Piper’s Alley Movie Theater to Close its Doors After 20 years
by Steven Pate
May 26, 2011 3:40PM
Rumblings bubbling up on twitter this morning seem to be true, tonight may be the last time for you to catch a movie at Piper’s Alley Theatre. 20 years after Sony signed the original lease in the then-new mall at North and Wells, the theater’s four screens will showcase their familiar art house fare from their digs behind Second City for the last time, at least under the AMC-Loews name. After Loews closed the McClurg Court Cinema and merged with AMC soon afterwards, it had long been assumed that Piper’s was on borrowed time.
Despite a perpetually moribund vibe and a space somewhat past its prime, Piper’s Alley remained consistent as a centrally-located venue for independent, art house and foreign cinema that gets squeezed out of the bigger Loews-AMC locations. The theater’s very last films slated are Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre at 7:10 pm, The Conspirator at 7:30 pm, the Ed Helms/Rob Courddry comedic vehicle Cedar Rapids at 7:35 pm and documentary I Am at 7:45 pm.
We’ve seen so many great movies at Piper’s Alley that it’s hard to pick a favorite memory from the place, but we’ll never forget watching The Blair Witch Project there, if only for the zombie-like demeanor of the spooked crowd filing out down those elevators together. We’ll miss the theater, and the city will miss having those screens, but we hold out hope that a new tenant might make a fresh start at the location.
I saw E.T. at E.T.
My first real movie experience was Summer 1982, to sold-out screening of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Can’t recall seating-style, but distinctly remember rocker chairs, because annoying six-year-old me constantly rocked until patron seated directly behind me appropriately locked his feet/legs under my seat, preventing further repose.
Also recall seeing the “Revenge of the Jedi” teaser poster just outside our screening (not featured in the main lobby), which meant nothing to me, but very much piqued my best friend’s interest (being a year older, or, more exactly, familiar w Episode 5 (1980).
Would eventually see ‘Jedi’ (1983) and ‘the Temple of Doom’ (1984) here; but my kunt mother forbade admittance to Gremlins (1984) with the rest of my friends — I had to make do with Hardee’s promotional Gremlins Adventures storybook record sets.
Last movie I saw there was Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) again, after we tried [and failed] sneaking into Bright Lights, Big City.
Easily my favorite venue until Eastgate debuted.
Caught my second feature, ever, during my first year of school here: Antoine Fuqua’s Bait (2000) w Jamie Foxx [poorman’s 48 Hrs. (1982) knockoff] and a handful of other second-run features. Spider-Man 2 was the last I saw before they scuttled it for good. I skipped a fair amount of classes, wasting my time here.
Now if I could only remember the plush venue down the street and around the corner, Jackson & Michigan [?] …another single-screen setup.
Piper’s Alley Movie Theater to Close its Doors After 20 years by Steven Pate
May 26, 2011 3:40PM
Rumblings bubbling up on twitter this morning seem to be true, tonight may be the last time for you to catch a movie at Piper’s Alley Theatre. 20 years after Sony signed the original lease in the then-new mall at North and Wells, the theater’s four screens will showcase their familiar art house fare from their digs behind Second City for the last time, at least under the AMC-Loews name. After Loews closed the McClurg Court Cinema and merged with AMC soon afterwards, it had long been assumed that Piper’s was on borrowed time.
Despite a perpetually moribund vibe and a space somewhat past its prime, Piper’s Alley remained consistent as a centrally-located venue for independent, art house and foreign cinema that gets squeezed out of the bigger Loews-AMC locations. The theater’s very last films slated are Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre at 7:10 pm, The Conspirator at 7:30 pm, the Ed Helms/Rob Courddry comedic vehicle Cedar Rapids at 7:35 pm and documentary I Am at 7:45 pm.
We’ve seen so many great movies at Piper’s Alley that it’s hard to pick a favorite memory from the place, but we’ll never forget watching The Blair Witch Project there, if only for the zombie-like demeanor of the spooked crowd filing out down those elevators together. We’ll miss the theater, and the city will miss having those screens, but we hold out hope that a new tenant might make a fresh start at the location.
re: http://archive.today/2024.07.23-233216/https://chicagoist.com/2011/05/26/pipers_alley_movie_theater_to_close.php
Was this (one of) Chicago screening room(s) for press & media (critics), e.g. advance screenings for embargoed publications?
One year we did our holiday shopping downtown chicago – slimmed my shopping duties to catch a screening of ‘Wild Bill’ (1995) here.
Anyone else remember oversized “ET” marquee (in East Towne Mall parking lot)?
I saw E.T. at E.T. My first real movie experience was Summer 1982, to sold-out screening of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Can’t recall seating-style, but distinctly remember rocker chairs, because annoying six-year-old me constantly rocked until patron seated directly behind me appropriately locked his feet/legs under my seat, preventing further repose. Also recall seeing the “Revenge of the Jedi” teaser poster just outside our screening (not featured in the main lobby), which meant nothing to me, but very much piqued my best friend’s interest (being a year older, or, more exactly, familiar w Episode 5 (1980). Would eventually see ‘Jedi’ (1983) and ‘the Temple of Doom’ (1984) here; but my kunt mother forbade admittance to Gremlins (1984) with the rest of my friends — I had to make do with Hardee’s promotional Gremlins Adventures storybook record sets. Last movie I saw there was Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) again, after we tried [and failed] sneaking into Bright Lights, Big City. Easily my favorite venue until Eastgate debuted.
Caught my second feature, ever, during my first year of school here: Antoine Fuqua’s Bait (2000) w Jamie Foxx [poorman’s 48 Hrs. (1982) knockoff] and a handful of other second-run features. Spider-Man 2 was the last I saw before they scuttled it for good. I skipped a fair amount of classes, wasting my time here. Now if I could only remember the plush venue down the street and around the corner, Jackson & Michigan [?] …another single-screen setup.