Gateway Film Center
1550 N. High Street,
Columbus,
OH
43202
1550 N. High Street,
Columbus,
OH
43202
4 people
favorited this theater
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A 70mm print of TENET will open here on 8/31/2020.
“2001: A Space Odyssey” opens June 16, 2018 for a 10-day run of the special 50th anniversary 70mm release by Warner Bros. One of just a few select sites around the country.
Installed a 35/70 projector in 2015. First 70mm presentation will be Hateful 8 beginning 1/15/2016. Other 35/70 movies will be shown in the future, including the 70mm version of HAMLET in February, 2016.
According to the Gateway Film Center Facebook page, Lizz Lessner, a very successful local restaurant developer, will be working with the Gateway to develop a new food-service concept to open at the Gateway around July 1, 2013.
There are three color renderings of the Drexel Cinemas/Gateway Film Center on the web site of its designers, Mesbur+Smith Architects.
This theatre now has 8 screens. A multi-purpose room has now been converted to a small screening room with 22 seats. The screen is large and the chairs comfortable. However, the digital projector is open in the back of the room and the fan is extremely noisy during the movie. They currently have no plans to enclose the projector.
As of 1/10, it is officially knows as the Gateway Film Center. Their website is http://www.gatewayfilmcenter.com
Here’s an article from the Columbus paper: it does not say so but does not deny either that the theater was losing money; my guess is that Landmark refused to renew the lease. Landmark has been trimming its operations of late, turning over control of its operation in New Orleans to another chain just recently.
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What happened to Landmark?
Effective January, 2010, the theatre will be known as the Gateway Film Center, and will be managed by the property owner, Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment. The president of this facillity will be Chris Hamel, who has worked for Cinemark, Columbus Association for the Performing Arts and the local Drexel Theatre Group.
2 of the screens will be programmed by the staff of the Wexner Center for the Arts, a facility on the Ohio State Campus about ½ mile north of the Gateway complex. They have a very successful cinema program and this will give them the ability to run features longer than a day or two.
Display ad in the Dispatch, which started running on Saturday, March 1, 2008, does show the apostrophe: “Landmark’s Gateway Theater”. I am not familiar with the architect, but whoever it was had to design in a very odd space (all rooms are very high and steep).
I believe there are actually only 7 full screens and one “multi-purpose room”.
Landmark’s, with an apostrophe-s? I don’t think they advertise their other theatres this way.
So the name is Landmark’s Gateway and the architect is David K. Mesbur, correct?
Name changed to LANDMARK’S GATEWAY on 3/1/08. No immediate change in programming.
I’m sure they’ll keep the word GATEWAY, as that is very important to the area. Most likely, LANDMARK GATEWAY. As soon as they make any official comment, I’ll post it here.
What will its name be after Landmark takes it over?
I think they are looking at keeping it a theatre, but doing meetings. There already is a multi-purpose room there. They would not have brought in Landmark if they didn’t want to keep showing movies there. We’ll see what happens come March 1 when the changeover is made.
I would only go there if that is the only theatre playing a particular film.
If it is going to be “meeting/event space” does that mean it will no longer be a movie theatre, or that it will have fewer screens in the future?
Ron, you hit it exactly. On February 8, Campus Partners announced that they are hiring Landmark as their management company.
They are going to push this location as meeting/event space. There is a lack of that in the area with the rebuilding of the Ohio Union taking until 2010.
I’m very sorry to hear this. Who would be the alternative — Landmark?
Campus Partners is removing the Drexel Theatre Group from managing this theatre in March, 2008. The theatre lost $187,000 in a recent fiscal year. Campus Partners is planning on hiring a new managing team to administer both the movie theatres and a recently expanded meeting space.
There are 45 other screens within 2.5 miles of this location, and getting exclusive product is getting very difficult.
Sad to see this happen, as they were able to bring in some of the more obscure art films that would not normally play outside of the largest cities.
The Drexel Gateway Theater was designed by the Toronto firm of Mesbur+Smith Architects; David K. Mesbur, lead architect.
A small multiplex that features mostly specialty product and independent films For that reason alone, I like it as many films that play there would never be booked in other area theaters. Not crazy about the design (you have to go upstairs) and the theaters are small. Not as Grand as the Grand, but considering the movies they play, its worth supporting.
jbels, I very much LIKE the Gateway, as I really dislike the Arena Grand. I don’t like the extremely wide rooms and short auditoriums. There are fewer “prime” seats on the center line, and, if one has to sit close, one of the WORST screen views I’ve ever had. I sat through RETURN OF THE KING in the front row (no option…house full), and came out with severe neck pain from the almost 60 degree angle. I also find the sound there to be very dry and lifeless.
I like the Gateway, and I will go back. Jeff and Kathy Frank are ideal for this location as they understand the Columbus market and have long and successful experiences with the distributors. The fact that they landed the exclusive opening of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN over the AMC monster-plexes shows they know how to get the films.
Now, Drexel guys, if you see this, PLEASE check that projector in #2. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN looked like it was having an earthquake. Some of the worst vertical instabillity I’ve ever seen. This in not acceptable in a new location.
This theatre is located very close to an extremely busy AMC 24-plex that is available to Ohio State Students via free bus, so booking will be very tricky.
I have only been to the Gateway twice (and both times saw films in the same auditorium) so I kind of feel the need to be kind. I appreciate their programming but overall I am not too fond of the design. Compared with the Grand (or any of the other Drexel theatres for that matter) this is my least favorite. First of all, it is tucked into the South Campus Gateway area, behind a Mexican restaurant, and it took me several times driving by to figure out where it was. The lobby itself is fantastic, with a long escalator ride reminiscent of the Loew’s Lincoln Square in NY. But the halls leading to the theatres are very, very confusing and are designed like a lab rat’s maze. The one (I believe) men’s room in the whole place is very small, especially considering there are eight theatres. Once you get past the lobby, it basically looks like an apartment that is still under construction (and from what I can tell, the Gateway is finished with construction). The one auditorium I was in was steep, too steep as to make me nervous going down the stairs. I am surprised because the Drexel Arena Grand is so well designed. I will keep going to Gateway though, and hope to warm up to it. They are the only theatre in Columbus showing films like Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World.