They aren’t cutting anything up. I spoke to a manager on duty when I went to see Logan tonight. IMAX is getting upgraded but they wouldn’t specify in what way (do they need to close the whole auditorium for three months for just laser projection?), and 24 is indeed being converted to Dolby Cinema. Which is the one “premium” experience I’d pay money for…
Went to the new Moorestown Mall theatre and then went here. My jaw dropped when I went into the lobby. Deluxe new carpeting, repaired lighting, fresh coats of paint. The place seemed far warmer and way more alive than I’ve seen it in a LONG time. And you’re right, management and employees are doing a great job. I don’t know what Carmike did as far as training, but they did something right. And I did not expect them to put the maintenance in that they needed.
If higher prices are the tradeoff for this theatre looking like a showpiece again, I’ll gladly pay it. Carmike is doing a wonderful job with this theatre. Even some of the chainwide touches – I’m liking that policy trailer more and more – are nice.
At Ritz, and from what I’ve seen, I for one welcome our new Carmike overlords. I am very impressed with the staff, the staffing, and the pricing. Talked to a ticket taker and they want to do closer to a 50/50 split between art and mainstream. They’re also changing to digital theatre signage soon -meaning LEDs at box office and auds.
They also have realllly nice specials. $5 wednesdays were a Rave thing they’re continuing, there’s a stimulus tuesday for popcorns and snacks, a $20 industrial sized popcorn tub that can get $3.50 refills all year. Oh and they brought back the twi-lite shows AMC was famous for!
If Carmike is a bad chain, then I must have bad taste in theatres or they know how to run things RIGHT. Far better than any Rave-era trip I’ve made here. They really let it go.
Did a bit of research – the UA 10-K Annual Report released in 2002 (just around the time Anschutz was forming Regal Entertainment) indicates that “during Fiscal 2001, we assumed four sites in New York City from another theatre operator”, and also that they completed a fifth site from “another theatre operator”. (Staten Island I assume? From the pictures it looks Regalish to me)
Whether that was related to the formation of Regal Entertainment, I don’t know, but UA clearly got these theatres before they ceased to exist.
As of today (8/16/2013) this is now a Carmike. They’re listing as “Carmike Ritz Center 16” or “Carmike Ritz 16”. Many employees there are still holdovers from Posel and articles portray them as excited so…
Cinemark won’t be taking over this theatre after all. Due to the proximity with their existing Somerdale theatre (3 miles away), the DOJ has ordered them to sell this off. Wonder who gets this.
So I’m looking for a list but this is apparently one of the theatres going to Cinemark. Which would be this theatre’s fourth owner in five years.
Interesting that Cinemark is buying this, because they have a (nicely remodeled) 16 frankenplex not far from here. It boosts their standing in the market instantly, though.
Is it in the same font as the old “the bridge” signage? Because that’s what Bridge Philly has now… except they forgot the “motion pictures” part and just put “rave” in there!
I’ve been there twice now since Rave took over operations, so here’s the play by play of what I’ve seen. Was here last night for “The A-Team”… and they’ve changed the exterior signage. Here’s a picture of the theatre with Bridge signage:
Now… replace “thebridge” with “rave”, in the same font, take down the Cinema De Lux bit, and that’s what it looks like now. It looks BIZARRE and not at all like what I thought they’d put up there. More interesting, at some point after that picture was taken they put up a sign saying “RESTAURANT AND BAR” under “thebridge”. That’s stayed, so it looks all the world like this theatre is the “Rave Restaurant and Bar”. Since the decor is really subdued anyway you’d be hard pressed to tell there’s a theatre here if not for the poster cases.
Inside, the tickets/uniforms/bags/box office screens all say Rave. However, “The Bridge” was plastered over every conceivable surface when this place was built, and they haven’t changed those signs yet. Given what they did with the sign I’m curious to see what they do with the interior here. Preshow was what they were doing under NA: blank screen, 30s music. On my first post-Rave visit, they were running the NA exit trailer and rolling stock ads; last night they just ran trailers. No policy trailer as was standard for this venue.
12 Lounge has been closed both times I’ve been here. The first time, there was a sign stating it was closed due to a “system change”. The second time, it was just blocked off. The weird “media immersion room” was turned off last night though it was running the first post-Rave visit. And testing out movietickets.com, they’ve also stopped reserved seating. They were only doing that on Friday and Saturday anyway.
So it seems like Rave is focusing on just theater operations right now. We’ll see what they do with it.
Is the theatre still serving Pepsi? If so, then it’s still under National Amusements control. Rave has been transitioning theatres on an individual basis, and the first major change at Rave Ritz Center was from Pepsi to Coke.
Going to Bridge Philly (or Rave University City… whatever they’re calling it this week) tonight to see what has changed and what hasn’t.
The official National Amusements to Rave changeover happened today. Showtimes are no longer listed on the NA site, and the theatre is now “Rave Motion Pictures Ritz Center”.
