big Apple Film Festival last November at the theater.
I’m thinking Scott might be right with Cinemark, then again Rave is randomly all over the country – why not Chicago. Maybe AMC will do another theater trade with somebody.
Chicago is going to be an issue with the sale given that Kerasotes acquired two properties in the city as a result of the DOJ’s ruling on the AMC/Loews Cineplex merger. I’m not sure in what other territories it’ll be an issue- any one have any thoughts about overlapping?
Also not all Kerasotes theaters are high tech stadium seating Showplace concepts – they own a few older single and two-screen theaters as well, some perhaps in rural areas (maybe, I don’t really know but I can assume). Should be interesting to see how that plays out. Apparently from what I’ve been reading is the chain is free to expand again – not the first time a chain sells out and makes a come back. At one time I had thought Kerasotes would become another national player, who knows, they might come back in a big way in newer markets, it’s certainly interesting that they have a heavy concentration in some areas (the midwest) and a few one-offs (NJ being a new region for them, their nearest location is probably Ohio).
Maybe they’ll pull a Muvico where the management creates a legal entity to run a successful company while licensing the name “Muvico” from the troubled company.
I believe this one closed as an AMC, Maple Ridge has a distinctively GCC ticket taker box (is that what you call one of those), likely inherited from this theater. When AMC took over GCC they also got Walden Galloria (closed, reopened, closed again, and rebuilt by Regal) and McKinnely Mall 6 (a pretty successful location from the crowds I see there, AMC didn’t renew the lease, probably for fear of the Regal 18-plex down the road, Dipson however is able to score good first run bookings at McKinnely, and they split new releases with Regal, they also have two 3-D projectors, Regal only has one).
Maple Ridge is AMC’s last remaining Buffalo theater, although they have plenty of megaplexes across the boarder in Onterio. I have to wonder if they waiting out a lease, Maple Ridge itself seems to okay business being next door to UB.
I think we should get concerned about integration like this again – remember what happened in the 50’s when studios were forced to divest themselves of theater chains. Cablevision and Reliance/Adlabs are good examples of why this system can’t work. They are both distributers and exhibitors owning complexes that pretty much exclusively show their films: Cablevision runs the IFC Center where standards are slipping, Reliance/Adlabs runs Big Cinemas, which is aiming to create Indian only movie houses, buying others from independent operators. While I’m all for more access to Bollywood films, the standards at one Big Cinemas location I recently visited to see a Bollywood film at were awful: the projection required reframing (I couldn’t see the subtitles) and I had to walk down two escalators (they weren’t working) to tell the guy at the snack bar about the issue, and walk back up two escalators to the theater.
I must have lost about 5 minutes of the beginning of the movie right there! As a customer this is unacceptable, if this is what the future of Bollywood is – a chain that doesn’t pride themselves on proper projection of their product no less (Reliance distributes films through AdLabs in USA), and there are no alternatives, this is a grim for the industry. IFC Center also does the same thing, projecting the films they distribute through IFC Films, from world class directors on cheap projectors in small theaters – sadly its the only place to see some of this work, unless you rent it on demand from Cablevision. It’s not so much an issue of price, it’s the issue of quality that’s at stake here with Big Cinemas and IFC Center, if they’re the only game in town for this stuff then your stuck.
This is good news, but this place has a rough start: AmStar, AMC and Rave were rumored to operate the theater while it was under construction, then it opened as an independent venue showing very few mainstream Hollywood films and even a few revival shows. The developer who was very motivated about getting a theater in there is now running the show.
The theater is in the news as analysts downgraded IMAX stock on word that AMC will install an EXT (Enhanced Theater Experience) at the complex. EXT boast a 20% larger, wall to wall screen, to compete with the digital IMAX and Cinemark’s Extreme Digital (XD) system which is the same thing. Essentially EXT was developed when AMC couldn’t install an IMAX at Younge & Dundas in Toronto (Scotiabank Theatre about a half mile away has one, and AMC and Scotiabank share a booking zone). Sadly it’s no big deal, or at least not when I saw a character driven drama at the Toronto International Film Festival in EXT.
