I saw Avatar 3D opening weekend, and it certainly is an impressive megaplex. I got to the theater 9 minutes late, but already had my ticket. I was expecting to still get there during the ads, or at least the trailers. Only afterwards did I find out that they run NO ads. A very nice touch, unless you’re expecting them (that was my mistake). Also, the seats are assigned, but they show you on a floorplan all the available seats and you get to pick. Prices were higher than AMC, but they did say there was an additional fee for the 3D screening. The cinemas coming to Block 37 are Muvicos, and last I heard they will still be there, it just took some more negotiations. Icon and Muvico are more competitors to each other than AMC. AMC barely mentions digital and seemingly only does so in relation to 3D films. Muvico and Icon are ALL digital. AMC’s decor is also fairly tame, whereas Muvico and Icon have both gone all out to be classical and modern, respectively. Both are great cinemas and I can’t wait to go back and enjoy my next ALL digital screening at either place, except AMC.
I visited this now-museum several times over several years around the turn of the Millennia. My mom is a fan of old buildings, so my dad donated money to the museum for the restoration and expansion, so we traveled there to see what they’ve done. For the first several years, all they had was a small space that used up the area behind the windows paint with faux curtains in the above photos. However, in the last two or so years we went, they had reopened the main entrance below the marquee and with that, had a professional looking admission foyer which then opened up to the 2-story atrium just outside the main auditorium. The balcony stairs and upstairs was completely refurbished but keeping the original materials and designs, basically just new paint. There were safety code improvements, like plexiglass I believe to extend the height of the railings, but they don’t detract from the look. The outdoor space just to the south has also become an outdoor exhibit space, with a fossil hunt and those cool echo sound domes present. Last time I was there, the main auditorium was still fully closed, but they have grand plans for it. The seats have long been removed, but they plan on turning the whole space into museum exhibits. The space is so large though that it will require a lot of funds and hadn’t been touched at all. The woman who showed us around, since we were donors, knew a lot about the physical space, like the changing rooms beneath the stage, and seemed to have a really well placed heart and vision. The museum is definitely aimed at young crowds as my brother and I who were then in our early teens were completely bored by it, but let’s be honest, we weren’t the target audience. I’m curious now as to how much, or little, progress has been made since we were last there.
Either way, what they’ve already accomplished has turned that space back into a thing of beauty and should be a posterchild for other spaces facing the same fate.
I just went to see America The Beautiful here yesterday, and I liked it. Are the theaters small? Yes. Are the theaters personal? Yes. The filmmaker of this particular documentary was there greeting everyone after the show, and you simply wouldn’t find that at the megaplexes of today. Also, instead of blah pop and popcorn, I bought a pack of Thin-Mint like cookies that seemed to be imported, but hey, they were good and only 6 bucks. That’s another prime example of what you wouldn’t see at something like the Barrington 31. Lastly, is it painful to see the interiors completely removed leaving only the facade, yes, but ask yourself would you rather see the original facade or some new blah mall front? The people who own most of these buildings are businessmen, so at this point I’ll take what I can get, especially with SPearce’s comment about bulldozers in Chicago, so true that is (Meigs Field anyone?).
I’ve got to disagree with several of the previous commenters. Granted I never worked here as I was too young, but that youth’s memory has it’s advantages. I remember the concession stand squarely up against the west wall with a large open space behind the ticket booth but in front of the theaters-where others have said the pentagonal concession stand was. They must’ve moved it at some point because I Distinctly remember a mosaic of comic and movie characters over the western concession stand. Now to add more details: the two main theaters (don’t remember what numbers) were straight in from the lobby. One was east and the other west facing. On the south side of the theaters was a hallway that house the other 4 smaller theaters. The two large ones were fairly narrow, I’d say no more than 50 seats wide, but 2-3x as deep. I can’t say I remember seeing a specific film here, but know I went numerous times.
The mall closed for numerous reasons. The theater and arcade (Just for Fun) was a great 1-2 punch for families, the theater gets the adults there and the Arcade hooks the kids. The western side of the mall wasn’t too well off (it house a temporary haunted house one year I remember) so Lord & Taylor consumed that whole west end. Then both it and the theaters went out almost simultaneously, it was too big a loss for the mall to survive. With the theaters gone, the arcade didn’t last and neither did the gaming store. The Dick’s is now open, a Jo Ann’s took over much of the Lord & Taylor, in fact, you can tell form inside where the mall hallway was based upon the ceiling joists.
