It has been a little over 1 year since the theater closed and absolutely nothing has changed. It’s still a empty black hole on the Avenue. No restaurant, no info on the marquee, no nothing. I do see lights on in the lobby from time to time and things have been moved around inside. Will it ever open again as a functioning business? Hard to say.
The mayor of Bergenfield just announced a Korean BBQ restaurant will open where the theatre sits now. It will be called, of all things, Meat Palace, named in honor of the Palace Theatre. No I’m not making this up. The property sold in March for $1.9 million to a limited liability company. The new owners are supposedly going to renovate and restore the theatre. To what end I don’t know, are they going to show movies again? The restaurant is expected to be open by Thanksgiving of this year.
You are right, Washington Avenue has several large empty stores, some of which have been empty for 2+ years. I haven’t been to Teaneck in a while but Cedar Lane must be much busier since the same owners decided to focus on Teaneck and cut Bergenfield loose. Maybe the owners will try offering the theatre to new owners and not let it become what the theatre in Tenafly has become, a big, boarded up hulk of a building.
As of January 1, 2023 it appears the theatre has CLOSED. No films listed on Fandango, their website is useless, the marquee is totally blank and all the lights are off inside the theatre. Nothing is posted on the doors, so perhaps it’s only temporary?
As of April 2, Bergenfield is no longer part of the Bow Tie chain of theatres. This theatre is no longer listed on Bow Tie’s website. It appears they may have gone independent. The marquee says all admissions are $5.00 A new website for the theatre has not been established.
Hey moviebuff, who cares? We can look it up online! Or do it the old fashioned way like looking in a newspaper! You can’t wait to reach 4000 posts, huh?
Perhaps moviebuff82 should get a job at this theatre! He could be the head seat scrubber and spill picker upper. Then he wouldn’t have the time to post nonsense on this forum anymore.
MSC77, this may not be of much help to you but I recall the big 70mm house wasn’t cut up until after “Empire”, and possibly “Jedi”. By May 1977 the left aisle was already divided into a separate theatre, as was the balcony. I know a smaller separate theatre existed for a few years right next to bigger house, but was eventually incorporated into one big theatre by building the arcade and 2 other screens.
Parker, Exactly why I stopped going several years ago. The passing of 35mm film into digital didn’t help much but you are right. A favorite film looks different when seen on a big screen and it’s so much better. I must admit though they fooled me when they ran “THE AFRICAN QUEEN”; it was digital but it looked like a pristine 35mm print. Pete and Nelson would work hard programming the HorrorThon’s and a lot of the choices came down to the quality of the print. Unfortunately the last 2 years they ran the Big Screen Classics the tide was turning and shows were drawing fewer and fewer people. My main problem with them now, aside from shoddy showmenship, is the total lack of imagination of whoever is programming the classics now. It’s not even a pale shadow of what it used to be. The theatre itself is a jewel and should be preserved, not just because it’s the last single screen theatre in the area but, as they say, they just don’t make'em like that anymore.
moviebuff82, do you have anything of substance to add??
It’s sad to hear what the place is turning into. I gave up on them several years ago when the town was still running the place. Between the amateur hour projection and the constant pleading to attend shows there and not at Nyack or Nanuet just became too much.
Sounds like James is asleep at the switch, as usual. Nelson, where are you?
The Soho Playhouse, once known as the Thalia Soho, has been put up for sale as of September 15, 2017. The theatre along with the apartments above it, are all on the block.
moviebuff82, what are you talking about? The trailers were part of the regular show, just like they are today. Your comment about paying a separate fee just to see a trailer is incorrect. Also, most people did not consider this theatre to be a grindhouse. I suggest giving your opinions more thought before posting them.
I don’t know for sure, but this theatre and the RKO Century Triplex also in Paramus opened at almost the same time. Both were huge inside when they originally opened. And both of them were sliced and diced. The triplex stayed the same size but had a wall built down the middle about 1970-71. The balcony was sectioned off and made into a third theatre a few years later. The tenplex had additions built on some years later. The original 2000 seat theatre, I think, ran Star Wars and Empire when they were originally released. It too was chopped up later on but it was still huge.
It’s just a jump to the left….(to sidestep a question)
HD, I did see several 70mm films there and there was really no difference that I saw between 35mm and 70mm. The size of the screen remained the same for each, so no gain in screen size at all.
I went by the plaza recently and it’s half opened, with Whole Foods and Target now opened. The other half of the plaza is finishing up and I understand is fully rented. They did, however, build a store in front of the theatre, so now the theatre looks more like it’s located in the back of the place, not as up front as it was. The theatre from the outside looks the same as it did 9 months ago. It looks like they just locked the doors and walked away. Any idea who is taking it over and when?
Newspaper advertising disappeared with Pete & Nelson. I tried in vain to convince Phil to at least list the regular feature’s showtime in the local paper’s movie timetable. But no, he didn’t think it was necessary. If it was on facebook or the website, it was good enough.
