Just for the record, after the theatre became a 4-plex, it became a 7-plex with the extension added on the front of the building with 3 screens that kind of ruined the lobby. I believe this may have opened in 1984 because I think that area was still new when I saw Passage to India on one of those screens. And then I am pretty sure it became an 8-plex with the twinning of the upstairs balcony theatre, and the breaking up of the main screen by building 2 small auditoriums in one end of it was the final and most tragic act that turned it into a 10-plex but also reduced the size of the wonderful main downstairs screen. But definitely screens #5/6/7 in the new building pre-dated the additional subdividing of the original.
I saw Frost/Nixon there over New Year’s weekend, in no small part because it was playing at the Uptown. Decent crowd for a Sunday matinee, around 40 people with me in the balcony. But maybe they’re still waiting for that new bulb? The image seemed a little dim to me.
And I can confirm the “Closed” notation in the above lists for September 1996. Loews did do a remodel then; I remember how thrilled I was with the new sound system when I saw Ghost in teh Darkness after it reopened.
I’ve long thought it might be a nice idea to add a list of my Astor Plaza movies to the obituary I had done for the theatre (see May 25 2005 post for link thereto) so I totally appreciate the list of movies to have played the theatre. It just bums me that I couldn’t start attending regularly until 1986; how I’d have loved seeing some of the movies that played the joint in its earlier years. And getting back to the May 25 2005 comment on my obituary, I may be wrong on the block the RKO National was on, but the Roxy Deli at 47/B'Way still stands right beneath the grandfathered marquees for the entrance passage to the Movieland, and I’m near certain of that.
Just for the record, after the theatre became a 4-plex, it became a 7-plex with the extension added on the front of the building with 3 screens that kind of ruined the lobby. I believe this may have opened in 1984 because I think that area was still new when I saw Passage to India on one of those screens. And then I am pretty sure it became an 8-plex with the twinning of the upstairs balcony theatre, and the breaking up of the main screen by building 2 small auditoriums in one end of it was the final and most tragic act that turned it into a 10-plex but also reduced the size of the wonderful main downstairs screen. But definitely screens #5/6/7 in the new building pre-dated the additional subdividing of the original.
I saw Frost/Nixon there over New Year’s weekend, in no small part because it was playing at the Uptown. Decent crowd for a Sunday matinee, around 40 people with me in the balcony. But maybe they’re still waiting for that new bulb? The image seemed a little dim to me.
And I can confirm the “Closed” notation in the above lists for September 1996. Loews did do a remodel then; I remember how thrilled I was with the new sound system when I saw Ghost in teh Darkness after it reopened.
May 17, 2005 post; sorry.
I’ve long thought it might be a nice idea to add a list of my Astor Plaza movies to the obituary I had done for the theatre (see May 25 2005 post for link thereto) so I totally appreciate the list of movies to have played the theatre. It just bums me that I couldn’t start attending regularly until 1986; how I’d have loved seeing some of the movies that played the joint in its earlier years. And getting back to the May 25 2005 comment on my obituary, I may be wrong on the block the RKO National was on, but the Roxy Deli at 47/B'Way still stands right beneath the grandfathered marquees for the entrance passage to the Movieland, and I’m near certain of that.