MacArthur Theater
4859 MacArthur Boulevard NW,
Washington,
DC
20007
4859 MacArthur Boulevard NW,
Washington,
DC
20007
15 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: K-B Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: John J. Zink
Firms: Goenner, Woodhouse & Associates
Functions: Drugstore
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Oct 14, 2014 — MacArthur Theater talkback event
Opened as a 1,000-seat single screen movie theater on December 25, 1946 with Errol Flynn & Eleanor Parker in “Never Say Goodbye”. It was operated jointly by K-B Theatres and Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. On December 6, 1979, the MacArthur Theater held the world premiere of “Star Trek:The Motion Picture”. It was triplexed on December 17, 1982 (architects Goenner & Woodhouse), and closed in 1997.
Drugstore chain CVS took over the lease of the building that the same year and the once proud interior of the MacArthur Theater became a place to buy discount band-aids. Sadly, many of DC’s classic movie theaters have also been acquired by CVS.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 103 comments)
Washington Post display ads of 12-5-1979 and 12-8-1979 only state Dolby Sound.. no mention of 70MM at any of the five DC area theatres.. MacArthur, Langley, Jennifer and Carrollton 6 all on Dolby and Marlow (no Dolby)..
I can’t believe its been over 20 years since this place closed. 27 years since I’ve seen a movie inside. And its been 14 years since I’ve driven by the place and actually went in. I’m sure the CVS is the same inside as it was when I was there in 2004.
In reviewing my posts, I can’t believe I forgot to mention I saw Amadeus here in 1984 in 70mm. At that age, I had virtually no interest in Merchant Ivory-type period movies up to then, but I recall the commercials/trailer seemed to convey it to be almost unconventional. In fact, I believe MTV had commercials with the minimal frame cuts to appeal to that audience.
Upon viewing, one can say the movie isn’t Merchant Ivory-esque but a thoroughly enjoyable film and cast. In particular, was Tom Hulce cast as Amadeus and that cackle he was able to pull off that the real Amadeus supposedly had and a dirty sense of humor. This played quite well opposite F. Murray Abraham’s Salieri. I believe I saw it 2x before it went. The musical scenes were rapid cut but still audibly engaging given the sound format and McA’s auditorium acoustics. As its eventual Academy Award wins prove, I’m not the only one who thinks this way. :)
If memory serves me correctly, there was an extended or director’s cut that was longer than the original. It released only in 35mm so I avoided it.
The MacArthur run of “Amadeus,” just for the sake of clarity, was later on in that film’s (long) release. DC first run was at K-B Cinema. See “Amadeus”: The 70mm Engagements article.
This article on “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” should put to rest any questions about whether or not the movie was shown here in 70mm.
Was it named after General Macarthur?
Here’s the link to a new article on roadshow and large format presentations in Washington, DC, which includes numerous mentions of the MacArthur.
Showcase Presentations in Washington, DC
The piece is a work in progress, so please don’t hesitate to offer up any useful feedback.
A job routed me past this venue a few times. The exterior looks the same although I’m reading this CVS has consulting rooms. Not having gone inside but recalling how the store takes up the venue’s previous lobby area, I’m thinking they probably expanded the place to create the consultation rooms. They could easily have carved up #3, which was probably the smaller of the triplexed screens and is closer to the road.
Also, the next door Safeway has been closed, which is not surprising. It would have been closed after my last post.
I was rereading these comments and the one question I have is: in it’s original one auditorium configuration what was the size of the screen? Also rereading that the Landmark E Street theater doomed the Dupont 5 theater, and now with E Street gone - ugh, what a depressing read
The small auditoriums on the sides didn’t impact the original screen in the middle, which from seeing a film there, I estimated at about 40 feet wide.
3-plexing on December 17th, 1982. Ad posted.