Cinepolis Chelsea Cinemas

All screens are open, now reserved seating. Still doing final touches on the exterior. Main refreshment stand open. My only problem is they moved the screen higher so only the last row in the handicap is good unless you don’t mind looking up. Bow Tie shoud of not raised the screens. Also, people don’t sit in their assign seats as I noticed during matinees. I look at what seats are sold and people not sitting were their supose to sit. It’s going to be a problem when shows are sold out.

Lower tier. Attended a matinee of “Godzilla” today. 15 minutes after the scheduled 10:00am start time the movie still hadn’t begun – just a Bow Tie slide on screen with music. I tracked down one of the janitors upstairs to let them know, and a couple of minutes later the movie started (thankfully they skipped the trailers). Picture OK, sound adequate but not what I’d anticipated. But then a couple minutes before the film’s presumed ending, the picture and sound just stopped, as if the DCP had gone offline. With no one else around, I told the manager downstairs, who seemed surprised (“Shut down?”). Even if they were to show the director’s cut of “Greed,” I will never go back here.

This incident did not take place at the theatre. It happened on the street a block away after the couple left the theatre.

Saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” here Saturday night (Feb. 4, 2012). The theater is decently maintained. The theater we saw the movie in was #9. Ok size but the projection was excellent and the usher played “host” for the audience announcing the film’s director and his credits (nice touch) and asking that no one use a cellphone or other devices (nice touch to do this personally rather than through a screen presentation request). I have a trouble with these “stacked” theaters in the city, though. I know that it is likely the only way to handle this but the schlep up all those elevators is an odd experience and it felt “lonely” at first because the floors were so under populated (but the theater was packed). Compare this to a place out in the ‘burbs like Paramus’ theater and the experience is completely different. Lastly, I have to agree with some of folks posting for this theater that I was mightily impressed by the behavior of the audience. Not a single cell phone out during the movie, no one talking. Nice.

Who was this sold to?

A few years back, the Chelsea Cinemas were sold and rumors were rampant that the multiplex would be razed for an apartment tower or hotel. Well, the Chelsea Cinemas have been flipped again. This time for $35MM. Rumors are flying once again. This theater was the last multiplex built in Manhattan before stadium seating. Though I’m sure it does well, it will now be expected to do even better to justify the new sales price. My guess is that this theater’s days are numbered.

thebrat, can you tell us what Dolby EGYPT and Dolby RAIN mean? Are these Dolby promo ads we should have noticed/remembered?

Good news Mets fans….Mets at the Movies will be showing at this theater.

I went to see The Poseidon Adventure as part of there Classic series on Sat night at 10pm.Had a BLAST! Great to see My favorite film back on the big screen. About 100 people were in attendance and they roared with applause when Shelly Winters jumped into the water to save Gene Hackman. Im going to write about the experience on my blogmovie website View link

chuck

I just saw two movies here on Sunday — the renovation is really charming, and for a nine screen cinema it is very cozy. Nice couches and tables on each level for socializing, and big screens, bright picture and clear sound made this a lovely experience. Even the closed snack bars on the upper level had accent lighting on. Craig and his staff have every reason to be proud of this house.

Jesus Christ… I realize I’m stating the obvious, but real estate developers truly know no limits. I swear they’d give serious thought to selling their own children if someone offered them enough money…

Chelsea Cinema Shocker…….

According to this weeks issue of The Real Deal, the real estate industry’s bible, Chelsea Cinemas is in contract to be sold and will most likely be torn down for a hotel leaving Chelsea without a nabe theater.

The quote is as follows: “Chelsea Cinemas could close soon. A hotelier is in contract to buy the nine-screen cinema, according to Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail leasing and sales division at Prudential Douglas Elliman, who is working with the hotelier.

Consolo would not reveal the identity of the developer or the asking price for the space, which is owned by Mutual Redevelopment Houses Inc. She said her client is interested in building a boutique hotel of up to 10 stories, hoping to capitalize on the gallery-going crowd.

This would leave area residents with three options for nearby theaters. The Regal Union Square (which I think is the worst multiplex in Manhattan), the Loews 19th Street and the Loews 34th St.

The Chelsea Cinemas was not a palace in any form of the word, and until the recent renovations, I would have called it a dump. The renovations, however, did make it more more enjoyable to see a movie here and if I still lived in the neighborhood I would miss it, but I always preferred Loews 34th St and the theaters of 42nd St.