Cinema 3
2 W. 59th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
2 W. 59th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 32 of 32 comments
I remember the odd booking of “Jetsons: the Movie” which played for a few weeks. The theatre name “Cinema 3” must have ticked off the Cinema 1 & 11 when they had to name their third theatre “Cinema 3rd Ave.”
Wow, I had forgotten about the phone reservations. I am trying to remember I think at the very end they did sell concessions here.
The former Cinema III space is now occupied by a restaurant of some sort.
The only theater in NEW YORK not to have a candy stand sold no food or drinks of any kind. RKO / CINEPLEX ALWAYS HELD THERE MANAGER MEETINGS HERE.
I worked here from 1977 to 1981. It was the first NYC theatre to take phone reservations when Julia opened in late ‘77. Donald Rugoff still owned the Cinema 5 chain at the time and it was a class act. It showed big releases alternating with quality “art” fair.
People always confused it with the Plaza Theatre on 58th street and with Cinema 1 and 2 on 3rd and 59th street.
Celebrities liked it since there was a private entrance through the hotel.
This theatre replaced a space that was a well-known revue theatre in the Plaza the Plaza 9 maybe…This was as close to a private screening room feel as we had in Manhattan…wide deep seats…no popcorn and generally not much company…The opening attraction was Alain Resnais' Providence…The listing in adverts was always Cinema III or Cinema 3 with just beneath it in the Plaza Hotel so not to confuse with Cinema I and II or even the Plaza a block away
Eventually Rugoff/Cinema 5 started day dating this with the Sutton or Cinema I mainly on Fox pictures Julia, Robert Altman’s A Wedding, High Anxiety offering reserved seating
Remember seeing A Wedding, Moonlighting, Broadcast News, Field of Dreams here
I saw several films here during the theatre’s modest life. THE CONSEQUENCE by Wolfgang Peterson was one. Pier Paolo Pasolini’s astonishing ARABIAN NIGHTS was another.