Uptown Theatre
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
60 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 592 comments
Aside, to SethLewis: Yenching Palace! That Chinese place was great. I was so sad when that closed and became a Walgreens. They had the best neon sign.
Oh no. I just heard the news — Not only is my treasured Seattle Cinerama closing, but my beloved Uptown? I went there often, when I lived in the DC suburbs, for almost twenty years, 1994–2013. It was the theatre that really kindled my love for grand cinematic experiences. Rest in peace, friend.
As the closure of the theater is sinking in, I’ve become more disappointed in the Post’s article. They are too lazy to go and get a current picture of the place and use one from years ago. How crazy is that? I’m just curious as to how badly the theater was doing for it to close. You’d think if there was a marginal loss, the others in the chain would help offset it.
If they want to twin it, make the upstairs an auditorium to itself. Actually, you could do two. Split the balcony into two screens. Keep the big one downstairs intact. :)
SethLewis, actually it was the 1996 blizzard since 12 monkeys came out during christmas of 1995. How many single screens AMC’s are left? Barely none, as AMC introduced the megaplex idea to the US with the Grand Theatre in Texas and has been in business in many forms for the past 100 years. I hope someone who takes over this venue doesn’t demolish it and turn it into a performing arts center. RIP Uptown.
This does not need an IMAX laser install – a top of the line 4K laser projector is the least it would need to be state of the art – pop in a Dolby Atmos system, the theater could and should feature the modern amenities of most chain theater ‘premier’ screens. Folk literally have no problem dropping $20 on average at Tyson’s for Dolby Cinema, and other luxury theaters in the area, there’s no reason why if another film exhibitor were to resume operation HAS to include laser projection and immersive audio when it’s become the norm. Reading the Post article was just depressing, sure running a one screen theater is a challenge, but it needs the community to back it and give some voice to the neighborhood if it truly wants it back, and it comes at a terrible time, when theaters nationwide and internationally are having a significant drop in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Booking Pixar’s ‘Onward’ there, which was Pixar’s second lowest grossing movie, and then having it’s next movie, the new James Bond, bumped to November, and then the sudden audience no-shows, just gave AMC the more excuses to just throw in the towel, just sad and unfortunate.
Saw 12 Monkeys here with a nearly full house on the Saturday night after the 1997 blizzard…people were desperate to go out. Great Chinese restaurant next door – sizzling rice soup! Also saw American President and Twister here with decent crowds
Oh wow. What sad news among everything else that is going on. The Washington Post has an article today on the closing online. I’m surprised the venue was kept open this long to be honest. My last experience there a decade or so was poor. I think I saw Dreamgirls here. Ok, that was 15 years ago.
I suppose when they got rid of their 70mm projectors it sealed its fate as just another theater. The opportunity to offer counter programming with occasional 70mm retrospectives gone. Not that the AFI Silver doesn’t do them, but honestly, its not as immersive as the Uptown.
Maybe we should write Jeff Bezos to buy the property and do a Paul Allen and modernize and restore the Uptown ala Seattle’s Cinerama. :) How cool would that be? Restore 3-strip Cinerama, 70mm, maybe do an IMAX laser install, or Doug Trumbull’s new HFR 3D laser system.
I’d do it but I’m $9,999,999 short of being a multi-millionaire. :( :)
Hello- from NYC-
was this closure(hopefully temporary) something that was talked about in a hush hush way for years like the Ziegfeld or was it a sudden thing that shocked even the staff of the theater. its like the 86th St. East in Manhattan. the theater closed the last week of May 2019 and even many staff members weren’t even aware it was closing.
A huge shame…a great place to see a movie
AMC confirmed they will no longer operate the theater. “Yesterday was AMC’s final day of operations at the location and all associates have been provided the opportunity to move to nearby AMC locations,” AMC director of corporate communications Ryan Noonan told WTOP. https://wtop.com/entertainment/2020/03/uptown-theater-historic-host-of-2001-jurassic-park-premieres-closes-in-dc/
nooooo
Many loving tributes online over time, including this article https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/film-tv/article/21016116/an-oral-history-of-dcs-uptown-theater
It could also be that the film they were supposed to get was pushed back. I don’t know.
Hello from NYC-
is there any further info as to whether this theater
is closing? I’m still heartbroken over the closing of
the Ziegfeld.
No movies listed after today! If closing, I hope another movie operator takes over the Uptown!
I don’t know if I saw this right, but on facebook today, someone posted to Cinema Tour that this theatre is going to close. Is this true??
Giles, perhaps the Uptown was still using side masking in April when you witnessed the mistake, and as you stated, did not have reserved seats, but changed both factors by July? As I stated, Knives Out is flat, meaning 1.85, but was not masked in December. Being in Philly, last I was at Mazza Gallerie was December 2017, when some screens did use masking. If I lived in DC, I’d visit both the Uptown & the Mazza Gallerie more.
Off the top of my head, I know that Mazza does side horizontal masking for ‘flat’ movies on screen 1,2 and 4. The Uptown to my knowledge has also done this for 1.85 AR movies. They really screwed up last year’s presentation of ‘Missing Link’ which was a scope movie, but side masked off the left and right sides of the image. For ‘Missing Link’, in April, there was no assigned seating but by the time I saw ‘The Lion King’ in July they had added seat numbers/assigning
Its AMC. They don’t use masking in any of their theatres.
In December, I enjoyed seeing Knives Out at the Uptown. Seating is now reserved! When did reserve seating start- they didn’t have it last December. And, the “flat” (not scope) movie was not matted/masked. I had not seen a flat movie at the Uptown in years. When did the theater stop matting flat movies?
Hello-
I thank everyone for replying to my post about Circus World’s roadshow run at this theater “in Cinerama”. its run of only 3 weeks still baffles me. did it not have any advance sale?
Per the Washington Post.. Circus World was running 11-17-64.. Lili ran 11-20-64 to 12-24-64.. Father Goose then ran 12-25-64 until 3-7-65.. The theatre was closed 3-8 & 3-9 then The Greatest Story Ever Told opened 3-1-65 with advance mail order ticket sales.
While I don’t have 100% of the data, the average run of CIRCUS WORLD was about 11 weeks. The Uptowns may have been the shortest.
There is a gap in Cinerama showings at the Uptown from 11/16/1964 – 3/8/1965. I have no idea what ran at the Uptown during that period.
Hello-
I did in fact ask the question a while back and I mean
a while back but it was kind of you to answer the question again. the one bit of info on the list that still has me scratching my head is the roadshow run of Circus World “in Cinerama” at this theater which lasted only 3 weeks. I admit it wasn’t exactly Oscar material but I watched an HD transfer on YouTube and thoroughly enjoyed its colorful hokey-ness. the film’s roadshow run “in Cinerama” in Manhattan lasted I think 14? weeks.
bigjoe59: Didn’t you ask this a while back? And, if I remember correctly, it was answered with a venue by venue breakdown of the roadshow bookings. Anyway, the answer you’re seeking can be found in the article Showcase Presentations in Washington, DC.