It’s not entirely correct to say that the building was demolished. There is a completely new building on the site, but in order to take advantage of some zoning loophole they had to keep and then build up from most of the original steel superstructure. So of you walk into the candy store from Seventh Avenue you are walking in the exact same entranceway as the Embassy used, the candy store itself is still mostly in the footprint of the Embassy Two, and the exit on to 47th Street — well, it might be the same as the fire exit for the Embassy Two, but I don’t want to swear to that. I don’t want to say the theater wasn’t demolished, but also, this site probably has theatres that are considered as still being around that have less of the theatre left than you can find here.
The more or less definitive history, based on reviewing all the photos and my experience seeing movies there, my first at the location in 1977. Original theatre opens. Per ad in photos, the Cinema is then built directly next to the Theatre. The big Route 4 Theatre, the Route 4 Cinema in its shadow as a second screen. Becomes a triplex, and then a quad, with the Theatre being an upstairs/downstairs and the Cinema divided down the middle. I don’t know which of those happened first, but that was the configuration in 1977. An up and a down, and two side by side. Screens 5 6 7 were new construction. As you walked in these were to the left, between the older buildings and the parking lot. And then the original building was further divided, first dividing the balcony into two theatres to make 8 screens, and then taking the left section of the main downstairs theatre and dividing into a top of the rake and a bottom of the rake. If you are looking at the photos of the original single screen auditorium, the aisle on stage left is the center aisle of the main screen, and the area to the right of the other aisle a front and back screen.
New screens 9 and 11 are now open. According to the capacity signs - 8-68, 9-49, 10-67, 11-35, 12-53: for a total of 272 more seats in 5 screens when all are in operation.
This link showed up in the Chicago Showplace https://www.indiewire.com/news/box-office/kerasotes-theater-chain-closes-115-years-in-business-1235021814/
from Larry Wilson. The Showplace chain founded by the Kerasotes family which started in exhibition in 1909 sold off what it could in recent weeks and then closed what was left.
New reclining seats, same narrow width. Not much room for one’s elbows. If you have people on either side and then move the table towards you it’s something like being strapped into a high chair. By middle of next week six of the original screens will be back in service with #5 just about done and #4 not far behind. I was told sometime in July for the expansion to be completed.
“ We’ll be closing our doors from 2/05 - 2/06 to kickstart a massive renovation, including premium leather recliners, upgraded projectors, more bathrooms, and a massive 5-auditorium expansion to give you more movies and more awesome events”
Yikes! My first visit here in over thirty years, and it is so rundown and neglected and feels ready to blow away in the next big storm. It is in some ways better than I remembered, because the eighties sloped floor multiplex auditoria (opened in early 1990s but design very much of the 1980s) with their aging squeaking seats and the aisles down the center do at least have decent size screens, and they were filling some seats on a slow December weekend, but Manhattan deserves better than for this rundown multiplex to be the only option north of 60th Street and East of Central Park.
The new 4DX is coming along. Screen 12 is still closed, but a wall was removed since last visit and a Pepsi 4DX sign is visible at the entrance. I probably could’ve stepped over/around the rope and taken a peek inside on Sunday.
Visited for the first time in a while to see a movie on the RPX. Which is, per prior comment, now much better for wide screen, 21 of my paces across. Comfortable with wide seats and legroom and bigger screen than across the street, and I may choose this RPX over the Empire’s Dolby Cinema moving forward. But hardly anyone coming, 25 people here for first night of a movie that had much larger crowds across the street. The place is mostly open but also mostly a construction zone with almost all of the David Rockwell interior for the Loews days now destroyed. Concession stand a work in progress. Some screens which still have carpeting from the old days. Screen 12 was closed off.
Noticed a thank you to the owner of the theater in the end credits of Shortcomings. Anyone know if this was used for some of the “Berkeley” movie theatre scenes in the movie?
So I guess I got to see markp in the booth when I did my Barbenheimer on Saturday. Glad there is still a 70mm screen in Paramus, which was the closest place for it to where I grew up. Couldn’t believe how immense the Dolby Cinema screen is for a flat movie. Fifty feet tall? Sixty? Huge.
they still haven’t finished the RPX renovation. Considering how across the street everyone goes first to buy IMAX, Prime and Dolby tickets at the Empire, why don’t they want to finish their RPX renovation? They haven’t been selling 13 screens not in months but in years. I just clicked every Regal location in New Jersey as a decent sample size, and all of them have showings for dates after March 30. This is as close to going week by week as you can get.
The escalator to Cinema One was finally in use fkr 80 For Brady. It could have been running by the end of 2022 except that it took three or four months for the city to inspect after the actual work had been completed.
is it closing? tickets still listed for sale many months from now, Is it possible that Regal filed to reject the lease in order to escape deferred rents from the pandemic, after which a new lease comes into effect?
This used to be an in place to see a movie. I did a comment Dec 2021 that I didn’t see the appeal of coming here when the close by AMCs had nice recliners, and when I occasionally checked the seating availability for movies opening here and Lincoln Square over the last several months did some double takes how few advance seats were being sold here vs for Lincoln Square. I am both surprised and not surprised that it is closing. Ironically, Regal website has showtimes for sale here well into the future while the eWalk only until March 2,
It’s not entirely correct to say that the building was demolished. There is a completely new building on the site, but in order to take advantage of some zoning loophole they had to keep and then build up from most of the original steel superstructure. So of you walk into the candy store from Seventh Avenue you are walking in the exact same entranceway as the Embassy used, the candy store itself is still mostly in the footprint of the Embassy Two, and the exit on to 47th Street — well, it might be the same as the fire exit for the Embassy Two, but I don’t want to swear to that. I don’t want to say the theater wasn’t demolished, but also, this site probably has theatres that are considered as still being around that have less of the theatre left than you can find here.