A shame this theater went out since I lived SO close to it.
Either way, while this theater is nice for it’s relatively low costs, I think a matinee is only like 7 bucks, it’s DEFINITELY showing it’s age. I go here all the time, and on one date I actually fixed the stairway lighting just by kicking a piece back in place. Of course some of the next patrons to walk the steps re-broke it, but can’t blame them really. Also, the TERRIBLE concession stand video, which seems straight out of the 80’s, has SO much wear that it’s almost unwatchable now. They briefly went to an underwater themed one, but that didn’t last long and soon they were back at the “futuristic city” video. This place NEEDS some work done ASAP before it falls into disrepair and people stop attending it.
I remember seeing Air Force One here and also when some boxing movie (one of the Rocky’s maybe?) came out, they BUILT an almost full sized ring in the lobby.
I remember seeing Apollo 13 here with my parents when it came out, and there was a long line waiting outside. We were in the South screen of the 1 & 2 complex, so not sure which screen it was. My bro and I were forced to sit almost in the front row off to the side, so imagine how big the screen was to us. I'l always remember that place because I had a new, large bag of Reece’s Pieces with me, and we all know how hard those are to open. Well I was struggling and struggling with them until all of a sudden the bag ripped open and flung Pieces EVERYWHERE. I was left with maybe a handful or two. I was SO depressed. Also, I don’t know about the woman’s bathroom, but the guy’s was sunken down like 5 stairs and I always joked with my brother that if a bomb ever went off, I’d want to be in the bathroom since it was “under ground” (again, keep in mind I was a kid, so 5 steps was underground to me).
I was just here on Thursday for a concert, and was blown away as soon as I walked inside. There is still SO much of the original theater present, from the railings to stone floors and ceiling detail work, but as previously mentioned, a lot is also in ragged shape. The biggest such piece I saw was part from the front (speaker grills?) just in front of the balcony, it looked as if something had landed on the railing and busted off a large chunk. The other side was in perfect shape though. However, as a concert venue now, I don’t think any of the details will be restored but instead, will fall into further disarray. Nice venue for a concert though.
I was able to see the sneak preview of Fast and the Furious (or was it Too Fast?), I don’t remember which, but yes it was in the main auditorium. My first and last time, but boy was it amazing. Yes it was a huge place, and I bet seeing the major blockbusters like Star Wars and Indianan Jones here was amazing. There still is a big question as to what will or even could happen with such a large underground space. Good luck to CinemarkFan though.
I also remember going to see one of those Choose Your Own Movies here, where you had 4 options (red, green, blue, and yellow I want to say) and the audience vote decided what would happen next. My brother and I sat a bunch of seats apart and would walk down the row pushing whatever button option we wanted. I think I only saw 1 movie like that there, and have no idea what it was called or about. The theater itself had a bunch (6 or 8 maybe?) of large rear-projection TVs playin trailers and ads looping constantly, and when the Streets of Woodfield (formerly One Schaumburg Place) theaters opened, they moved 4 of the TVs to Woodfield, even though now-a-days physically huge TVs like those aren’t anywhere near as cool as a 50" flat screen.
The reason why the theater needs to go, or at least is going, is maintenance. While I don’t have any specific facts, I have been attending it for as long as I can remember. I’m in my late teens now and have seen many movies there including two of the recent 3 Star Wars films at midnight. It’s a very preteen hangout spot, and as such, isn’t in the best condition. A lot of the technologies BWChicago mentioned, like the candy bagging areas, were short lived, those two turned into storage and movie poster areas. Another big reason is probably technology advances. Digital and 3D are the latest rage to which Randhurst has neither. I would not be surprised to see many if not entirely digital projection, that would be uber sweet. I wonder what will happen to the theatres when the 18 new ones open? The old Lowes on Algonquin became a banquet hall, but there wasn’t stadium seating there and there is here in all 16 screens which makes alternate uses more difficult.