Claims are IMAX rejected the auditorium for conversion – I’m not so sure this is true. Regal, when they purchased the Muvico Pointe Orlando (which had an IMAX, closed it, and Regal re-opened both the IMAX and the complex) – might have beat AMC to the punch, they may have an exclusive territory for IMAX in greater Orlando (although AMC Altamonte Mall has IMAX).
Theater chains developing their own digital large screen experiences is a direct result of IMAX giving exclusive rights to certain territories. Which is why Cinemark decided to develop their own system (IMAX is now suing them claiming copyright infringement).
Not to mention it’s now the “Rave Cinemas Southington 12”
Apparently this chain, Lakes and Rivers Cinemas has a customer service problem, stemming from the company’s VP (I read somewhere he’s the son of the owner – over an e-mail this moron told a customer with a pretty legit complaint to f- herself).
In the USA AMC backed down. The real question where is Tim Burton on all of this? While I’m not a huge fan of his (in fact I think he’s over rated) – I have to wonder as a filmmaker why isn’t he stepping up advocating for a full theatrical run that encourages customers to see the film in theaters verses waiting a very short time for the DVD. You bet James Cameron would be up in arms about this. Then again IFC Films has been shortchanging world class filmmakers by putting little to no effort into their theatrical releases – I’ve seen future, when day and date releases happen – it ain’t pretty.
You’ll end up watching an Standard Def DVD full of digital artifacts off a digital pre-show projector bought at Office Max in a 35 seat screening room for the low price of $12.50 a ticket. In case your wondering I’ve just described Auditorium #5 at IFC Center.
I had visited both some 7 years ago (wow, can’t believe it’s been that long) – both theaters were dated. The Carmike was bland but comfortable, Cinemark had the obnoxious headache lobby design with the checker boards. Both were unimpressive – actually Sandusky in general was pretty unimpressive, I was there on a family vacation to Cedar Point and 5 days was too long of a time to be there. Cedar Point has great roller coasters, sure, including the new that year Top Thrill Dragster, but the rest of the park lacked the attractions that Disney and Six Flags has, and thus we went to the movies (then again I need no excuse to go to the movies). There was also a Regal 20-plex about halfway between Sandusky and Cleveland that showed a few art movies I remember, probably due to over screening.
I’ve seen ads at Indiewire promoting a new Four Wall booking service for indie filmmakers. Not sure if that’s how Behind the Burly Q is getting released there or not, but it could explain a few other micro budget flicks get a shot there. 4-Walling is nothing new, and given the options indie filmmakers have this might be their only shot at a meaningful theatrical release. If anything I think Quad is sincere in their attempts to bring good cinema to their audience and knowing the theater and its weekly newsletter I can’t be cynical about the service. I don’t know if John Luke Montias' Off Jackson Ave was 4-walled or not, but I saw it during its week long run at the Quad and found it to be a solidly entertaining indie.
The service is at http://quadcinemafourwall.com/
Great news indeed, hopefully they’ll continue the art house mix that Cineplex had – I only went once (and took the cinema tour pics on the eve of the 2008 TIFF, we saw Outsourced that night). I don’t know what impact Bell Lightbox will have aside from providing a permanent home for the Cinematheque Ontario – even though AMC and Scotiabank split films they certainly haven’t really made the best of over screening by playing more art pictures, which is sad since I’m now based in Buffalo and would dig an art movie day-cation in Toronto, but there’s not much to see that won’t come to Buffalo with the Carlton gone.
I once had an awful experience here: I was ejected from the theater because I entered the auditorium 5 minutes prior to the start of the show by some moron employee who though I had snuck in, even after I showed this a-hole my ripped ticket stub. (For the last 10 years I’ve seen 5+ movies a week and pay for each, this is the only time this has happened to me) The staff had no concept of crowd control I suppose and he accused me of not hearing his announcement that the theaters weren’t ready yet.
Fine, but every other scenario the theater the staff simply asks you to wait outside if the theater isn’t ready, they don’t forcibly remove you for no reason (this guy actually put his hands on me and at first refused to refund my ticket).
Needless to say I’m glad it’s gone (after complaining to corporate I was given 4 free passes for my trouble, disappointingly when I returned a few months later to see an independent film that had only been playing here and not at Montclair, the a-hole that ejected me had sold us our tickets – proving customer service wasn’t a top priority for Clearview I suppose).
