Lots of great ideas! Thanks everyone. I’m definitely going to the Zeigfeld. I’m going to do a bit more research about the guided tour at the Radio City music hall.
Bob, why are you posting the same thing for many different theaters? I don’t think Jerry Lewis was able to clone himself and appear at 10 or so theaters on the same day.
Yes, you are right! I was thinking of the Variety Theater at West 117th and Lorain. I grew up right in that area (my childhood house was on Fortune Ave., a 5 minute walk from that location).
A friendly request, can we keep the political discussions off of here? I don’t think discussing the merits of whether fox is real news has anything to do with movie theaters.
The day and date idea is probably going away very soon unless there is some fundamental changes in how these films are distributed. Most people agree that there is something special and unique about the actual movie going experience, getting your popcorn and soda and seeing a film on the big screen with a room full of strangers. When you give customers the option to first experience a film in any medium, you are undermining the theater going experience.
If people want to be the very first to own a DVD of a brand new release of a film while it is still in theatrical production, they should have to pay a high premium for that. I wouldn’t mind if movie studios made a very limited number of DVD copies available and charged 3 or 4 times what the “after theatrical release” price would be. That way, people would still have an incentive to see movies during their theatrical releases and diehard fans could pay for the privelidge of being the first to own the movie.
Blockbuster films need time for word of mouth marketing and that time is built up during the theatrical run. When you allow a movie to go to all mediums, you kill off any hope that the movie will achieve a large word of mouth/ cult following. Movie studios will realize soon that they need theaters to be the exclusive home of the new release.
Its still $2?! I remember going there as a kid to see movies that were a bit “old” at the time (3 or 4 weeks out of theatrical release) for that price. Its good to know it is still alive and kicking and they haven’t upped their price in years!
I’ve been living in Boston now for nearly 10 years and I’m sad to hear this place has died. I have many memories of taking the bus to the mall and seeing movies on a Saturday while I was in high school.
I remember it being a typical mall theater, nothing very fancy, but it was home!
I went to the Loew’s Boston Common tonight and it still has the giant “Loews Theatre” sign out front. Also, the ticket stub still has “Loews Boston Common” printed on it.
I believe the building was taken over by a local private high school who used it as classroom space. I remember seeing “Max Dugan Returns” there in the late 70s or early 80s. I think it was the first movie I ever saw at a theater!
There will always be a certain market niche for the theater going experience. If the window of time between the theatrical release and the DVD release shrinks, there will still be those who want to see the film in a theater. I happen to like to see movies in a theater with a group of strangers and there are many people who do as well.
Thanks for your quick response Ian! If you don’t mind me asking, I’m curious how much revenue is generated by the concerts and live events as compared to the movies? (not the actual dollar amounts, but percentage wise). The ticket prices at the Somerville are very reasonable for the area, and some times I’ve gone there, the attendence was very low. I hope that having those live events and concerts help generate the extra revenue to keep the place going strong!
Every time I’ve seen a film in the Pullman Square Theatre, I’ve been thankful for the comfort (especially leg room), clear view and great audio
I hear things like this all of the time, but that does not at all make up for character and soul! The big megaplexes have a place, sure, but there is something also special about seeing a movie in a theater that has character and charm.
I’m sorry to hear about the closing of another grand historic cinema. They are dying all across the country.
I’m part of the fundraising committee for the Brattle and have been working hard to see to it that the Brattle does not have to close.
As of the beginning of 2006, the Brattle has raised $200,000 and has a lease extension of 1 year. In order to be negotiate a long term lease, the Brattle will need to raise $300,000 more this year.
If you are in the Boston area, check out the Brattle webpage for future fundraising events.
Thanks for posting that webpage! I live about a 10 minute walk away from the Somerville Theater and am there fairly often. Has there been any talk about maybe using one of the screens to play older or more “arthouse” kinds of movies? The Somerville Theater mostly plays second runs of theatrical releases, it would be very cool if some more types of movies were programmed!
On February 16th, the Brattle celebrated its 55th anniversary as a movie theater!
There is a great way to help the brattle, just by searching! Check out this link:
http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=812588
Lots of great ideas! Thanks everyone. I’m definitely going to the Zeigfeld. I’m going to do a bit more research about the guided tour at the Radio City music hall.
I apologize for the typos!
If seen it spelled both ways, that is what is confusing. Here is a page that has some pictures:
View link
I think it is supposed to be “starlight”.
According to this article it closed in 1978.
I found this article about this theater.
