West End Cinema

oh that’s great news. I remember seeing ‘Cherry Blossoms’ in digital projection and since it was shot in hidef it looked glorious – surprised (and glad) that Strand released it as such. I’ve seen way to many bad 35mm prints over at E Street – where I had wished the studio HAD released the film it ‘digitally’ Can I ask what DP system will be installed?

question – if all the theatres are going to technically all digial – what distributor’s are actually releasing ‘films’ as such – you can see why both Landmark theatres never changed over to digital projection because not everything is being released as such. The occasional ‘documentary’ might be released as such, but foreign films released in harddrive form is still relatively rare. (Kino released the restored ‘Metropolis’ in digital projection). Even AFI Silver which shows alot of films, new releases, revivals – the only time they show nearly everything in DLP is during Silverdocs. The industry and specifically Box Office magazine thinks the swing towards digital projection conversion is more prevailent, but it’s a tad blind to the fact that still not everyone’s on board

Fortunately, the building that the theater’s in has an underground parking garage with valet parking. They currently close at 7 pm, but have agreed to stay open at night once the movie theater opens in October. Plus, we’re only two blocks from the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro stop, and five blocks from the Dupont Circle stop, so hopefully people can use mass transit!

I will gladly update the info as we progress. Right now, the occupancy limits for the three screens combined is 258 — roughly 100, 95 and 63, respectively. The two largest auditoria will have both 35 mm (platters and reel-to-reel) and digital, and theater 3 will be all-digital.

Yes, we are well aware that we are in the same market as the Landmark E Street. In answer to your question about me, my background is in hospitality business operations (10 years as a bar and restaurant owner) and in film distribution (seven years in NYC before moving back to DC to start work on the theater). My business partner has a dozen years experience in film publicity and marketing, and the people we’re interviewing for managerial positions all have extensive exhibition backgrounds.

I hope if you’re in DC you’ll come check us out this fall!

Hi all, I have recently leased the old Inner Circle 5, 6, 7 space and will reopen it as the West End Cinema a three-screen art-house movie theater, this fall. To clarify a few things from the listing and comments above, the old 1, 2, 3, 4 was located in a building that was torn down to build the Ritz Carlton residences (adjacent to the hotel). The 5, 6, 7, which I leased, is in a multi-use building a block further north, and was never demolished — in fact, it still has the projector systems, platters, sound systems, screens, seats and concessions line exactly where they were when the theater closed in late 2003/early 2004.
I look forward to moving this theater from the “old” listings to the “new” listings on Cinema Treasures soon!

This listing seems to be mixing up the Circle West End and the Inner Circle. I believe The Inner Circle was attached to the Circle Theater and had only one screen.

While strolling past the cinema today I noticed that some of the paper was off the windows reveling parts of the interior. It appears that one of the auditoriums was recently used for a private screening.

I saw movies, mainstream and arthouse, and even one classic, a reissue of E.T. (August 1985) at the Circle West End 5-6-7 in 1985 and 1986. I recall that the auditoriums and movie screens were small.