Uptown Theatre
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
60 people
favorited this theater
Showing 401 - 425 of 592 comments
The only Lafayette theater I found on here with a single screen also runs other events during the year. That’s the only way it can stay around.
I’d prefer union projectionists, but strongly disagree about “destroyed” presentation. The films I’ve seen have been projected fine. The Uptown is still a great movie going experience. Please don’t scare the audience away because you are upset about the union.
AMC will run this theater to the ground and it will close running movies alone. They already destroyed the presentation by getting rid of the union operators.
RCDTJ..checkout the Lafayette theater.
Properly run & programmed, the Uptown still has life left in it for movies!
Digital projection will not save this theater. Unfortunately, I don’t think anything will. Single screen theaters just can’t stay open by showing only movies.
On the news last night, they reported that the community leaders are concerned about increased traffic because of the church. Maybe this will not happen at all. On the other hand, the argument about traffic can be said about the theater, itself, when it books those blockbusters that would have people lining up and around the block.
If the theater becomes a satellite church, that means they will need to install some kind of satellite/digital projection system. Perhaps this new DP system will show movies as well? :)
Stand outside on Sunday mornings and protest the church if you like.
However, boycotting movies would be counterproductive! if people don’t attend movies at the Uptown, then it will for sure cease movies and become something else like a full time church, CVS, etc. For that matter, if movie attendence was higher, there would be no need to rent out the Uptown. The Georgetown megaplex has Sunday morning movies.
The McLean Bible Church is an aggressively anti-gay church with a ministry encouraging us gay folks to “pray the gay away…”
I, for one, will never go to the Uptown Theater again as long as they let their space be used by an organization that dehumanizes and insults me. This is an insult to their gay customers. And why on earth the McLean Bible Church would seek to locate in a largely Jewish neighborhood like Cleveland Park is also a mystery to me.
Another way to make a buck, nothing wrong with that. I know of a theater in Carlisle Pennsylvania that rents to a church on Sunday mornings. Both church and theater are happy with the arrangements.
$300/week for theater rental on a Sun AM basis doesn’t sound bad at all to me. That’s probably more than what the theater rakes in on shows that early anyway, if they do have them that early.
According to your earlier comment, Piddy, the lease is up in early 2008, so if that’s correct, and if you are correct that AMC is who has done the leasing (for which they might need permission from the owner, depending on the lease) then either it is a rather short term rental or AMC has renewed the lease?
The obviously unfocused pimps at AMC have rented out the palace on Sunday mornings from 7 am to noon for a whopping $300 per week. I am sure that will boost the corporate bottom line to new heights. This AMC is disgusting.
Ah, I found this item on the Internet from this fellow who seems to be listed as the Captain of the Washington DC blogs:
posted by Tom Bridge at 11:12 PM on July 18, 2007
There was some hullaballoo this afternoon on DC Drinking Liberally, and the Cleveland Park Yahoo Group about the McLean Bible Church buying the Uptown Theatre. Not happening. The Uptown is merely being rented on Sunday mornings as an outreach service to the public.
Fear not, you can still get your Godless Heathen on while watching Transformers.
For now.
This says it is Sunday mornings. Will the Uptown still be a moviehouse?
View link
MBC Uptown is a Community Campus of McLean Bible Church. MBC will rent the historic Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park on Sunday mornings. The campus will impact the District of Columbia and nearby communities in both Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Ministries at MBC Uptown will include:
Videocast messages by Lon Solomon and the MBC Teaching Team
Worship led by the MBC Worship Leaders and Bands
Localized ministry teams and outreach events
Opportunities to connect in biblical community with others who live in the DC metro area
Weekly services will start in January 2008.
What the F—K is with AMC. The Uptown Theatre is becoming a Church.I found this on Mclean Bible Church website. In January we will be launching two community campuses. Whether you ride the metro or not, this guide is to help you pray for our new location at the Uptown Theatre in Cleveland Park, DC. As you ride the metro to and from work use the different stops to move from prayer topic to prayer topic, or you can simply use this in your own personal time with God no matter where you are.
Van Ness- UDC Stop
As we approach the Cleveland Park stop let’s begin to focus in on our New location at the Uptown Theatre.
Pray that as we get the word out about this location of our church people would hear the message and commit to attending.
Pray that current MBC attendee’s and small groups who live in this area would commit to making this their church location.
Pray that current MBC attendee’s in this area will dedicate themselves to serving so that this location is launched with excellence.
What is God calling you to do to make our community campus initiative a success? Ask God to show you exactly what He wants you to do to make this campus a success or what He wants you to do to help pave the way for a campus in your community.
The community doesn’t like the Idea.
For PIRATES #3 we skipped the multiplex and saw it on the UPTOWN’s huge curved screen with superior stereo. It was well worth the extra few miles for the exceptional experience. In case anyone doesn’t know, the price is the same. AMC management, however, is not the best; and a long-time customer will be aware of the difference —– as prior owners (particularly Warner, Pedas Bros) were determined to keep the UPTOWN as Washington’s shining jewel.
Piddy, what’s your source of info on AMC not renewing it’s lease on the Uptown? It will be interesting to see if any major theatre chain will step up to the plate in keeping this Washington DC landmark open. If not, I would find it essential an organization like the Avalon’s ‘Avalon Theatre Project’ be created for the Uptown. One thing that is paramount for patron’s like myself, would be if the Uptown actually had digital projection. Theatres like the Ziegfeld, the Arclight, Seattle’s Cinerama have displayed that DLP can work on huge screens – for the Uptown not to be outfitted as such, would be counterintuitive in delivering the best digital projection can provide.