Clearview as a chain has gotten better, but thinking in remember that incident I’m still angry that the film I had gone to see that night, I still have yet to see. They did show good independent film like Dogtown & Z-Boys that didn’t fit the bill at Tenafly which caters to a less teen centric crowd than this one did and that Westwood’s Pascack didn’t show.
I thought parking was free after 6, if you go out to eat at City Walk a restaurant might validate. When we went many years ago before City Walk opened I remember hating having to walk from the garage to the studios with nothing along the way and no monorail, now with other stuff including Islands of Adventure its bearable. Also they offer Valet Parking next to the theater, which I remember was only a few bucks more than the regular parking and therefore seemed worth it since you were much closer to the gates to the parks.
City Walk has two floors, I don’t remember the divide, but I do remember they have a huge theater upstairs with seating right outside the doors (sort of a mini-lobby, reminds me for all you NJ movie goers of theaters 6 and 7 at the old Route 4 Tenplex). They also have a “party pass” I remember where for $20 bucks or so you can get dinner and a movie at certain restaurants (of coarse Emril’s wasn’t one of them), it was a great value. I hadn’t been there since AMC took over, but it suffered from the same issues as other Loews Cineplex sites, in that that chain had horrible operations, for that reason I preferred Muvico/now Regal down the street at Pointe Orlando (also why this theater won’t get an IMAX). I also remember this theater serving beer at the main concession stand as well.
Still, it’s worth noting this was intended to be a Cineplex Odoen theater before the merger happened, I also think it was intended to have 16 screens, but later was upgrade to 20. Fondest movie memory here: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the late show opening night – fun crowd.
AMC will soon have it back! Found this image of the theater regarding the merger:
View link
vintage 1980’s AMC. The only vintage AMC that they are still running is the weird last theater of theirs standing in Amherst (Buffalo, NY) – the Maple Ridge 8.
If this were facebook, and I’m sure glad it isn’t – I would hit the “like” button on that comment.
I think some people on here work for DCIP or AMC the way they talk up digital non-stop, truthfully I couldn’t care less, from a consumer end if it’s not in 3-D it really doesn’t make that much of a difference provided the theater has good operations in its booth. And if they don’t – then digital or 3-D you should go elsewhere.
Those digital projectors in multiplexes have done nothing aside from brining programed content like concerts and events, for independent cinema. Then again IFC and its cinema probably have no interest in exploring delivering indie films this way and smaller distributers don’t have the clout. It would take a distributer with a vested interest in the future of theatrical exhibition to launch a program that would make using those digital projectors actually matter, not the micro distributer sending a DVD of an obscure documentary for a screening room in the basement of an art gallery.
Loews ran the Loews name into the ground in their last few years of operations – dirty theaters, rude customer service, horrible concessions including those with funky linger odors (Nacho Grande for example), and terrible projection – I was happy to see AMC take over. AMC isn’t my favorite chain but I they were an improvement. As soon as they merged with Cineplex the standards declined, they were actually best run under short lived Sony Theaters banner if you ask me. AMC made a few improvements at the larger plexes and did little at these (knowing the replacement was on the horizon). The ones to look at are Loews Richfield Park which is still in decent condition, and the Loews Village 7 which is clean and well run despite the creepy layout of the place.
Ironically enough AMC has only rebranded the inside signs (ie: snack bar, poster cases, ect) of Loews sites, whereas General Cinema' (a long time rival of theirs) was gone in a matter of months, but unlike Cinemark who has opened new builds with the Century brand, they’ve made sure anything new was AMC.
I just poked around on Google Streetview and it looks like an awful location, it’s sort of in the middle of nowhere, a few blocks from shopping and restaurant districts but the only parking it looks like it has is on the street – there’s a field across the street. I might be wrong but from my virtual visit, it’s no wonder this location was a lost money. A smaller theater with a better location might do alright.
Updated website now says it’ll be open February 19th with Shutter Island, Avatar, Percy Jackson, The Wolfman, Book of Eli, Valentine’s Day, Edge of Darkness and The Tooth Ferry.
