Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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To be fair to the Ziegfeld’s screen, that photo does not show it exposed to its fullest dimensions.
The screen looks so small compared to those of years ago!
It’s pretty cool!!! They should do this on any single screen theater that Clearview owns…besides that, it’s a huge theater!!! Too bad there’s no stadium seating and that the screen is smaller from sitting in the balcony.
Does anybody like this photo of the Ziegfeld auditorium recently posted on the Clearview website?
View link
Sniff.
And, ladies, don’t forget to remove your hats.
Seems like some people went to an inferior sporting event, circus or afternoon “kiddie show” on DREAMGIRLS. Mature cinema etiquette dictates “Silence Please” during a performance of a motion picture out of respect for the filmmaker and film audience. Exhaltation is delayed, if applicable, after the curtain closes or film is finished. That same etiquette applies to end or roll up titles. Stay seated and experience a recap of the music motifs that the composer has structured to have the audience reflect of dramatic and/or thematic aspects of the film. Such a noisy audience should have had an outdoor exhibition to enjoy, preferably Sheep Meadows, Central Park.
Rhett49….you missed the point about Dreamgirls. What made it worth the $25 (and I think almost everyone who went during the limited engagement would say that it was) was the joy and excitement that you get by seeing a movie with more than 1,000 other enthusiastic fans. Combine that with the Ziegfeld Theater itself, the elegance of being escorted to your seat by a professional and personable usher, no commercials, no previews and rounds of appluase from the audience after each big song, well, that is an experience I will not soon forget. No Dreamgirls is not one of the best films ever made, far from it, but it is one of the best theater going experiences I’ve ever had!
I went to Dreamgirls on Sat Dec 30th for the 7:30pm showing.The line to get was about 300 people.By show time the entire theatre (including the balacony area) was filled.Probally about 1090 people.
The movie was very good,people clapped and cheered throught the movie(like being at a live concert)
The experince at The Ziegfeld is MUCH better then any other regular multi-plex.Only the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern or a full house at the Loews Jersey equal or surpass the Zig Experience!
You know….all this talk about “Dreamgirls” and how it was woth $25. Well, I saw it yesterday at a morning show for $5. While it was a good movie (although not a memorable one) I wouldn’t have been happy paying $25 for it even if it did have a curtain at the opening….any teasers about what Ziegfeld is showing at the next Hollywood Classics?
Jeff S: The exhibitor is not the problem area. It is the releasing company, who having a good product, handles its premiere poorly. Case in point KING KONG [2005]. My listing of May 2005 indcated potential American gala for the film at Radio City Music Hall and Ziegfeld as the optional gala venue with following day opening at Seattle Cinerama, Cinerama Dome in LA, Uptown in Washinton DC and Ziegfeld before wide release. Timeframe: Gala November 23, Limited November 24, and Wide December 9. This was an ideal strategy and I posted to Cinema Treasures accordingly. The reality of release was 42nd Street multiplex premieres. What were the logistical problems? I never persued the issue which is now past history. No the exhibitor is not at fault. Product is thrown into theatres with the eye on what was once, probably still is, residual market of video.
It seems that they book too many films that don’t attract audiences. I call such films “bombs”.They should book more films like “Dreamgirls”.
Seem you have it backwards. Hollywood produces the garbage you and I call “bombs”. Movies nobody wants to see. It’s not that the Zeigfeld books “loosers” it’s just that there’s nothing worthwhile to be booked, and what is booked, stinks. Even the so-called summer blockbusters are now mostly garbage.
Audiences will come when there is something to see. Don’t blame the theater(s) for lack of good material.
If you have a premiere in a multiplex you can’t close the whole complex down and you have to deal with ten or more audiences all coming in at the same time as your affair. This did occur with the premiere of KING KONG [2005] which was considered for Gala Premiere at Radio City Music Hall and/or The Ziegfeld.
“Dreamgirls” – fun and an experience for some. And this is good. However, with my 40 years plus in the motion picture industry, “Deamgirls” is a quality program for PBS HDTV and not, as most films today are, a high calibre motion picture in any cinematic sense.
Best of the New Year to All! Good Health, Happiness and Fortune!
From reading other postings here, it seems that the Ziegfeld is losing money. In an age where everything sadly is money, I feel that Clearview will be forced to sell. I hope this is not the case. Since developers will be tearing-down Astroland at Coney Island next year, how long can this theater survive? I hope I am wrong. It seems that they book too many films that don’t attract audiences. I call such films “bombs”.They should book more films like “Dreamgirls”. The Ziegfeld experience is quite extraordinary; they even opened and closed the curtain. The multiplexes don’t even have curtains.
Myron, why will this be your last film at the Ziegfeld?
Some friends of mine saw “Dreamgirls” at the Ziegfeld on Friday the 29th, and they also reported a big crowd and long lines. What a relief – I was afraid attendance would fall off after the exclusive run. I guess New Yorkers know that if they want to see “Dreamgirls” right, they gotta go to the Ziegfeld.
We had the pleasure of seeing “Dreamgirls” on New Year’s Eve. The theatre was packed and there was even a line. Unfortunately, many films here don’t do so well. We haven’t gone to the Ziegfeld for many years because they often, without any public notice, host an exclusive New York premiere although a different film is scheduled to be shown. Many times we have come to the theater, only to learn of a different film being shown on that day. Anyway, it was great to return after all these years. The theatre is well-maintained and the film was shown in digital. Sadly, this could be the last film we see here.
No way would I pay $25 to see a movie, particularly if I waited 10 days and could see it for $7.50 (the matinee price) at the local ‘plex in Astoria as I did yesterday.
Agree though about the enthusiastic audience. The audience went bonkers after Jennifer Hudson’s mid-movie show-stopper.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park will present David Lean’s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Cinema Centre Motion Picture Research Library will begin reorganization for a fifth decade of operations. Contact:
Rhett: The Classics should start sometime in February, which is when it happened in 2006. “Dreamgirls” should be through packing them in by then. But I hope the Ziegfeld doesn’t start playing to empty houses as soon as “Dreamgirls” opens in wide release next week.
When is the Ziegfeld having the next Hollywood Classics Festival and what will they play??
Have any other constant readers of this page been to the Ziegfeld this week?
Lets stop all this crap and get back to what this site is about! Its not a chat room! Merry Christmas everyone!
To the Legacy of Walter Reade and Walter Reade, Jr, Sam Colissimo, George Clark, Homer, Tom Budd, Marie Robbins, Howard Pierce, Winifred Colton, John Balmer, et al who made the greatness of the Walter Reade theatre chain.
EdSolerno: I see the holiday fruitcake has arrived.
NOTE THIS: Clearview should redeicate this theatre to Walter Reade, Jr with his professional stance, including his white coronation in lapel. Give it equitable leverage and, in doing so, as my old bud WR Jr said, “give ‘em dignity, stance and an experience making 'em owners of the seat they pay and the surroundings they enjoy. For if they did not enjoy their richness our purpose will fail”.