FYI — we just added three more shots to this story: the basement lounge in 1935, the entrance lobby today, and a great nighttime shot from 1936. Thanks again, Sean!
What sort of information are you looking for, Sentinel78? Are you interested in supporting digital cinema at a specific venue? Or is this more of a general question?
Just wanted to mention that the upper portion of the original Ziegfeld is also visible in the classic Men on Girder, 1930 photograph of Empire State Building construction workers taking a lunch break — hundreds of feet in the air. (The theater can be seen at bottom center.)
You should thank Julie Silliman, Manwithnoname. She was very nice to let us use her photos.
BTW — Julie asked me to let everyone know that the second to last image (the one of a dingy-looking Palace theater marquee) is a “before” shot. It was taken prior to the restoration of these marquees.
It definitely looks like it needs a ton of work, Roger. The marquee needs to be cleaned up, the stage needs to be rebuilt, the center and balcony seats need to be restored, the area to the immediate left and right of stage needs to be repainted (hint: blue and red don’t work well together), and the backstage area probably needs some work too. And that’s the just stuff we can see from your photos.
Make sure to read the two profiles of theater operators! The first is titled ‘Moviehouse operators Mark and Katie Stern’ and the second is titled ‘Angels Theatre’s Olson believes in movie magic’. Both are pretty interesting…
(1) “Over an average week, only 12 to 13 percent of Regal’s seats are filled, dipping below 5 percent on the movie dead days of Monday through Thursday, Hull said.”
(2) “I think it also sends the message that our theaters are a home for multiple kinds of entertainment options even beyond movies.”
When digital cinema is fully-deployed, I think it’ll a no-brainer for theater chains to offer all sorts of new programming… how about watching Monday Night Football on a giant movie screen? Can’t see your favorite band in concert? Just catch the live satellite feed. Or, what if you could watch the season finale of your favorite TV show on the big screen?
Another reason why this price increase isn’t welcome in New York — if you want to get tickets for a Friday or Saturday night show, you have to buy them very early in the day, either in person or online. If you buy them online, the movie ticket websites add a $1.50 surcharge to your ticket. So, with the latest increase, that brings your total to $11.75. Add in a soda and popcorn, and you’re easily spending $20 per person.
The chains have a right to make money, but higher prices are making first-run theaters increasingly less competitive. It’s no surprise that the DVD format has become so popular in recent years — in some cases, the price of a DVD is equal to (or even less than) a full-price theater ticket.
FYI — we just added three more shots to this story: the basement lounge in 1935, the entrance lobby today, and a great nighttime shot from 1936. Thanks again, Sean!
vic — is there any chance you can shoot some photos of the Alexandria’s last show?
What sort of information are you looking for, Sentinel78? Are you interested in supporting digital cinema at a specific venue? Or is this more of a general question?
Just wanted to mention that the upper portion of the original Ziegfeld is also visible in the classic Men on Girder, 1930 photograph of Empire State Building construction workers taking a lunch break — hundreds of feet in the air. (The theater can be seen at bottom center.)
You should thank Julie Silliman, Manwithnoname. She was very nice to let us use her photos.
BTW — Julie asked me to let everyone know that the second to last image (the one of a dingy-looking Palace theater marquee) is a “before” shot. It was taken prior to the restoration of these marquees.
I wonder if — shudder to think — the Ziegfeld isn’t too far off. :(
William — can you tell us where you heard this news?
Check out our For Sale news category, Steve. It lists several theaters that are for sale.
Thanks for letting us know, Roger. I’ve updated the link with the new address.
It definitely looks like it needs a ton of work, Roger. The marquee needs to be cleaned up, the stage needs to be rebuilt, the center and balcony seats need to be restored, the area to the immediate left and right of stage needs to be repainted (hint: blue and red don’t work well together), and the backstage area probably needs some work too. And that’s the just stuff we can see from your photos.
Nice analysis, John. I was having trouble discerning Miss Davidson’s position, but you figured it out — ORGANIST! Very cool. :)
Thanks, Tim!
Here’s the direct link for anyone who’d like to sign the petition:
http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/york/news/odeon.html
Tim — do you have a direct link to the online petition? I looked on the website, but couldn’t find any mention of it.
If anyone plans to attend today’s event (and has a digital camera), please let us know. We’d love to post a photo gallery of the festivities.
Make sure to read the two profiles of theater operators! The first is titled ‘Moviehouse operators Mark and Katie Stern’ and the second is titled ‘Angels Theatre’s Olson believes in movie magic’. Both are pretty interesting…
The ceiling canvas looks fantastic, Scott!
I’m not sure if that group is still in charge of the theater, Charles. Since the website is not active, we’re going to remove the link.
Hey — just heard on the Conan O'Brian show that the Conan will be hosting his show from the Elgin sometime in February!
Two interesting snippets from this article…
(1) “Over an average week, only 12 to 13 percent of Regal’s seats are filled, dipping below 5 percent on the movie dead days of Monday through Thursday, Hull said.”
(2) “I think it also sends the message that our theaters are a home for multiple kinds of entertainment options even beyond movies.”
When digital cinema is fully-deployed, I think it’ll a no-brainer for theater chains to offer all sorts of new programming… how about watching Monday Night Football on a giant movie screen? Can’t see your favorite band in concert? Just catch the live satellite feed. Or, what if you could watch the season finale of your favorite TV show on the big screen?
Another reason why this price increase isn’t welcome in New York — if you want to get tickets for a Friday or Saturday night show, you have to buy them very early in the day, either in person or online. If you buy them online, the movie ticket websites add a $1.50 surcharge to your ticket. So, with the latest increase, that brings your total to $11.75. Add in a soda and popcorn, and you’re easily spending $20 per person.
The chains have a right to make money, but higher prices are making first-run theaters increasingly less competitive. It’s no surprise that the DVD format has become so popular in recent years — in some cases, the price of a DVD is equal to (or even less than) a full-price theater ticket.
This site looks interesting…
http://www.theatersforsale.com/
This site looks interesting…
http://www.theatersforsale.com/
Here’s a link to their website, LarryS:
http://www.flagshipcinemas.com/
Thanks for putting these together, Roger. This list is awesome!