The fitness/health club plans supposedly fell through because the company wanted to install an indoor swimming pool, and the town was against it. The latest I’m hearing is it might be another car dealership. … But it is all hearsay at this point.
Oh crap, I can’t believe I just heard today that this theater had closed! There is an article about it in today’s Record newspaper. I grew up in Elmwood Park and used to walk to this theater when I was a kid. Is the Hyway sign really gone? Had I known beforehand, I would’ve gone on closing night and seen a movie and snapped a few photos.
I, too, recently saw the graffiti on the marque but was hesitant to mention it in here. I figured most people would just rather reminisce about the theater’s good ol' days. That being said, the building has been sitting there for two years now; no one seems to be caring for it. Desecration was bound to happen.
I would love to see a timeline of this theater … as far as when it changed from one screen to two, from two to a triplex, from a triplex to a sevenplex, and so on …
I wish there was a Web site that had old photos of this theater from back in its glory days, aside from the ones already mentioned on this Web page. If anyone finds anything, please post the link here.
(Unrelated side not: Hey, Christophersepp, if you ever consider ditching that old Crash Line t-shirt, let me know. I’ll buy it from you. I collect old Devs T’s. ()
MikeP, can you repost the link to where you found that photo and all the others? I went back to what I thought was the original link, but I can’t find the photos.
At the AMC 16, I just saw The Simpons Movie in theater 4, the other day — my first-ever visit to the new AMC theaters. The screen looked pretty big to me. If theaters 1 and 2 have even bigger screens, that is pretty impressive.
That being said, I will still miss the old Tenplex. Too bad they didn’t keep it open and make it an art-film house or a second-run movie theater or even an IMAX.
Chris: I understand and respect your points. I have a very big stack of Devs ticket stubs myself — having gone to their games since they came here in 1982. And I myself liked going to see them at CAA too. I guess the main reason I am pro-Newark is because I feared that if they didn’t get that deal done, then the team would’ve eventually been sold and then moved out of state. And I would never want that to happen. I always liked the fact that there is a team that actually “wants” to play in New Jersey and, just as importanly, uses the New Jersey name (unlike the Giants, Jets, and now, ugh, Red Bulls). But I don’t want to bore everyone else in this forum with sports talk. If you’d like to continue this conversation, post a message at www.nj.com/forums/devils and I’ll gladly reply.
Now, back to the Tenplex, reading photoman1001’s post makes me long for the old days of 70mm and magnetic sound! I am proud to say that — even though the theater was not what it used to be — I was at the closing show in Theater 1, the latest Pirates of the Carribean movie. It was a nice night, even if a lot of the kids were just there to see the movie, not to reminisce.
I don’t see much of a correlation between the Devils' former situation at the Continental Airlines Arena (CAA) and the former situation at the Route 4 Tenplex. But I will say that I know that, aside from the people who live in Bergen County, it was not easy for a lot of fans to get to Devils games (or Nets games, for that matter) on a weeknight. Especially for those fans from Essex County and below. Sometimes we here in Bergen County don’t realize that there are a lot of proud Jersey supporters in those areas. People who want to root for a Jersey team. At least with the new Newark arena there is easy access to NJ Transit from all over. That is huge. Sure, being a Bergen County resident, it will be a longer trip for me. But I can understand why the team moved. They could’ve renovated the old CAA and still they would’ve struggled to fill the building on a weeknight. The owner wants to see the team be successful, not only in winning but monetarily too, and, being a Jersey guy himself, he wants to keep the team in the state. I support that. In Newark, the team will get most of the profits from concessions, parking, and the like — which is immensely important for a sports team in this day and age. That is in direct contrast to the setup at the Meadowlands, which is run by the state of NJ, which reaps most of those profits. And just because the arena is in Newark does not mean fans won’t come. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) does just fine there. There is security in those places. It is not like they build those arenas/theaters in the middle of the projects.
Now back to the Tenplex, being the major theater in Bergen County, as far as I knew, they were not hurting for customers. They just needed to update the place a little. As has been discussed in this forum previously, the sound system was kind of shabby compared to what it used to be. They also could have installed comfier seats. I was at the new AMC Garden 16, or whatever it is called, and those seats are nice! Plus they give you plenty of leg room. And the screens are huge and the sound system is booming, compared the the old theaters at the Tenplex. … Still though, i would rather they had fixed up the Tenplex.
I believe it was the city of Newark, not the state of New Jersey, that put a big chunk of its own money into the new arena. And as a NJ Devils fan, I hope it is a success — for both the team and the city. … Regarding New Jersey politicians not caring enough about the Tenplex or some other NJ landmarks, I agree. But then I guess we could go on for days talking about what is wrong with politics in NJ if we wanted to.