This place is cool. My recollection of the screen is that it is GIANT. I was in DC once years ago and saw a film I could care less about just to check the Uptown out: When Harry Met Sally.
Hope it lives on for another chapter.
I have some bad news that I heard. AMC will not renew the Lease on the Uptown Theatre. The lease is up in the beginning or spring of 2008. AMC doesn’t give a F about the Theatre. If I had the money I would keep it open.
Sorry…I didn’t start showing movies in theatres until 1980 so no help for you on a 1975 question.
The introduction of 2001 was improved upon after your viewing at the AFI…much mention of it being 70mm was made as well as preparing the audience for the tapping in the surrounds for the middle 1/3 of the film.
Don’t hold your breath on 4K digital coming any time soon…Sony is the only one trying it at the moment and they don’t have the best name in the Cinema industry…even Regal has publically stated it isn’t ready and feels very much like an experimental machine. My own personal view of SXRD with 65mm source material was very underwhelming.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m involved in some way with most of the presentation houses, especially the non-chain theatres…including the Senator in Baltimore. You may find it odd, but the Senator’s sound system and the Uptown’s are more similar then they are different!
Steve,
Most of the younger generation don’t even know what 70mm is. On my AFI Silver post, I made mention of the fact that the introduction of the manager (probably someone just out of school) should have made some mention of it since a lot of the audience, for “2001: A Space Odyssey”, was probably in their 20s or much, much younger. I saw kids who were probably 5 and 6 in the front rows! Since a lot of them fuel the box office numbers these days, education is important.
I’ve written to Loews, now AMC, to no avail. Maybe the independents will have better luck like Balto’s Senator, but Mr. Kiefaber has been mum to 70mm posts for the last 3 years and has recently been preoccupied with his venue’s financial woes. But if the Uptown continues with its lousy projection, 70mm or 35mm, it will die.
I suppose the next time we see “2001” at the Uptown it will be in glorious 4K digital on the curve screen. ;)
With the Dreamgirls recent Oscar wins, I suspect it will stay around a little longer.
Steve…I have a question for you inregards to wahington movie theaters. How long were you a projectionist in DC? The reason why I ask. I was in DC on a church trip in 1975 and seen the movie “The Man Who Would Be King” starring Sean Connery. Which movie theater might I have seen it in? Any idea?
Jodar,
Hmmm aside from the Ontario, I operated all of the theatres on your list and showed 70mm in all of them except the Embassy…which btw was actually a rather small theatre with an even smaller screen…it just seemed a bit larger with the “Aisle 1” and “Asile 2” signs! The MacArthur (before triplexing) was my favorite and I closed it as a single running “Raiders” in 70mm on a reissue.
I take issue with your statement about its “expense” because it just is NOT that much more expensive. In terms of production it doesn’t even add millions to the cost of film (though it probably adds to the cost of making things with enough detail since it WILL show everything). For the exhibitor it is relatively cheap…often just a different projector head and a 70mm kit for the platter, for those running platters (most). So as to venues, there are many still out there and any number of venues that could quickly and inexpensively run 70mm on short notice.
If you got my message from the previous post, it was YOU the patron have the ability to affect this sort of change. If you the PATRON demanded quality and such things as 70mm, it would be there in virtually no time. Exhibitors didn’t put in cup holders and stadium seating into their theatres because they wanted to spend more money and open themselves up to legal hassles….they did it because Patrons demanded it…it is pure business. The silly thing on stadium seating is that had architects done proper sight-lines on the sloped floor theatres, NOBODY would have complained about them…but once you start looking into the back of someone’s head instead of the screen, it becomes a serious problem. Sloped floors are absolutely safer in a darkened environment and don’t restrict mobility like risers do.
Digital IS the future. I don’t think there is any question on that. I encourage the better technology every time. Museums are for nostalga. However, digtal in 2007 is 2nd rate compared to film so that is why I’m not in favor of it right now and definately not in a venue like the Uptown where nothing short of 1st rate will do.
So I encourage you and others to become more informed about what is the best quality (not the advertising hype and often poorly researched news articles) and demand a better movie going experience at the Uptown and other theatres. The companies will listen to you dollars. You demand 70mm, they will show it.
Steve
And the Oscar for Longest Cinematreasures blog goes to….. :: drumroll :: Steve!!
It is great to have this forum to hear what people, from within the industry, have to share about exhibition and practices.
My comment about my preference for digital projection is solely because regular film projection in the DC/MD/VA venues just plain suck! I’ve posted comments about independents like the Old Greenbelt and Avalon and their presentations that were consistently first rate but they don’t always book films that I want to see and, in the case of Greenbelt, they get movies sometimes several weeks after their initial release.
As for 70mm, I’d be glad to see its reemergence. In the 80s, my friends and I would go to places like the Uptown and now closed MacArthur, Fine Arts, Cinema, Embassy, Onatrio, Jenifer and, at one time, the tiny Tenley 3 for 70mm exclusives of first run films because we knew of its difference. Even if the majority of the prints were blow ups. But let’s face it, given its expense and the lack of venues to properly show it, its dead, dead, dead. Digital is the future and is here to stay. If I’m wrong and 70mm somehow miraculously makes a comeback (unlikely), then no one would be happier than I.
And how does this all relate to the Uptown???? Given several moviegoers documented experiences here of late, including my own, why should anyone patronize this venue given its less than average presentation qualities? None, if other than for nostalgia reasons. If they had fairly regular 70mm presentations of classics, then sure people will come. But they haven’t had any 70mm since “2001” in 2001, if memory serves me correctly. So short of a 70mm revival, this place is scrap left on the cutting room floor! Finito!