Cinema
5100 Wisconsin Avenue,
Washington,
DC
20016
5100 Wisconsin Avenue,
Washington,
DC
20016
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 53 comments
Fifty years ago today THE EXORCIST opened here. The K-B Cinema was among only two-dozen cinemas in twenty-one North American markets to play the film at release launch.
updated in the photo section to include the 70mm 1989 re-release Washington Post advert for “The Ten Commandments”
I saw Hunt in 70mm also, but I don’t exactly where. I usually chose the best venue in the area. If it was exclusively 70mm here, then it was here. If it was also booked in 70mm in a THX cert house, I would have probably saw it somewhere else like Wisconsin Ave down the street, or one of the Multiplex Cinemas in VA. The last 70mm anything I saw here was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in ‘89.
^ I also would assume ‘The Hunt for Red October’ would have been a 70mm presentation as well. I just remember being utterly riveted by the soundmix (movies set in submarines, have ALL had excellent sound design in my opinion) and the music, specifically the choral parts of the score sounding epically grandiose.
Giles, I saw The Godfather III here, in 70mm, 6 track.
honestly I should have just looked up to the ‘Showcase Presentation’ list to the answers of the couple of questions I had. In regards to two specific movies with accompanied question marks, I seem to recall both ‘The Hunt for Red October’ and ‘The Godfather III’ both being shown here.
Giles, I’m reasonably sure they had 70mm prior to Raiders because I saw ‘Empire Strikes Back’ here when it opened in ‘80. Steve says above they got the Apex’s 70mm projectors for 'Empire.’ My experience is detailed somewhere deep into the postings here.
Being a teen and the only one of my friends who had a job (delivering the Washington Post) I paid for all of us to take the bus, movie tickets and food at the Booeymongers a few blocks down. :) Okay.. I didn’t exactly ‘pay’ for my friend’s tickets, but made them help me deliver the huge Sunday paper with all the ad inserts. Remember when the papers were 5 lb monstrosities? Imagine having to deliver hundreds of those things on a Sunday AM.
With today’s IMAX-lite screens, I’m not sure if I’d enjoy movies here the same way now as I did back then. Its hard to say. Back then, it was a new experience for me having grown up with just a 20" Motorola mono sound color tv.
Unless it happened during the “02/18/76 (repertory film festival showings)” or the latter end of the 1970’s, I remember my dad taking me here to see ‘Camelot’– at a young age I was very entertained.
The 1989 engagement of ‘The Ten Commandments’ was aptly impressive here, but I can’t seem to recall if it was a 35mm print or 70mm print, I think it was the former.
Out of curiosity, when DID the Cinema get it’s 70mm projector and what was presented as such, every bit of info I’ve noted seems to suggest that ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ was the debut of the system – is that true?
Here’s the link to a new article on roadshow and large format presentations in Washington, DC, which includes numerous mentions of the K-B Cinema.
Showcase Presentations in Washington, DC
The piece is a work in progress, so please don’t hesitate to offer up any useful feedback.
“The Graduate” opened here fifty years ago today. The film went on to play (a venue record?) 58 weeks. And to commemorate the classic film’s golden anniversary, here’s a new retrospective article which includes some exhibition history (and other) details.
If it did, it wasn’t in 70mm. For some reason, one of the Columbia MD theaters..the newer one sticks out in my mind of possibly playing it in 70mm for a brief time. OR, had a special print? Have to search the paper archives for that one.
can someone remind me – did ‘Titanic’ play here in 1997?
March 31st, 1965 grand opening ad in photo section
Without a doubt, the Jenifer (under GCC ownership) and the MacArthur (under Circle) played Jedi in 1983. The Cinema played Close Encounters in 35mm, for sure. The 70mm projectors (from the Apex) didn’t get installed until 1980 for Empire. I believe that the Cinema was still using an Eprad Starscope processor the Close Encounters, rather than a genuine Dolby CP50. However, in 1980, it did get its Dolby CP200.
actually the Coate playdate story (on in70mm.com) states the Jenifer, not the Cinema played ‘Return of the Jedi’ (which is correct since that’s where I remember seeing it at)
According to Mike Coate THE RETURN OF THE JEDI played here in 70mm.
1996 Courage Under Fire photo of theater exterior: http://www.flickr.com/photos/channaher/2853736923/
The Cinema has been converted into a Crunch Fitness location.
According to Coate’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS list posted here, the original Washington DC engagement was 35mm.
According to Coate’s EMPIRE STRIKES BACK list posted here, the original Washington DC engagement was indeed at the KB Cinema. The first STAR WARS played at Uptown (list posted here).
so ‘Close Encounters’ was NOT shown in 70mm – right? I could have sworn that ‘Empire Strikes Back’ was at the Uptown – but according to Jodar’s June 2007 posting it’s theatrical engagement was here at the Cinema
Great ad Nick.I missed all the Exorcist first run crowds.Wasn’t in the business then even though Bill swears i was working. First and only big flick i worked was “JAWS” Going to watch Clint now,It is his birthday.
THE EXORCIST ad from the Washington Post dated February 6, 1974. This is around the same date I saw the film for the first time. Memories of standing in long lines in the cold weather and being frightened out of my wits!
View link
Thanks Mike and Nick.
Nick, I never throw any theatre stuff away the above info came from the ad you sent me years ago, Hey, now that you can SCAN you can show the ad and the pictures you took in D.C. I hadn’t started in thebusiness yet,it wasSept 12 1974 when i started; I missed the EXORCIST first run,but saw it plenty of times,but only while working,i never saw the whole movie. “JAWS” was my BIG movie.
Fancy meeting you on this theatre site Mike! This is the theatre where I saw “THE EXORCIST” IN 1974!!! Back then it was called the KB-Cinema. I was living with friends in Alexandria when the film opened. We saw it several times and each time we stood in long long lines in the cold weather. Even the matinee showings sold out continously. And what a powerful film it was too. My friends and I were blown away by it. I remember at least 2 people that had fainted during the showings. I also recall several ladies had left the auditorium and were sitting in the lobby waiting for the film to end. They refused to go back inside.
The film was rated R but the District of Columbia slapped an X rating on the film forbidding admission to anyone under 17. There was a feature article in the Washingon Post about how audiences were reacting to the film. The manager was quoted as saying, “we had a good day today—only one person threw up!” The box office was taking in so much money an armored guard had to stand duty nearby. I remember the auditorium sat below street level. After buying your ticket and entering the small lobby you had to walk down a flight of stairs to the auditorium. It was a very nice theatre as I recall. I remember there were curtains that opened & closed over the large screen. So sorry to see it gone now.