On my way home I stopped by the theater yet again and this time asked another guy if he knew anything about what will happen to the building. He didn’t know. When I asked him about the film equipment, projectors, and such, he said that AMC gave it to their other theaters — just as Justin and hotwaterbottle had surmised. I didn’t see the first guy there, or his truck, but maybe he only bought one film projector for his new theater in Upstate New York. I wish I had asked him what town it would be in. … I am not in this business, so I don’t know what other questions I could’ve asked. I am just a fan of the Tenplex. I will miss it.
I stopped over at the theater this afternoon, on my lunchbreak, and spoke with a gentleman who was loading up a Ryder moving truck with a combination of food-vendor machines and movie poster frames and other stuff. One of the popcorn machines wis sitting outside. I asked him if he knew what was going to happen to the building. He said he had heard that it was going to be torn down, but he wasn’t sure. He also said that he had bought the film projectors. (I don’t know if he meant all of the projectors.) I asked him if he owned a theater. He said he was opening one in Upstate New York. After that, his cell phone rang and I didn’t want to stick around and take up more of his time.
I work in an office building near the Tenplex, right off of the Route 4 East Forest Avenue exit, directly across from Shop Rite, and pass by the theater on my way to lunch every day. Yesterday I saw a U-Haul truck, albeit a small one, parked by the front doors. And today there was an 18-wheeler parked there, backed up to the front doors. I don’t know what they were moving. Maybe tomorrow I’ll stop over there and ask whoever is there what is going on.
Hey photoman1001, I meant no disrespect to the projectionists, believe me. Most all of my memories of the this theater are positive.
I can remember seeing films here where the walls literally shook in Theater One! But unfortunately, during these last few years, more often than not I had to strain to hear much of the dialogue.
You’re right, most people don’t know the mechanics of the film delivery system — including me! I’d like to learn more about it.
BTW, I’m the guy who emailed you the other day about the pictures. I can’t wait to see them!
I was there last night too to see Pirates in Theater One. And just as John J. Fink said (posted by John J. Fink on May 24, 2007 at 8:38pm), it was nice that the employee came into the auditorium and gave that little speech.
I grew up in Bergen County and have visited this theater many times. My first recollection of it was seeing the King Kong remake in 1976. I was 7 years old. I believe I watched the movie in the upstairs theater.
The next year, 1977, I saw Star Wars there in Theater One. My earliest memory of being in Theater One. The auditorium was jam-packed. Me and my two friends (I was 8 years old) had to sit a few rows in front of my parents because we couldn’t find five seats together. I always remembered that the screen was huge and the sound made the walls shake. But then I read Paul Bubny’s post on this page (posted by Paul Bubny on Dec 5, 2005 at 12:09pm), and it brought back a repressed memory. I too was at that showing of Star Wars when the film stopped during the scene where Luke, Leia, and Han were in the trash compactor! I can now recall that it took a few minutes before the film came back on and the sound wasn’t completely right for part of — but not the whole — movie.
I can also remember that back then there was another movie theater directly next this one, as MBD recalled in his post (posted by MBD on Oct 25, 2005 at 7:13am). He said it was called the Route 4 Cinema. I remember thinking how it was weird that there were two theaters, with different names and separate box offices, right next to each other! The only thing I remember about that other theater was that it was a twin (I think) and that I saw a movie called The Stuntman there in or around 1979.
Anyway, back to yesterday, I am glad I went to see a film there one last time, especially it being closing night and all. The crowd was young but polite (meaning: not a lot of talking). Sorry, I don’t mean to sound old, but I hate a lot of talking during a movie and cell phone noise, etc. But there was none of that last night, so it was good!
Unfortunately, as others have alluded to on this page, the sound system was not what it used to be back in the day. I had to struggle to hear some of the lines spoken.
But all in all it was a very enjoyable experience. I even took some pictures — which embarrassed my wife a little.
As I left, I took a look at the marquee and it said (all lit up) Thanks for the Memories 1965-2007. (As I drove by there on my way to work this morning, I saw that it still said that.)
I would love to see a timeline of this theater — when it changed from one screen to two, from two to a triplex, from a triplex to a sevenplex, and so on …
I remember seeing “The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh” here in April 1979. I was 10 years old.
Regarding the building itself, I’m hearing again that it’s going to be a 24-Hour Fitness Club.
The fitness/health club plans supposedly fell through because the company wanted to install an indoor swimming pool, and the town was against it. The latest I’m hearing is it might be another car dealership. … But it is all hearsay at this point.
