Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
Showing 351 - 375 of 4,511 comments
Sadly it was bound to happen Was at the opening attraction Marooned in its second weekend…then plenty more over the years…The Last Waltz, Sleuth, Earthquake, Close Encounters, Lawrence of Arabia restored in 1998, Last Temptation of Christ, Mountains of the Moon, Dreamgirls At the same time it was an awkward design up the escalators…the red was somewhat tacky and the marquee never fully did it justice A shame a manageable main theatre and a couple of small sub-run theatres couldn’t have been carved out of it
Many current films premiere at the Ziegfeld for the New York opening premiere. With the closing, where will the stars gather to celebrate new films? There are no other theaters available as far as I know and the Music Hall is no longer available. Where can I find a list of films that had a run at the Ziegfeld? I think the last film I saw there was Dreamgirls.
I’m really sorry to hear this magnificent movie palace is closed but I can’t say I’m surprised. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to visit one last time before it closes its doors for good.
I remember going there in 1980 for a sneak preview of “Altered States” in December. I went to the ticket window and the ticket seller said “Merry Christmas” and let me in free.
I’m saddened by the closing of the iconic Ziegfeld theater as well. I saw many movies there – “Earthquake” (in Sensurround), “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, the Neil Diamond “Jazz Singer”, “Raise The Titanic”, to name a few. One movie I did not see there was “Star Wars”. That movie did not play at the Ziegfeld during its initial 1977 run, despite a couple of people saying it did. “Star Wars” did play, for over a year, at Loew’s Astor Plaza. I should know, I saw it there.
So sad the Ziegfeld is closing. Can’t say I’m surprised but it hurts none the less for knowing it was inevitable.
Saw a lot of movies here since moving to NYC and am glad I made the effort to do so. I feel like a lot of people took this place for granted.
This is a damn shame this beautiful theater is officially closing down, My uncle God bless to his soul remembered see movies since he was a teenager, My uncle would be alive to save this theater and this theater will always be remembered and never be forgotten
While this is very sad, I am so glad that I got to experience 70MM in this great venue one last time when I saw “Interstellar” there in 2014. It is a shame this beautiful theater is closing, but times and peoples habits have changed. As hdtv267 said above, people today go where the recliners and all the bells and whistles are. As much as I hate to admit it, my wife and I are guilty of the same thing. You will never be forgotten Ziegfeld Theatre.
It gives me no joy that I was correct on this closing in 2016. The Ziegfeld can be proud of its rich history and excellence .
I am saddened about the Ziegfeld but we saw this coming. We saw many films there but the one I will remember is Close Encounters; we saw it twice. The Ziegfeld may be the last theatre in Manhattan which still uses a curtain; except for RCMH. At least it won’t be demolished like my all-time favorite, the Roxy.
What a bummer. Though I think we all knew this may be coming, so I’m glad I made an effort to go here as much as possible the last couple years.
While I am very sorry to hear this news, the closure of the Ziegfeld as a film theater has been in the cards for years, if not decades. It’s amazing that the Ziegfeld lasted for as long as it did; even in the 1970s the theater closed for weeks or months at a time due to lack of product.
It would be wonderful if the Ziegfeld came to a close with a reprise of its greatest hits, such as screenings of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “That’s Entertainment!,” “Ryan’s Daughter,” and “Gandhi” each in 70MM, “Tommy” in “Quintaphonic Sound,” “Cabaret,” “Barry Lyndon,” and “A Passage to India.” And don’t forget the restored “Lawrence of Arabia” (a huge hit that ran for months in 1989), “Vertigo” and “My Fair Lady” each in 70MM (kudos to the estimable Robert Harris and his colleagues for each of those restorations).
Ain’t gonna happen, of course. Thanks for the wonderful memories.
i first heard it on facebook, hdtv267. Long live the Ziegfeld.
I’d like to hear some reports about the round-the-clock opening weekend of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Here is for comparison a sample of some of the highly-anticipated films from the spring and summer of 1977 followed by the opening-week number of engagements for each: “A Bridge Too Far” (400+), “The Deep” (800+), “Exorcist II: The Heretic” (700+), “New York, New York” (400+), “Orca” (700+), “The Other Side Of Midnight” (500+), “Rollercoaster” (400+), “Smokey And The Bandit” (300+), and “The Spy Who Loved Me” (200+).
Star Wars is a post-Jaws release so it did not have months of exclusive runs. Opening May 25, 1977 the first weekend was 43 national engagements, a few more were added in the next weeks, and 100 new theaters were added in the fourth week. By August and September there were just over 1,000 theaters showing it.
Interesting site with a lot of detail here.
4 week commitment seems a joke now. In the old days a movie like Star Wars played for months before it even went second and third run.
Plus, the Paris and City Cinemas have bargain matinees.
I saw Hamlet in 70mm in 1996 at the Paris. I’d be happy to see The Hateful Eight there. It is the same movie operator as the nearby City Cinemas 1,2,3 which showed Interstellar in 70mm when the Ziegfeld also had it. Weinstein’s company is setting up 70mm projectors……
The Paris showed “Lawrence of Arabia” in 70mm in the ‘90’s. Don’t know if they still have that equipment, though. Small screen too, compared to the Ziegfeld.
According to the article in the NY Times yesterday “The Weinstein Company plans to release a full list of theaters Thursday or Friday”.
Who else still has 70mm film capability to show “Hateful Eight” in NYC, the Cinema 1,2,3 & Village East? Did AMC keep the 70mm projector equipment in the Loews Auditorium at Lincoln Square?
And it must run 4 times a day …
Yes no hateful eight at the Ziegfeld. I confirmed this with management. The only reason you can’t buy tickets past the 24th is Just something technical. They will fix it for ticket sales closer to the 22nd . Yes all theaters have to keep Star Wars for one month.
There is a 4 week minimum on the new Star Wars !