Please disregard my earlier post. I see these theaters were all in the New York area and I guess he did do a day long promotional blitz.
Bob, why are you posting the same thing for many different theaters? I don’t think Jerry Lewis was able to clone himself and appear at 10 or so theaters on the same day.
You need to provide more details about the theater. Is it listed on cinema treasures? Are there other websites about this theater?
Yes, you are right! I was thinking of the Variety Theater at West 117th and Lorain. I grew up right in that area (my childhood house was on Fortune Ave., a 5 minute walk from that location).
A friendly request, can we keep the political discussions off of here? I don’t think discussing the merits of whether fox is real news has anything to do with movie theaters.
The day and date idea is probably going away very soon unless there is some fundamental changes in how these films are distributed. Most people agree that there is something special and unique about the actual movie going experience, getting your popcorn and soda and seeing a film on the big screen with a room full of strangers. When you give customers the option to first experience a film in any medium, you are undermining the theater going experience.
If people want to be the very first to own a DVD of a brand new release of a film while it is still in theatrical production, they should have to pay a high premium for that. I wouldn’t mind if movie studios made a very limited number of DVD copies available and charged 3 or 4 times what the “after theatrical release” price would be. That way, people would still have an incentive to see movies during their theatrical releases and diehard fans could pay for the privelidge of being the first to own the movie.
Blockbuster films need time for word of mouth marketing and that time is built up during the theatrical run. When you allow a movie to go to all mediums, you kill off any hope that the movie will achieve a large word of mouth/ cult following. Movie studios will realize soon that they need theaters to be the exclusive home of the new release.
Its still $2?! I remember going there as a kid to see movies that were a bit “old” at the time (3 or 4 weeks out of theatrical release) for that price. Its good to know it is still alive and kicking and they haven’t upped their price in years!
I’ve been living in Boston now for nearly 10 years and I’m sad to hear this place has died. I have many memories of taking the bus to the mall and seeing movies on a Saturday while I was in high school.
I remember it being a typical mall theater, nothing very fancy, but it was home!
I went to the Loew’s Boston Common tonight and it still has the giant “Loews Theatre” sign out front. Also, the ticket stub still has “Loews Boston Common” printed on it.
They will have to come up with a new jingle.
Thank you for coming to AMC, sit back and relax, and enjoy the show!
This just doesn’t have the same punch.
I believe the building was taken over by a local private high school who used it as classroom space. I remember seeing “Max Dugan Returns” there in the late 70s or early 80s. I think it was the first movie I ever saw at a theater!
There will always be a certain market niche for the theater going experience. If the window of time between the theatrical release and the DVD release shrinks, there will still be those who want to see the film in a theater. I happen to like to see movies in a theater with a group of strangers and there are many people who do as well.
Thanks for your quick response Ian! If you don’t mind me asking, I’m curious how much revenue is generated by the concerts and live events as compared to the movies? (not the actual dollar amounts, but percentage wise). The ticket prices at the Somerville are very reasonable for the area, and some times I’ve gone there, the attendence was very low. I hope that having those live events and concerts help generate the extra revenue to keep the place going strong!
One of the quotes from the article:
Every time I’ve seen a film in the Pullman Square Theatre, I’ve been thankful for the comfort (especially leg room), clear view and great audio
I hear things like this all of the time, but that does not at all make up for character and soul! The big megaplexes have a place, sure, but there is something also special about seeing a movie in a theater that has character and charm.
I’m sorry to hear about the closing of another grand historic cinema. They are dying all across the country.
I’m part of the fundraising committee for the Brattle and have been working hard to see to it that the Brattle does not have to close.
As of the beginning of 2006, the Brattle has raised $200,000 and has a lease extension of 1 year. In order to be negotiate a long term lease, the Brattle will need to raise $300,000 more this year.
If you are in the Boston area, check out the Brattle webpage for future fundraising events.
Hi Ian,
Thanks for posting that webpage! I live about a 10 minute walk away from the Somerville Theater and am there fairly often. Has there been any talk about maybe using one of the screens to play older or more “arthouse” kinds of movies? The Somerville Theater mostly plays second runs of theatrical releases, it would be very cool if some more types of movies were programmed!
Matt
I guess it is kind of schizophrenic to reply to your own post, but I’ll do it anyway.
If you do desire to donate to the fundraising mission, but do not want to use paypal, you can use my personal firstgiving page here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/savethebrattle
The Brattle Film Foundation is a listed firstgiving charity and anybody can create their own fundraising pages for their cause. Thanks again!