Oh crap, I can’t believe I just heard today that this theater had closed! There is an article about it in today’s Record newspaper. I grew up in Elmwood Park and used to walk to this theater when I was a kid. Is the Hyway sign really gone? Had I known beforehand, I would’ve gone on closing night and seen a movie and snapped a few photos.
I, too, recently saw the graffiti on the marque but was hesitant to mention it in here. I figured most people would just rather reminisce about the theater’s good ol' days. That being said, the building has been sitting there for two years now; no one seems to be caring for it. Desecration was bound to happen.
I would love to see a timeline of this theater … as far as when it changed from one screen to two, from two to a triplex, from a triplex to a sevenplex, and so on …
I wish there was a Web site that had old photos of this theater from back in its glory days, aside from the ones already mentioned on this Web page. If anyone finds anything, please post the link here.
(Unrelated side not: Hey, Christophersepp, if you ever consider ditching that old Crash Line t-shirt, let me know. I’ll buy it from you. I collect old Devs T’s. ()
Hmm, Vornado is overseeing that whole makeover of the Bergen Mall as well as a few other buildings in that area.
MikeP, can you repost the link to where you found that photo and all the others? I went back to what I thought was the original link, but I can’t find the photos.
Thanks for the tip on the Menlo Park 12, MikeP. I’ll have to check it out sometime.
24 Hour Fitness.
I recently heard that a huge health club is going to go up on this property.
At the AMC 16, I just saw The Simpons Movie in theater 4, the other day — my first-ever visit to the new AMC theaters. The screen looked pretty big to me. If theaters 1 and 2 have even bigger screens, that is pretty impressive.
That being said, I will still miss the old Tenplex. Too bad they didn’t keep it open and make it an art-film house or a second-run movie theater or even an IMAX.
Chris: I understand and respect your points. I have a very big stack of Devs ticket stubs myself — having gone to their games since they came here in 1982. And I myself liked going to see them at CAA too. I guess the main reason I am pro-Newark is because I feared that if they didn’t get that deal done, then the team would’ve eventually been sold and then moved out of state. And I would never want that to happen. I always liked the fact that there is a team that actually “wants” to play in New Jersey and, just as importanly, uses the New Jersey name (unlike the Giants, Jets, and now, ugh, Red Bulls). But I don’t want to bore everyone else in this forum with sports talk. If you’d like to continue this conversation, post a message at www.nj.com/forums/devils and I’ll gladly reply.
Now, back to the Tenplex, reading photoman1001’s post makes me long for the old days of 70mm and magnetic sound! I am proud to say that — even though the theater was not what it used to be — I was at the closing show in Theater 1, the latest Pirates of the Carribean movie. It was a nice night, even if a lot of the kids were just there to see the movie, not to reminisce.
I don’t see much of a correlation between the Devils' former situation at the Continental Airlines Arena (CAA) and the former situation at the Route 4 Tenplex. But I will say that I know that, aside from the people who live in Bergen County, it was not easy for a lot of fans to get to Devils games (or Nets games, for that matter) on a weeknight. Especially for those fans from Essex County and below. Sometimes we here in Bergen County don’t realize that there are a lot of proud Jersey supporters in those areas. People who want to root for a Jersey team. At least with the new Newark arena there is easy access to NJ Transit from all over. That is huge. Sure, being a Bergen County resident, it will be a longer trip for me. But I can understand why the team moved. They could’ve renovated the old CAA and still they would’ve struggled to fill the building on a weeknight. The owner wants to see the team be successful, not only in winning but monetarily too, and, being a Jersey guy himself, he wants to keep the team in the state. I support that. In Newark, the team will get most of the profits from concessions, parking, and the like — which is immensely important for a sports team in this day and age. That is in direct contrast to the setup at the Meadowlands, which is run by the state of NJ, which reaps most of those profits. And just because the arena is in Newark does not mean fans won’t come. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) does just fine there. There is security in those places. It is not like they build those arenas/theaters in the middle of the projects.
Now back to the Tenplex, being the major theater in Bergen County, as far as I knew, they were not hurting for customers. They just needed to update the place a little. As has been discussed in this forum previously, the sound system was kind of shabby compared to what it used to be. They also could have installed comfier seats. I was at the new AMC Garden 16, or whatever it is called, and those seats are nice! Plus they give you plenty of leg room. And the screens are huge and the sound system is booming, compared the the old theaters at the Tenplex. … Still though, i would rather they had fixed up the Tenplex.