Personally I can’t see the harm in running it in the local paper. It could only help, not hurt.
If 30 people attended Saturday’s show, at $2.00 a head, that’s $60.00 in total. A DCP costs way more than that. Why spend the money to rent it and take a loss, when a Bluray can be taken off the shelf and played for practically nothing? From a business standpoint it makes the most sense. The only people who would know the difference are purists and hardcore film buffs, of which I am one. No matter what they play this season, as good as it is, they are probably taking a hit anyway as far as turning on the electricity, popping the corn, and paying the ushers, ticket taker, etc.
I think it’s time we faced the fact that the glory days of Pete and Nelson are gone and it doesn’t look like they will ever be back. I’d like to think I’m wrong about this however!
That’s sad to hear, but not unexpected. Admissions were tailing off even during the last season that Pete & Nelson were programming the shows. Maybe the seniors are aging out, maybe people have other things to do on Saturday morning. The last 2 times they played Goldfinger, once at the Lafayette and once at Cedar Lane, there were big crowds. Perhaps people are tired of Goldfinger; they might have had better luck with a different Bond.
The seniors don’t care about licensing fees, the cost of fresh popcorn, or the historical value of the place. They had a free show to go to on Saturday morning and now that’s over. Everyone pays. Some of them would grumble if admission was 25 cents.
They probably haven’t disclosed which shows are Blu or DCP because if, for example, Goldfinger was shown from the Bluray, would you go? If they don’t tell you ahead of time, the only way to find out is to go and see it. You could call ahead, but whoever answers may not know if it’s Blu or DCP.
This may come as a surprise to you, but the “almighty dollar” is what keeps the theatre open. The HorrorThon you so lovingly remember was always a money loser for Nelson & Pete. They NEVER made a profit on them. They only did it because they WANTED to. They could have easily played just one film, or no film at all. And because Friday/Saturday/Sunday was tied up they had only a second or third run feature to play during the week, which means little to no business during the week.
$2.00 admission? They would have to fill the place every Saturday morning. If Pete & Nelson couldn’t do it when they quit, It’s just not going to happen now. And don’t count on the seniors coming out like they did before, when it was free to them. That’s over. Everyone pays $2.00 to get in, senior or not. Even at $2 bucks the management will hear a lot of complaints from the seniors about “why can’t we get in for free anymore?”
It has been a little over 1 year since the theater closed and absolutely nothing has changed. It’s still a empty black hole on the Avenue. No restaurant, no info on the marquee, no nothing. I do see lights on in the lobby from time to time and things have been moved around inside. Will it ever open again as a functioning business? Hard to say.
The mayor of Bergenfield just announced a Korean BBQ restaurant will open where the theatre sits now. It will be called, of all things, Meat Palace, named in honor of the Palace Theatre. No I’m not making this up. The property sold in March for $1.9 million to a limited liability company. The new owners are supposedly going to renovate and restore the theatre. To what end I don’t know, are they going to show movies again? The restaurant is expected to be open by Thanksgiving of this year.
You are right, Washington Avenue has several large empty stores, some of which have been empty for 2+ years. I haven’t been to Teaneck in a while but Cedar Lane must be much busier since the same owners decided to focus on Teaneck and cut Bergenfield loose. Maybe the owners will try offering the theatre to new owners and not let it become what the theatre in Tenafly has become, a big, boarded up hulk of a building.
As of January 1, 2023 it appears the theatre has CLOSED. No films listed on Fandango, their website is useless, the marquee is totally blank and all the lights are off inside the theatre. Nothing is posted on the doors, so perhaps it’s only temporary?
As of April 2, Bergenfield is no longer part of the Bow Tie chain of theatres. This theatre is no longer listed on Bow Tie’s website. It appears they may have gone independent. The marquee says all admissions are $5.00 A new website for the theatre has not been established.
Hey moviebuff, who cares? We can look it up online! Or do it the old fashioned way like looking in a newspaper! You can’t wait to reach 4000 posts, huh?
And nobody is answering you because here knows! Maybe it was installed the same year the arcade was.
Who cares?? It’s long gone and nobody remembers anyway!
Do they take cash or credit? How about wooden nickels or bitcoin?
Perhaps moviebuff82 should get a job at this theatre! He could be the head seat scrubber and spill picker upper. Then he wouldn’t have the time to post nonsense on this forum anymore.
moviebuff82, why are you posting links to sites that don’t work and nobody really care about? Is it all about your quest to reach 3000 posts??
MSC77, this may not be of much help to you but I recall the big 70mm house wasn’t cut up until after “Empire”, and possibly “Jedi”. By May 1977 the left aisle was already divided into a separate theatre, as was the balcony. I know a smaller separate theatre existed for a few years right next to bigger house, but was eventually incorporated into one big theatre by building the arcade and 2 other screens.