I saw Avatar 3D opening weekend, and it certainly is an impressive megaplex. I got to the theater 9 minutes late, but already had my ticket. I was expecting to still get there during the ads, or at least the trailers. Only afterwards did I find out that they run NO ads. A very nice touch, unless you’re expecting them (that was my mistake). Also, the seats are assigned, but they show you on a floorplan all the available seats and you get to pick. Prices were higher than AMC, but they did say there was an additional fee for the 3D screening. The cinemas coming to Block 37 are Muvicos, and last I heard they will still be there, it just took some more negotiations. Icon and Muvico are more competitors to each other than AMC. AMC barely mentions digital and seemingly only does so in relation to 3D films. Muvico and Icon are ALL digital. AMC’s decor is also fairly tame, whereas Muvico and Icon have both gone all out to be classical and modern, respectively. Both are great cinemas and I can’t wait to go back and enjoy my next ALL digital screening at either place, except AMC.
-Brian
I visited this now-museum several times over several years around the turn of the Millennia. My mom is a fan of old buildings, so my dad donated money to the museum for the restoration and expansion, so we traveled there to see what they’ve done. For the first several years, all they had was a small space that used up the area behind the windows paint with faux curtains in the above photos. However, in the last two or so years we went, they had reopened the main entrance below the marquee and with that, had a professional looking admission foyer which then opened up to the 2-story atrium just outside the main auditorium. The balcony stairs and upstairs was completely refurbished but keeping the original materials and designs, basically just new paint. There were safety code improvements, like plexiglass I believe to extend the height of the railings, but they don’t detract from the look. The outdoor space just to the south has also become an outdoor exhibit space, with a fossil hunt and those cool echo sound domes present. Last time I was there, the main auditorium was still fully closed, but they have grand plans for it. The seats have long been removed, but they plan on turning the whole space into museum exhibits. The space is so large though that it will require a lot of funds and hadn’t been touched at all. The woman who showed us around, since we were donors, knew a lot about the physical space, like the changing rooms beneath the stage, and seemed to have a really well placed heart and vision. The museum is definitely aimed at young crowds as my brother and I who were then in our early teens were completely bored by it, but let’s be honest, we weren’t the target audience. I’m curious now as to how much, or little, progress has been made since we were last there.
Either way, what they’ve already accomplished has turned that space back into a thing of beauty and should be a posterchild for other spaces facing the same fate.
-Brian
I just went to see America The Beautiful here yesterday, and I liked it. Are the theaters small? Yes. Are the theaters personal? Yes. The filmmaker of this particular documentary was there greeting everyone after the show, and you simply wouldn’t find that at the megaplexes of today. Also, instead of blah pop and popcorn, I bought a pack of Thin-Mint like cookies that seemed to be imported, but hey, they were good and only 6 bucks. That’s another prime example of what you wouldn’t see at something like the Barrington 31. Lastly, is it painful to see the interiors completely removed leaving only the facade, yes, but ask yourself would you rather see the original facade or some new blah mall front? The people who own most of these buildings are businessmen, so at this point I’ll take what I can get, especially with SPearce’s comment about bulldozers in Chicago, so true that is (Meigs Field anyone?).
-Brian
-Brian
I’ve got to disagree with several of the previous commenters. Granted I never worked here as I was too young, but that youth’s memory has it’s advantages. I remember the concession stand squarely up against the west wall with a large open space behind the ticket booth but in front of the theaters-where others have said the pentagonal concession stand was. They must’ve moved it at some point because I Distinctly remember a mosaic of comic and movie characters over the western concession stand. Now to add more details: the two main theaters (don’t remember what numbers) were straight in from the lobby. One was east and the other west facing. On the south side of the theaters was a hallway that house the other 4 smaller theaters. The two large ones were fairly narrow, I’d say no more than 50 seats wide, but 2-3x as deep. I can’t say I remember seeing a specific film here, but know I went numerous times.
The mall closed for numerous reasons. The theater and arcade (Just for Fun) was a great 1-2 punch for families, the theater gets the adults there and the Arcade hooks the kids. The western side of the mall wasn’t too well off (it house a temporary haunted house one year I remember) so Lord & Taylor consumed that whole west end. Then both it and the theaters went out almost simultaneously, it was too big a loss for the mall to survive. With the theaters gone, the arcade didn’t last and neither did the gaming store. The Dick’s is now open, a Jo Ann’s took over much of the Lord & Taylor, in fact, you can tell form inside where the mall hallway was based upon the ceiling joists.