I believe it was the city of Newark, not the state of New Jersey, that put a big chunk of its own money into the new arena. And as a NJ Devils fan, I hope it is a success — for both the team and the city. … Regarding New Jersey politicians not caring enough about the Tenplex or some other NJ landmarks, I agree. But then I guess we could go on for days talking about what is wrong with politics in NJ if we wanted to.
The building’s windows were boarded up over the last few days. I first noticed it on Friday July 20.
On my way home I stopped by the theater yet again and this time asked another guy if he knew anything about what will happen to the building. He didn’t know. When I asked him about the film equipment, projectors, and such, he said that AMC gave it to their other theaters — just as Justin and hotwaterbottle had surmised. I didn’t see the first guy there, or his truck, but maybe he only bought one film projector for his new theater in Upstate New York. I wish I had asked him what town it would be in. … I am not in this business, so I don’t know what other questions I could’ve asked. I am just a fan of the Tenplex. I will miss it.
I stopped over at the theater this afternoon, on my lunchbreak, and spoke with a gentleman who was loading up a Ryder moving truck with a combination of food-vendor machines and movie poster frames and other stuff. One of the popcorn machines wis sitting outside. I asked him if he knew what was going to happen to the building. He said he had heard that it was going to be torn down, but he wasn’t sure. He also said that he had bought the film projectors. (I don’t know if he meant all of the projectors.) I asked him if he owned a theater. He said he was opening one in Upstate New York. After that, his cell phone rang and I didn’t want to stick around and take up more of his time.
I work in an office building near the Tenplex, right off of the Route 4 East Forest Avenue exit, directly across from Shop Rite, and pass by the theater on my way to lunch every day. Yesterday I saw a U-Haul truck, albeit a small one, parked by the front doors. And today there was an 18-wheeler parked there, backed up to the front doors. I don’t know what they were moving. Maybe tomorrow I’ll stop over there and ask whoever is there what is going on.
Hey photoman1001, I meant no disrespect to the projectionists, believe me. Most all of my memories of the this theater are positive.
I can remember seeing films here where the walls literally shook in Theater One! But unfortunately, during these last few years, more often than not I had to strain to hear much of the dialogue.
You’re right, most people don’t know the mechanics of the film delivery system — including me! I’d like to learn more about it.
BTW, I’m the guy who emailed you the other day about the pictures. I can’t wait to see them!
I was there last night too to see Pirates in Theater One. And just as John J. Fink said (posted by John J. Fink on May 24, 2007 at 8:38pm), it was nice that the employee came into the auditorium and gave that little speech.
I grew up in Bergen County and have visited this theater many times. My first recollection of it was seeing the King Kong remake in 1976. I was 7 years old. I believe I watched the movie in the upstairs theater.
The next year, 1977, I saw Star Wars there in Theater One. My earliest memory of being in Theater One. The auditorium was jam-packed. Me and my two friends (I was 8 years old) had to sit a few rows in front of my parents because we couldn’t find five seats together. I always remembered that the screen was huge and the sound made the walls shake. But then I read Paul Bubny’s post on this page (posted by Paul Bubny on Dec 5, 2005 at 12:09pm), and it brought back a repressed memory. I too was at that showing of Star Wars when the film stopped during the scene where Luke, Leia, and Han were in the trash compactor! I can now recall that it took a few minutes before the film came back on and the sound wasn’t completely right for part of — but not the whole — movie.
I can also remember that back then there was another movie theater directly next this one, as MBD recalled in his post (posted by MBD on Oct 25, 2005 at 7:13am). He said it was called the Route 4 Cinema. I remember thinking how it was weird that there were two theaters, with different names and separate box offices, right next to each other! The only thing I remember about that other theater was that it was a twin (I think) and that I saw a movie called The Stuntman there in or around 1979.
Anyway, back to yesterday, I am glad I went to see a film there one last time, especially it being closing night and all. The crowd was young but polite (meaning: not a lot of talking). Sorry, I don’t mean to sound old, but I hate a lot of talking during a movie and cell phone noise, etc. But there was none of that last night, so it was good!
Unfortunately, as others have alluded to on this page, the sound system was not what it used to be back in the day. I had to struggle to hear some of the lines spoken.
But all in all it was a very enjoyable experience. I even took some pictures — which embarrassed my wife a little.
As I left, I took a look at the marquee and it said (all lit up) Thanks for the Memories 1965-2007. (As I drove by there on my way to work this morning, I saw that it still said that.)
I would love to see a timeline of this theater — when it changed from one screen to two, from two to a triplex, from a triplex to a sevenplex, and so on …