Went there tonight, and saw the first notable changes since the sale:
—Rave ticket stubs, popcorn bags, and uniforms are in use.
—“Showcase Art” is now called “Rave Review”. The old sticky letter box office marquees are still up.
—Coke has replaced Pepsi (yay!)
—No policy trailer on the 3D screening I’ve seen, and no Screenvision digital, just opera music.
It’ll be interesting to see what the signage will look like. The Ritz 16 is practically the exact opposite of Rave’s typical “put neon everywhere” philosophy.
One of the more interesting theatres I’ve been to. It’s a bizarre blend of 80s multiplex and 00s megaplex. The lobby is the 80s multiplex, beige-colored, bland, nondescript. Then you go into the theatres… and you’ve advanced twenty years. Comfy high-back seats, stadium seating, and cup holders. Staff is quite friendly.
Not sure if I’d rank this at the top, but it’s a nice diversion from the AMCs and Regals of the area.
This was Regal’s first entry into the Philadelphia market, and from here on in they just began building and building. It was one of Regal’s earlier builds, and definitely pre-megaplex, as the general decor was somewhat subdued. I remember reading that this was Regal’s first theatre to include a cafe.
I remember seeing quite a few movies here, and this drew good crowds back in the day. The theatres always seemed quite small, though…
And they’re rebranding this one as “Showcase Cinemas at Ritz Center”, with more mainstream movies added to the programming mix. The restriction on children will also be relaxed – patrons over 12 are admitted unaccompanied at all times, patrons over 6 can be unaccompanied before 8pm. These changes start Friday.
Was there tonight to see a theatre in the midst of an uncomfortable transition. Some of the Ritz touches are still there, but National Amusements has begun adding its own touches – ticket stubs, popcorn bags, policy trailers, and the ugly “N” logo on the doors. I’m honestly not sure how this will work, and I’m surprised to find that they’re just rebranding this as a run-of-the-mill location rather than making it something special (I expected another Bridge here, to be honest). Info can be found here:
National Amusements has apparently taken over as of today. The movietickets.com showtimes now list the Showcase Cinemas logo next to the Ritz listings (online ticketing is disabled). Ritz Sixteen showtimes are now available on the NA site although the Ritz’s current website remains for now.
They aren’t cutting anything up. I spoke to a manager on duty when I went to see Logan tonight. IMAX is getting upgraded but they wouldn’t specify in what way (do they need to close the whole auditorium for three months for just laser projection?), and 24 is indeed being converted to Dolby Cinema. Which is the one “premium” experience I’d pay money for…
The official changeover occurred this week. New name for the theatre is “AMC Voorhees 16”…
While they are projecting IMAX digitally, they still have a 15/70 projector. They will be using it for Interstellar.
Went to the new Moorestown Mall theatre and then went here. My jaw dropped when I went into the lobby. Deluxe new carpeting, repaired lighting, fresh coats of paint. The place seemed far warmer and way more alive than I’ve seen it in a LONG time. And you’re right, management and employees are doing a great job. I don’t know what Carmike did as far as training, but they did something right. And I did not expect them to put the maintenance in that they needed.
If higher prices are the tradeoff for this theatre looking like a showpiece again, I’ll gladly pay it. Carmike is doing a wonderful job with this theatre. Even some of the chainwide touches – I’m liking that policy trailer more and more – are nice.
At Ritz, and from what I’ve seen, I for one welcome our new Carmike overlords. I am very impressed with the staff, the staffing, and the pricing. Talked to a ticket taker and they want to do closer to a 50/50 split between art and mainstream. They’re also changing to digital theatre signage soon -meaning LEDs at box office and auds.
They also have realllly nice specials. $5 wednesdays were a Rave thing they’re continuing, there’s a stimulus tuesday for popcorns and snacks, a $20 industrial sized popcorn tub that can get $3.50 refills all year. Oh and they brought back the twi-lite shows AMC was famous for!
If Carmike is a bad chain, then I must have bad taste in theatres or they know how to run things RIGHT. Far better than any Rave-era trip I’ve made here. They really let it go.
Did a bit of research – the UA 10-K Annual Report released in 2002 (just around the time Anschutz was forming Regal Entertainment) indicates that “during Fiscal 2001, we assumed four sites in New York City from another theatre operator”, and also that they completed a fifth site from “another theatre operator”. (Staten Island I assume? From the pictures it looks Regalish to me)
Whether that was related to the formation of Regal Entertainment, I don’t know, but UA clearly got these theatres before they ceased to exist.
As of today (8/16/2013) this is now a Carmike. They’re listing as “Carmike Ritz Center 16” or “Carmike Ritz 16”. Many employees there are still holdovers from Posel and articles portray them as excited so…
Carmike is getting it… :(
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2013/07/18/2587463/carmike-cinemas-buying-cinemark.html
Cinemark won’t be taking over this theatre after all. Due to the proximity with their existing Somerdale theatre (3 miles away), the DOJ has ordered them to sell this off. Wonder who gets this.