True: they do festivals, private screenings, benefits, and cultural screenings for the Tribeca Film Institute. While some of these are open to the public, not all are, and they aren’t running a commercial art house in the sense that the Angelika is. They also do screenings during the Tribeca Film Festival. I had a film show in the Big Apple Film Festival last November at the theater.
I’m thinking Scott might be right with Cinemark, then again Rave is randomly all over the country – why not Chicago. Maybe AMC will do another theater trade with somebody.
Chicago is going to be an issue with the sale given that Kerasotes acquired two properties in the city as a result of the DOJ’s ruling on the AMC/Loews Cineplex merger. I’m not sure in what other territories it’ll be an issue- any one have any thoughts about overlapping?
Also not all Kerasotes theaters are high tech stadium seating Showplace concepts – they own a few older single and two-screen theaters as well, some perhaps in rural areas (maybe, I don’t really know but I can assume). Should be interesting to see how that plays out. Apparently from what I’ve been reading is the chain is free to expand again – not the first time a chain sells out and makes a come back. At one time I had thought Kerasotes would become another national player, who knows, they might come back in a big way in newer markets, it’s certainly interesting that they have a heavy concentration in some areas (the midwest) and a few one-offs (NJ being a new region for them, their nearest location is probably Ohio).
Website still claims a January 2010 opening….. we’re running out of January 2010…..
If you read the bottom of the first paragraph Kerasotes is keeping this and both Showplace Icon sites.
Maybe they’ll pull a Muvico where the management creates a legal entity to run a successful company while licensing the name “Muvico” from the troubled company.
I believe this one closed as an AMC, Maple Ridge has a distinctively GCC ticket taker box (is that what you call one of those), likely inherited from this theater. When AMC took over GCC they also got Walden Galloria (closed, reopened, closed again, and rebuilt by Regal) and McKinnely Mall 6 (a pretty successful location from the crowds I see there, AMC didn’t renew the lease, probably for fear of the Regal 18-plex down the road, Dipson however is able to score good first run bookings at McKinnely, and they split new releases with Regal, they also have two 3-D projectors, Regal only has one).
Maple Ridge is AMC’s last remaining Buffalo theater, although they have plenty of megaplexes across the boarder in Onterio. I have to wonder if they waiting out a lease, Maple Ridge itself seems to okay business being next door to UB.
Now on Dipson’s website, glad to see a good chain is growing.
Anybody else find it unreasonably stupid the theater is called the IMC6 – an acronym for Indian Movie Center 6 when it only has 3 theaters?
I think we should get concerned about integration like this again – remember what happened in the 50’s when studios were forced to divest themselves of theater chains. Cablevision and Reliance/Adlabs are good examples of why this system can’t work. They are both distributers and exhibitors owning complexes that pretty much exclusively show their films: Cablevision runs the IFC Center where standards are slipping, Reliance/Adlabs runs Big Cinemas, which is aiming to create Indian only movie houses, buying others from independent operators. While I’m all for more access to Bollywood films, the standards at one Big Cinemas location I recently visited to see a Bollywood film at were awful: the projection required reframing (I couldn’t see the subtitles) and I had to walk down two escalators (they weren’t working) to tell the guy at the snack bar about the issue, and walk back up two escalators to the theater.
I must have lost about 5 minutes of the beginning of the movie right there! As a customer this is unacceptable, if this is what the future of Bollywood is – a chain that doesn’t pride themselves on proper projection of their product no less (Reliance distributes films through AdLabs in USA), and there are no alternatives, this is a grim for the industry. IFC Center also does the same thing, projecting the films they distribute through IFC Films, from world class directors on cheap projectors in small theaters – sadly its the only place to see some of this work, unless you rent it on demand from Cablevision. It’s not so much an issue of price, it’s the issue of quality that’s at stake here with Big Cinemas and IFC Center, if they’re the only game in town for this stuff then your stuck.
This is good news, but this place has a rough start: AmStar, AMC and Rave were rumored to operate the theater while it was under construction, then it opened as an independent venue showing very few mainstream Hollywood films and even a few revival shows. The developer who was very motivated about getting a theater in there is now running the show.