A shame this theater went out since I lived SO close to it.
-Brian
Either way, while this theater is nice for it’s relatively low costs, I think a matinee is only like 7 bucks, it’s DEFINITELY showing it’s age. I go here all the time, and on one date I actually fixed the stairway lighting just by kicking a piece back in place. Of course some of the next patrons to walk the steps re-broke it, but can’t blame them really. Also, the TERRIBLE concession stand video, which seems straight out of the 80’s, has SO much wear that it’s almost unwatchable now. They briefly went to an underwater themed one, but that didn’t last long and soon they were back at the “futuristic city” video. This place NEEDS some work done ASAP before it falls into disrepair and people stop attending it.
-Brian
I remember seeing Air Force One here and also when some boxing movie (one of the Rocky’s maybe?) came out, they BUILT an almost full sized ring in the lobby.
-Brian
I remember seeing Apollo 13 here with my parents when it came out, and there was a long line waiting outside. We were in the South screen of the 1 & 2 complex, so not sure which screen it was. My bro and I were forced to sit almost in the front row off to the side, so imagine how big the screen was to us. I'l always remember that place because I had a new, large bag of Reece’s Pieces with me, and we all know how hard those are to open. Well I was struggling and struggling with them until all of a sudden the bag ripped open and flung Pieces EVERYWHERE. I was left with maybe a handful or two. I was SO depressed. Also, I don’t know about the woman’s bathroom, but the guy’s was sunken down like 5 stairs and I always joked with my brother that if a bomb ever went off, I’d want to be in the bathroom since it was “under ground” (again, keep in mind I was a kid, so 5 steps was underground to me).
-Brian
I was just here on Thursday for a concert, and was blown away as soon as I walked inside. There is still SO much of the original theater present, from the railings to stone floors and ceiling detail work, but as previously mentioned, a lot is also in ragged shape. The biggest such piece I saw was part from the front (speaker grills?) just in front of the balcony, it looked as if something had landed on the railing and busted off a large chunk. The other side was in perfect shape though. However, as a concert venue now, I don’t think any of the details will be restored but instead, will fall into further disarray. Nice venue for a concert though.
-Brian
I was able to see the sneak preview of Fast and the Furious (or was it Too Fast?), I don’t remember which, but yes it was in the main auditorium. My first and last time, but boy was it amazing. Yes it was a huge place, and I bet seeing the major blockbusters like Star Wars and Indianan Jones here was amazing. There still is a big question as to what will or even could happen with such a large underground space. Good luck to CinemarkFan though.
-Brian
I also remember going to see one of those Choose Your Own Movies here, where you had 4 options (red, green, blue, and yellow I want to say) and the audience vote decided what would happen next. My brother and I sat a bunch of seats apart and would walk down the row pushing whatever button option we wanted. I think I only saw 1 movie like that there, and have no idea what it was called or about. The theater itself had a bunch (6 or 8 maybe?) of large rear-projection TVs playin trailers and ads looping constantly, and when the Streets of Woodfield (formerly One Schaumburg Place) theaters opened, they moved 4 of the TVs to Woodfield, even though now-a-days physically huge TVs like those aren’t anywhere near as cool as a 50" flat screen.
-Brian
The reason why the theater needs to go, or at least is going, is maintenance. While I don’t have any specific facts, I have been attending it for as long as I can remember. I’m in my late teens now and have seen many movies there including two of the recent 3 Star Wars films at midnight. It’s a very preteen hangout spot, and as such, isn’t in the best condition. A lot of the technologies BWChicago mentioned, like the candy bagging areas, were short lived, those two turned into storage and movie poster areas. Another big reason is probably technology advances. Digital and 3D are the latest rage to which Randhurst has neither. I would not be surprised to see many if not entirely digital projection, that would be uber sweet. I wonder what will happen to the theatres when the 18 new ones open? The old Lowes on Algonquin became a banquet hall, but there wasn’t stadium seating there and there is here in all 16 screens which makes alternate uses more difficult.
-Brian