So I’m looking for a list but this is apparently one of the theatres going to Cinemark. Which would be this theatre’s fourth owner in five years.
Interesting that Cinemark is buying this, because they have a (nicely remodeled) 16 frankenplex not far from here. It boosts their standing in the market instantly, though.
Is it in the same font as the old “the bridge” signage? Because that’s what Bridge Philly has now… except they forgot the “motion pictures” part and just put “rave” in there!
I’ve been there twice now since Rave took over operations, so here’s the play by play of what I’ve seen. Was here last night for “The A-Team”… and they’ve changed the exterior signage. Here’s a picture of the theatre with Bridge signage:
View link
Now… replace “thebridge” with “rave”, in the same font, take down the Cinema De Lux bit, and that’s what it looks like now. It looks BIZARRE and not at all like what I thought they’d put up there. More interesting, at some point after that picture was taken they put up a sign saying “RESTAURANT AND BAR” under “thebridge”. That’s stayed, so it looks all the world like this theatre is the “Rave Restaurant and Bar”. Since the decor is really subdued anyway you’d be hard pressed to tell there’s a theatre here if not for the poster cases.
Inside, the tickets/uniforms/bags/box office screens all say Rave. However, “The Bridge” was plastered over every conceivable surface when this place was built, and they haven’t changed those signs yet. Given what they did with the sign I’m curious to see what they do with the interior here. Preshow was what they were doing under NA: blank screen, 30s music. On my first post-Rave visit, they were running the NA exit trailer and rolling stock ads; last night they just ran trailers. No policy trailer as was standard for this venue.
12 Lounge has been closed both times I’ve been here. The first time, there was a sign stating it was closed due to a “system change”. The second time, it was just blocked off. The weird “media immersion room” was turned off last night though it was running the first post-Rave visit. And testing out movietickets.com, they’ve also stopped reserved seating. They were only doing that on Friday and Saturday anyway.
So it seems like Rave is focusing on just theater operations right now. We’ll see what they do with it.
Is the theatre still serving Pepsi? If so, then it’s still under National Amusements control. Rave has been transitioning theatres on an individual basis, and the first major change at Rave Ritz Center was from Pepsi to Coke.
Going to Bridge Philly (or Rave University City… whatever they’re calling it this week) tonight to see what has changed and what hasn’t.
The official National Amusements to Rave changeover happened today. Showtimes are no longer listed on the NA site, and the theatre is now “Rave Motion Pictures Ritz Center”.
Went there tonight, and saw the first notable changes since the sale:
—Rave ticket stubs, popcorn bags, and uniforms are in use.
—“Showcase Art” is now called “Rave Review”. The old sticky letter box office marquees are still up.
—Coke has replaced Pepsi (yay!)
—No policy trailer on the 3D screening I’ve seen, and no Screenvision digital, just opera music.
It’ll be interesting to see what the signage will look like. The Ritz 16 is practically the exact opposite of Rave’s typical “put neon everywhere” philosophy.
Rave has officially purchased this theatre and taken over as of last weekend I believe. It’s listed on Rave’s website as “RC Ritz Center 16”.
Should be back there soon to see what, if anything, has changed.
One of the more interesting theatres I’ve been to. It’s a bizarre blend of 80s multiplex and 00s megaplex. The lobby is the 80s multiplex, beige-colored, bland, nondescript. Then you go into the theatres… and you’ve advanced twenty years. Comfy high-back seats, stadium seating, and cup holders. Staff is quite friendly.
Not sure if I’d rank this at the top, but it’s a nice diversion from the AMCs and Regals of the area.
This was Regal’s first entry into the Philadelphia market, and from here on in they just began building and building. It was one of Regal’s earlier builds, and definitely pre-megaplex, as the general decor was somewhat subdued. I remember reading that this was Regal’s first theatre to include a cafe.
I remember seeing quite a few movies here, and this drew good crowds back in the day. The theatres always seemed quite small, though…
And they’re rebranding this one as “Showcase Cinemas at Ritz Center”, with more mainstream movies added to the programming mix. The restriction on children will also be relaxed – patrons over 12 are admitted unaccompanied at all times, patrons over 6 can be unaccompanied before 8pm. These changes start Friday.
Was there tonight to see a theatre in the midst of an uncomfortable transition. Some of the Ritz touches are still there, but National Amusements has begun adding its own touches – ticket stubs, popcorn bags, policy trailers, and the ugly “N” logo on the doors. I’m honestly not sure how this will work, and I’m surprised to find that they’re just rebranding this as a run-of-the-mill location rather than making it something special (I expected another Bridge here, to be honest). Info can be found here:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20070428_Ritz_sale_allows_more_kids.html
National Amusements has apparently taken over as of today. The movietickets.com showtimes now list the Showcase Cinemas logo next to the Ritz listings (online ticketing is disabled). Ritz Sixteen showtimes are now available on the NA site although the Ritz’s current website remains for now.