Parker, Exactly why I stopped going several years ago. The passing of 35mm film into digital didn’t help much but you are right. A favorite film looks different when seen on a big screen and it’s so much better. I must admit though they fooled me when they ran “THE AFRICAN QUEEN”; it was digital but it looked like a pristine 35mm print. Pete and Nelson would work hard programming the HorrorThon’s and a lot of the choices came down to the quality of the print. Unfortunately the last 2 years they ran the Big Screen Classics the tide was turning and shows were drawing fewer and fewer people. My main problem with them now, aside from shoddy showmenship, is the total lack of imagination of whoever is programming the classics now. It’s not even a pale shadow of what it used to be. The theatre itself is a jewel and should be preserved, not just because it’s the last single screen theatre in the area but, as they say, they just don’t make'em like that anymore.
moviebuff82, do you have anything of substance to add??
It’s sad to hear what the place is turning into. I gave up on them several years ago when the town was still running the place. Between the amateur hour projection and the constant pleading to attend shows there and not at Nyack or Nanuet just became too much.
Sounds like James is asleep at the switch, as usual. Nelson, where are you?
The Soho Playhouse, once known as the Thalia Soho, has been put up for sale as of September 15, 2017. The theatre along with the apartments above it, are all on the block.
moviebuff82, what are you talking about? The trailers were part of the regular show, just like they are today. Your comment about paying a separate fee just to see a trailer is incorrect. Also, most people did not consider this theatre to be a grindhouse. I suggest giving your opinions more thought before posting them.
I don’t know for sure, but this theatre and the RKO Century Triplex also in Paramus opened at almost the same time. Both were huge inside when they originally opened. And both of them were sliced and diced. The triplex stayed the same size but had a wall built down the middle about 1970-71. The balcony was sectioned off and made into a third theatre a few years later. The tenplex had additions built on some years later. The original 2000 seat theatre, I think, ran Star Wars and Empire when they were originally released. It too was chopped up later on but it was still huge.
Wow, I didn’t know that….huh.
It’s just a jump to the left….(to sidestep a question)
HD, I did see several 70mm films there and there was really no difference that I saw between 35mm and 70mm. The size of the screen remained the same for each, so no gain in screen size at all.
I went by the plaza recently and it’s half opened, with Whole Foods and Target now opened. The other half of the plaza is finishing up and I understand is fully rented. They did, however, build a store in front of the theatre, so now the theatre looks more like it’s located in the back of the place, not as up front as it was. The theatre from the outside looks the same as it did 9 months ago. It looks like they just locked the doors and walked away. Any idea who is taking it over and when?
Newspaper advertising disappeared with Pete & Nelson. I tried in vain to convince Phil to at least list the regular feature’s showtime in the local paper’s movie timetable. But no, he didn’t think it was necessary. If it was on facebook or the website, it was good enough. Personally I can’t see the harm in running it in the local paper. It could only help, not hurt.
If 30 people attended Saturday’s show, at $2.00 a head, that’s $60.00 in total. A DCP costs way more than that. Why spend the money to rent it and take a loss, when a Bluray can be taken off the shelf and played for practically nothing? From a business standpoint it makes the most sense. The only people who would know the difference are purists and hardcore film buffs, of which I am one. No matter what they play this season, as good as it is, they are probably taking a hit anyway as far as turning on the electricity, popping the corn, and paying the ushers, ticket taker, etc.
I think it’s time we faced the fact that the glory days of Pete and Nelson are gone and it doesn’t look like they will ever be back. I’d like to think I’m wrong about this however!
That’s sad to hear, but not unexpected. Admissions were tailing off even during the last season that Pete & Nelson were programming the shows. Maybe the seniors are aging out, maybe people have other things to do on Saturday morning. The last 2 times they played Goldfinger, once at the Lafayette and once at Cedar Lane, there were big crowds. Perhaps people are tired of Goldfinger; they might have had better luck with a different Bond.
The seniors don’t care about licensing fees, the cost of fresh popcorn, or the historical value of the place. They had a free show to go to on Saturday morning and now that’s over. Everyone pays. Some of them would grumble if admission was 25 cents.
They probably haven’t disclosed which shows are Blu or DCP because if, for example, Goldfinger was shown from the Bluray, would you go? If they don’t tell you ahead of time, the only way to find out is to go and see it. You could call ahead, but whoever answers may not know if it’s Blu or DCP.
This may come as a surprise to you, but the “almighty dollar” is what keeps the theatre open. The HorrorThon you so lovingly remember was always a money loser for Nelson & Pete. They NEVER made a profit on them. They only did it because they WANTED to. They could have easily played just one film, or no film at all. And because Friday/Saturday/Sunday was tied up they had only a second or third run feature to play during the week, which means little to no business during the week.
$2.00 admission? They would have to fill the place every Saturday morning. If Pete & Nelson couldn’t do it when they quit, It’s just not going to happen now. And don’t count on the seniors coming out like they did before, when it was free to them. That’s over. Everyone pays $2.00 to get in, senior or not. Even at $2 bucks the management will hear a lot of complaints from the seniors about “why can’t we get in for free anymore?”