Cineplex Odeon Route 17 Triplex
85 South Route 17,
Paramus,
NJ
07652
85 South Route 17,
Paramus,
NJ
07652
16 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 127 comments
I never saw it as a single screen theater. It wasn’t that terrible when they split it into 3. A little bit rundown but still decent size screens and pretty good sound. It was kind of spooky inside. Stepping back into a time warp even in the 2000s
Maybe not a cinema treasure? It most definitely was during its brief period as a single screen theater. Very elegant with a large screen and spacious auditorium nicely designed. As soon as it was spit in half it felt like a dump. Small screens that you had to look at at an angle. Too sad. 70MM here would have been a joke. Totally pointless. Even as a single screen it never showed a genuine 70mm film at all as far as I know. Had it been built sooner it would have been a great hard ticket house. Even in the second half of the 60s it could have shown reserved seat films. NJ suburbanites wouldn’t have had to drive up to NY State to see films like Zhivago, Lion in Winter, Oliver and Funny Girl. Strangely they didn’t play in Bellevue, North Jersey’s big reserved seat center.
Anyone have pictures of this theatre as a Cineplex Odeon?
Please update, theatre became a triplex on December 9, 1983. RKO Century Warner also triplex it’s sister theatre the Green Acres Cinemas the same month. Grand Reopening ad posted.
And Also Century’s Roosevelt Field
The theatre was very similar to the Century Green Acres Theatre, Valley Stream, NY
This was the second theater in Paramus to use 70mm projection when it opened.
June 30th, 1965
Century Paramus theatre opening Wed, Jun 30, 1965 – 40 · The Herald-News (Passaic, New Jersey, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Superman made its debut here 40 years ago when it was a twin in Dolby Stereo.
That Stanley Warner Triplex in that ad is the Route 4 theatre, not the Century Route 17 twin.
Opened with “The art of love”. Opened as a twin (theatre 1) with “The touch” and “Take the money and run”, and(theatre 2) with “The Organization”.
When did a third screen get added? Any ad?
This opened on June 30th, 1965 and reopened as a twin cinema on October 29th, 1971. Grand opening ads in the photo section.
shthead: I’m sure any of the numerous Cinema Treasures members who reside(d) in Northeren New Jersey can chime in and offer a confirmation. I reside on the west coast and the only evidence I can offer is what I’ve seen in trade reports and newspaper promotion that were referenced for the many historical articles I’ve written on the movie in question. I’m sure if the newspaper ads were wrong they would’ve been corrected within a day or two and couldn’t possibly have remained wrong day after day for the many months the movie played there.
MSC77: are you sure? I vaguely remember the tile work out front, although you could be 100% correct.
shthead: “Return of the Jedi” played at the Route 4, not here.
I got to see Return of the Jedi, a movie that had the best happy ending of all time—outside of a porn theater—on opening day, 5/25/83. Unfortunately, the fact that the bad guys are in charge again in The Force Awakens nullifies the ending of ROTJ.
I remember this theater. It was pretty much a meh.
I meant 1996. I guess I pressed the wrong key on my keyboard.
Thanks very much, moviebuff82.
THe rerelease was in 1996, moax429. Independence Day was a carryover from the Tenplex, as was Oliver and Company. I saw Oliver when it was reissued and before that at the Allwood in Clifton. It came around the same time as Land Before Time, which was a better movie. ID4 I saw in Secaucus Meadow six. I saw James and the Giant Peach at the Cinema 35 during that year too.
I remember seeing “Star Wars, Episode IV” along with “The Empire Strikes Back” on the same program (an exclusive to the NYC area) when I moved to Saddle River, New Jersey in June 1983.
Other films I saw at the Route 17 Triplex during my brief time in New Jersey were: “War Games” (1983) “2010” (1984) The 1985 rerelease of “Gremlins” (1984); that would be the last film I would see at this theater.
When I made a return visit to the area in September 1986, I remember the Route 17 had the original “Independence Day” and the rerelease of Walt Disney’s 1988 animated film “Oliver and Company.” I don’t remember what the other film they screened in the other auditorium was.
Sad to see the Route 17 Triplex is gone. But the AMC Garden State Plaza is definitely a worthy successor; when I returned for another visit in September 2014, my best lady friend (who never saw New York City before, but loved it afterward) and I saw “No Good Deed” there. A very pleasant experience.
The rolling stones concert movie “Let’s Spend the Night Together” was shown in 70mm here for a limited run back in 82.
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.
moviebuff82: In your comment from January 10th you stated “Pink Floyd: The Wall” played here in 70mm, but now in your May 4th comment you’re stating it didn’t play here in 70mm. So which is it???
Back then, most people would refer to this theater as the Century, while the theater on Route 4 was the Stanley Warner.