Movieworld Douglaston

br91975 on November 2, 2004 at 11:00 am

There are plenty of chains that do a shoddy job (or worse) of maintaining their theatres in general, but are there any chains that, in the opinion of anyone who’ll read this, do a good-to-great job of keeping their properties in excellent condition (i.e., sightlines, physical maintenance, projection quality, guest services, etc.)? My personal vote goes to Landmark Theatres. Through different ownerships, they’ve always represented, in my opinion, the ideal moviegoing experience in these modern times, certainly with the venues I’ve been to (the Sunshine; the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge, Ma.; the Century Centre Cinemas in Chicago; and the NuArt in LA). What chain, if any, would earn your pull of the lever?

sethbook on November 2, 2004 at 9:43 am

This is a dreadful cinema experience. The theatres have been allowed to run down horribly. Rips in carpeting, etc. Horrible, uncomfortable seating. Last movie I saw there was Chicago in 2003. There are six small theatres that make you realize why multiplexes had such a bad name in the 1980s, and one big theatre for the “hit.” Here’s what I wrote about it in the late 1990s.

It is a shame that this theatre has not once benefitted from any sort of renovation since it opened probably twenty years ago. Built during a time when multiplexes were openly contemptuous of the moviegoer, aging has made it the Hag of Multiplexes.

Like many multiplexes, there is one large auditorium, and then smaller ones. And then one very small one that is barely fit. A lot of this is to be expected. However, the Douglaston Movieworld also features ripped carpets barely held together with electrical tape, appalling rest rooms with horrible odors and no toilet paper, and an overall derilect appearance. If you are in the car already, it might not be a bad idea to keep going on the LIE in either direction in search of more suitable surroundings. The seats are also uncomfortable, as a recent screening of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil proved.

Considering the posh surroundings of Douglaston and Little Neck, you really feel like you are in a horrible Time Square theatre, before Disney took over and made everything “safe for families.”

fred1 on October 19, 2004 at 2:55 am

it is run by the same people who own the movieworld cinemas in coram and mastic ny