SIFF Cinema Downtown

Hello from NYC-

to MSC77. NYC is a big city comprised of five boroughs. but if one eliminates all the neighborhood theaters in the other four boroughs Manhattan alone had countless theaters. but if we narrow our search to just the 1st run theaters that have existed in Manhattan that’s still a hell of a lot of theaters. my question being simple. when I clicked om “all theaters” for Seattle all that comes up is five theaters. you mean in the entire history OF Seattle there have only been 5 movie theaters?

I have seen a regular movie at the Cinerama, a silent movie at the Paramount, and had a quick tour of the Fifth Avenue…

The Seattle Cinerama has closed for renovations—suddenly it seems, and someone tweeted that the staff was laid off without much notice. According to the Seattle Times article renovations include “new carpet, general wear-and-tear refurbishment, and an overhaul to the kitchen, which will allow the theater to expand its food offerings.” Makes me wonder if they’re going to expand the lobby.

As to when it will reopen: “The Vulcan rep declined to give a specific date for the theater’s reopening, saying only that Cinerama would be back in business ‘later this year ahead of the year’s biggest films.’” Sounds like Vulcan is being vague on purpose, as that could mean ahead of the summer releases, or the end of year awards-driven output.

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/seattles-cinerama-to-close-for-renovations/

I agree the 3-projector original Cinerama is in a class by itself when it comes to putting the audience in the picture. Of all the Cinerama installations I have viewed, the Cooper circular auditoriums were the most effective. Both the Minneapolis and Omaha Cooper Cineramas were torn down years ago. They featured floor to ceiling screens and 3 individual projection booths at the rear of the steeply raked main floor. Their shallow balconies placed viewers in the action unlike the balcony and rear of the main floor at Seattle Cinerama, which is quite distant from the screen. The Los Angeles Cinerama Dome screen has a noticeable tilt to accommodate the steep projection angle from the booth at its rear. We have yet to build a theatre where today’s audiences can see Cinerama at its best.

Is it true that this theater is the most profitable theater in Seattle?

The Cinerama hasn’t been a true Cinerama for at least the past five years. The giant, signature screen has been replaced with a shorter flat one and only single projection is used. On the plus side, they do periodically run 70 mm engagements and the digital presentations are state of the art. It would be great to have the Cinerama screen restored.

In anticipation of “Blade Runner 2049” opening Thu., Oct 5, Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner: The Final Cut 4K Restoration” will get an exclusive one-week engagement @ Seattle Cinerama beginning Fri., Sept. 29. Three to four shows daily through Wed., Oct. 4. Lobby display cases will feature original BR costumes and a cyberpunk event will kick off opening night. More info @ https://www.cinerama.com/Movie.aspx?fc=5106000440&day=19976

Seattle Cinerama’s annual 70mm Film Festival takes place August 24-Sept 6. For films, dates and showtimes visit https://www.cinerama.com/News/July-2017/Announcing-70mm-Film-Festival.aspx

It was only the flat screen, but still very impressive (best showing of the festival, at least of what I saw). Our boys depicted shredding through mud and snow, tank treads and mechanized juggernauts, the high-tech war rooms, wide landscapes with countless explosions, cool uniforms everywhere, and the general’s pageant-like entry into Palermo. It was like no widescreen spectacle I’ve seen before. Very modern and gritty but also epic and stunning at the same time. I think that there was some chatter on Facebook about why the theatre didn’t bring out their curved screen (logistics or money or something like that). But now that I’ve read your note, I wish, of course, that they would have. The Cinerama-Hollywood ONLY uses their curved.

My two-part article on the Seattle Cinerama has been published online, and thought both to be of interest to the folks here.

Part 1, titled “Seattle’s 70mm Film Festival Triumphs and Travails”, is a behind the scenes look that includes answers to some of the issues raised in this forum. The challenges in obtaining 70mm prints are not isolated to this one venue or festival; in this age of instant digital gratification through various formats it’s easy to forget that many titles for 70mm films may be in poor condition if they exist at all—though salvation may still be possible from exhibitors investing in striking new 70mm prints.

The Seattle Cinerama had done that with “2001: A Space Odyssey” for a festival run in 2014. The issue of variety is valid but to address one poster’s concern, sitting through a damaged, faded print years ago will be surpassed by viewing a newer, more pristine print. There are some of us who can, believe it or not, sit through certain movies many times as most of us lack a gigantic screen in a cavernous room at home to accommodate 70mm and matching surround sound. For me when the 1998 restoration of “Vertigo” in 70mm is shown there I don’t think twice about whether I should see it. I can’t duplicate this experience at home, and one day it might not be available at all.

The movie being viewed is only part of the equation, with the other being the theatre itself. “Saving the Seattle Cinerama: Paul Allen’s Gift to Movie Lovers” covers how a billionaire valued history and culture over what could have been a far more profitable (and for some, obvious) quick property investment. This conclusion covers how the Cinerama process and futuristic vibe of the Seattle World’s fair spawned the theater that first featured that process, and how it became the stellar movie palace it is today.

Here are the links to the articles. As a longtime denizen and supporter of this site I hope the readers here enjoy these articles.

Part 1 (70mm Festival): http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/13/70mm-film-festival-seattle-part-1/

Part 2 (History of Cinerama, the process and the theatre): http://somethingelsereviews.com/2016/09/14/saving-the-seattle-cinerama-paul-allen/

The J. Evan Miller collection of Cinerama Theater Plans lists six Martin Cinerama houses, including the one in Seattle, as having been designed by the architectural firm of Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild, & Paschal. It’s likely that Raymond H.Pack was only the local supervising architect for the project, FABRAP being located in Atlanta.

so have any of you Seattle folk been to see the new Hunger Games movie? how does the new laser image look? how does the Dolby Atmos setup sound? How are the speakers configured since there is balcony seating? I’m thinking of trekking out to see the last Hobbit movie here.

The Cinerama plays day and date with AMC and Regal multiplexes less than a mile away and also the 21+ Big Picture screening room a few blocks away. The next Hunger Games will play one at one of the multiplexes on several screens and likely and the Big Picture as well. So the seat reduction is not too big a deal. I have rarely seen it sell out. The added legroom will probably increase ticket sales even with a reduced seat count (as it has for AMC). Adding beer and wine will also certainly add revenue and ticket sales as well.

I only wish it had opened in time to play Interstellar in 5/70. Hopefully they will get a print for one of their 70mm festivals (if they kept the equipment!!!)