Took in a movie at the venue this month, and thank you to DavidSimpson because I quite enjoyed looking over the photo display
added a current photo of building
The more or less definitive history, based on reviewing all the photos and my experience seeing movies there, my first at the location in 1977. Original theatre opens. Per ad in photos, the Cinema is then built directly next to the Theatre. The big Route 4 Theatre, the Route 4 Cinema in its shadow as a second screen. Becomes a triplex, and then a quad, with the Theatre being an upstairs/downstairs and the Cinema divided down the middle. I don’t know which of those happened first, but that was the configuration in 1977. An up and a down, and two side by side. Screens 5 6 7 were new construction. As you walked in these were to the left, between the older buildings and the parking lot. And then the original building was further divided, first dividing the balcony into two theatres to make 8 screens, and then taking the left section of the main downstairs theatre and dividing into a top of the rake and a bottom of the rake. If you are looking at the photos of the original single screen auditorium, the aisle on stage left is the center aisle of the main screen, and the area to the right of the other aisle a front and back screen.
New screens 9 and 11 are now open. According to the capacity signs - 8-68, 9-49, 10-67, 11-35, 12-53: for a total of 272 more seats in 5 screens when all are in operation.
This link showed up in the Chicago Showplace https://www.indiewire.com/news/box-office/kerasotes-theater-chain-closes-115-years-in-business-1235021814/ from Larry Wilson. The Showplace chain founded by the Kerasotes family which started in exhibition in 1909 sold off what it could in recent weeks and then closed what was left.
New reclining seats, same narrow width. Not much room for one’s elbows. If you have people on either side and then move the table towards you it’s something like being strapped into a high chair. By middle of next week six of the original screens will be back in service with #5 just about done and #4 not far behind. I was told sometime in July for the expansion to be completed.
they been building away! Added photo of what’s there now.
“ We’ll be closing our doors from 2/05 - 2/06 to kickstart a massive renovation, including premium leather recliners, upgraded projectors, more bathrooms, and a massive 5-auditorium expansion to give you more movies and more awesome events”
Two day closure on Feb 5 and 6 as part of what the email from Alamo says is a five screen expansion.
Yikes! My first visit here in over thirty years, and it is so rundown and neglected and feels ready to blow away in the next big storm. It is in some ways better than I remembered, because the eighties sloped floor multiplex auditoria (opened in early 1990s but design very much of the 1980s) with their aging squeaking seats and the aisles down the center do at least have decent size screens, and they were filling some seats on a slow December weekend, but Manhattan deserves better than for this rundown multiplex to be the only option north of 60th Street and East of Central Park.
added photo of the new 4DX in Screen 12. Not yet open but looks like it will be for the busy holiday season.
The new 4DX is coming along. Screen 12 is still closed, but a wall was removed since last visit and a Pepsi 4DX sign is visible at the entrance. I probably could’ve stepped over/around the rope and taken a peek inside on Sunday.
Visited for the first time in a while to see a movie on the RPX. Which is, per prior comment, now much better for wide screen, 21 of my paces across. Comfortable with wide seats and legroom and bigger screen than across the street, and I may choose this RPX over the Empire’s Dolby Cinema moving forward. But hardly anyone coming, 25 people here for first night of a movie that had much larger crowds across the street. The place is mostly open but also mostly a construction zone with almost all of the David Rockwell interior for the Loews days now destroyed. Concession stand a work in progress. Some screens which still have carpeting from the old days. Screen 12 was closed off.
https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/bow_tie_movie_theater
closing in two weeks
only showtimes for 8 screens on Saturday and Sunday. Any chance they’re doing refurbishment?
Noticed a thank you to the owner of the theater in the end credits of Shortcomings. Anyone know if this was used for some of the “Berkeley” movie theatre scenes in the movie?
Right now more accurately a 15 screen, since the VR area built in the Theatre 1 space doesn’t appear to be a thing any more,
So I guess I got to see markp in the booth when I did my Barbenheimer on Saturday. Glad there is still a 70mm screen in Paramus, which was the closest place for it to where I grew up. Couldn’t believe how immense the Dolby Cinema screen is for a flat movie. Fifty feet tall? Sixty? Huge.
Article in June 30 issue of Newsday said all sorts of permitting issues found during inspection, and reopening delayed indefinitely.
they still haven’t finished the RPX renovation. Considering how across the street everyone goes first to buy IMAX, Prime and Dolby tickets at the Empire, why don’t they want to finish their RPX renovation? They haven’t been selling 13 screens not in months but in years. I just clicked every Regal location in New Jersey as a decent sample size, and all of them have showings for dates after March 30. This is as close to going week by week as you can get.
There are no showtimes on sale after March 16. There were showtimes on sale for later dates just a few days ago. So…
The escalator to Cinema One was finally in use fkr 80 For Brady. It could have been running by the end of 2022 except that it took three or four months for the city to inspect after the actual work had been completed.
is it closing? tickets still listed for sale many months from now, Is it possible that Regal filed to reject the lease in order to escape deferred rents from the pandemic, after which a new lease comes into effect?
This used to be an in place to see a movie. I did a comment Dec 2021 that I didn’t see the appeal of coming here when the close by AMCs had nice recliners, and when I occasionally checked the seating availability for movies opening here and Lincoln Square over the last several months did some double takes how few advance seats were being sold here vs for Lincoln Square. I am both surprised and not surprised that it is closing. Ironically, Regal website has showtimes for sale here well into the future while the eWalk only until March 2,