Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
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Showing 651 - 675 of 4,511 comments
Hello to Al A.–
you have always been kind to answer my inquiries so here’s a good one that I have not been able to find the answer to but I bet you know it. even after studios abandoned the reserved seat exhibition policy they still opened their “big” films in one maybe two theaters in Manhattan. so do you know the last exclusive engagement this theater hosted? I’m speaking of new films so the Oct. 1996 exclusive run of the restored “Vertigo” doesn’t count.
When Loews merged with Cineplex in 1998, Clearview took over the theater as well as other Cineplex properties.
Cineplex Odeon forced distributors to take the Ziegfeld in order to get the Baronet. Not the other way around.
So many great pictures opened at the Ziegfeld in the 70s and 80s as Manhattan exclusives – Close Encounters, Earthquake, Tommy, The Last Waltz…It wasn’t until the 80s that they started day dating it with an Eastside house…the Baronet, Coronet or Cinema 2, or even the Tower East which is a shame…make people go out of their way for a quality experience
So many great pictures opened at the Ziegfeld in the 70s and 80s as Manhattan exclusives – Close Encounters, Earthquake, Tommy, The Last Waltz…It wasn’t until the 80s that they started day dating it with an Eastside house…the Baronet, Coronet or Cinema 2, or even the Tower East which is a shame…make people go out of their way for a quality experience
So many great pictures opened at the Ziegfeld in the 70s and 80s as Manhattan exclusives – Close Encounters, Earthquake, Tommy, The Last Waltz…It wasn’t until the 80s that they started day dating it with an Eastside house…the Baronet, Coronet or Cinema 2, or even the Tower East which is a shame…make people go out of their way for a quality experience
Attended the 1:00 PM show of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ on Saturday. The picture and sound were impeccable. It as great seeing a film with out presentation issues that I have experienced at the Lincoln Square lately. It was a shame seeing that there was only about 100 patrons at the showing. The comments about being off the beaten path seems strange with the theater only a block from the subway and bus stops and on the cusp of the Broadway theater district. Curious if Dolby ATMOS will be installed especially where the theater is used for most of the premiers held in NYC now. The premiere of the new Helen Mirren film is being held on Monday. The trailers for ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Into the Woods’ looked spectacular on the Ziegfeld screen. The only item missing was use of the curtains.
Star Wars first played at the Ziegfeld as a special edition for all three movies since the Astor played the original saga during its theatrical run in 70mm. The new one coming out is being shot on film then converted to 3d….wonder if they’ll show it this way soon?
As has been mentioned before here, when the run was not exclusive, the Ziegfeld was out-grossed even by tiny houses like the Baronet and Waverly. The 54th street location even required hired ‘screamers’ for premieres since not enough passers-by mobbed the entrance to see celebrities.
And how could I forget “Apocalypse Now”? Not only an exclusive run, but a special ticket price of $5. Way above average for 1979. And it filled the Ziegfeld for many weeks.
to Bill H.–
thanks for the other titles from when the studios still used the Ziegfeld for exclusive 1st run engagements. since this theater is the place to see widescreen films that’s why it was frequently sold out years ago. it was the only theater in Manhattan if the not the city playing a film.
which prompts two additional questions-
*as I stated in my post if people had no trouble finding and getting to the theater 20-25 years ago how is it “off the beaten path” today?
*what was in fact the last exclusive 1st run engagement of a studio film at the Ziegfeld? the special 2 week runs of Dreamgirls and The Princess and the Frog before hey opened wide don’t count.:–)
Bigjoe59: I went to all the shows you mentioned on their first night or first weekend. They were all exclusive runs, sadly a thing of the past for the Ziegfeld.
I’d like to add “Hair” to your list. It sold out at the Ziegfeld for weeks, yet played to almost-empty theaters when it branched out to New Jersey. Also “Gandhi”. See the comments above for stories about the sold-out Ziegfeld shows during one of the worst blizzards New York City ever had.
to robboehm-
I suppose we all have different takes on what’s “off the beaten path”. being a native life long New Yorker nothing is off the beaten path for me.
per you comment the Ziegfeld is only two blocks from Radio City Music Hall. also when the Ziegfeld was still used by the studios for exclusive 1st run engagement people had no trouble finding it. you should have seen the block long lines for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Rose among others. likewise the restored Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady & Vertigo.
so if people had no trouble finding/getting to the theater 25 or 20 years ago they shouldn’t have any trouble today.
I wonder if the income the Ziegfeld generates from being the primary location (the only location, really) for current big studio premieres is the only thing keeping the theater afloat. The day I saw Jersey Boys there, with an audience of 6 people, the usher told me about the full house they had the night before with the premiere of the new Transformers movie, with Mark Wahlberg, etc. in attendance.
BigJoe- Anything other than 8th to Broadway and above 50th is off the beaten path for a go to destination. Music Hall being the exception.
to CConnolly1-
like you I always like going to the Ziegfeld for the quality of the projection and sound. plus like you I am surprised the theater is still in operation. the overhead most be sizable. I’m guessing the reason the theater is still open as a 1st run venue is that Bow Tie Cinemas would have a revolt on their hands if it was twinned, demolished or converted to other use.
also no matter how well reviewed a film is and no matter how popular the film might be with the public there’s a very simple reason why the Ziegfeld is rarely if ever at capacity. any film it shows is also playing at probably 12 other theaters in Manhattan.
and might I be so bold as to ask you a question- you are not the first person to refer to the Ziegfeld via “its location is well off the beaten track”. how is a theater on 54th St. off 6th Ave. off the beaten track?
Hey man! Good to see you back. I’ve missed your witty and informative comments…!
I saw “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” here on Saturday, July 19th. My two teenage children were with me and I looked forward to showing them a very different kind of theater than the ones they were used to. They were both very impressed by the size and the interior of the Ziegfeld. I was disappointed by the sparse a attendance. Considering that “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was the #1 box office movie in the country the weekend we saw it at the Ziegfeld, the theater was nowhere near capacity and it was a 7:00PM showing. The presentation was first rate all the way. The 3D was one of the best I’ve ever seen (and I don’t usually like them) and the sound system was outstanding. I cannot imagine that this theater is profitable. Its location is well off the beaten track. As much as I like the fact that it is not over crowded like the Times Square theaters are, I worry that the lack of attendance dooms this place.
It would be nice they upgraded to Dolby Atmos, every major film is released in that format. Dolby is doing Atmos over 7.1 now for movies. This theatre needs Atmos
Did anyone go to the premiere of Spiderman 2? If so did they use the curtains?
Oh, yeah, we sold out all three shows during that storm. People used skis to get to the theatre. Hi, Bob, this is Jean S. from the Ziegfeld box office.
The storm was at its height just about when the movie was over – visibility zero – and I was seriously considering asking the manager if I could spend the night on the wide rug floor between the front row and the screen. I didn’t think I’d be able to get home, but I did. Now I regret not asking. What if they’d said yes? That would really be a Ziegfeld night to remember!
Rob, on behalf of all those people waiting in the snow, I want to thank you for running the shows that day.
Bill: I remember that storm well. I alternated doing relief work at two theatres close to Radio City, The New York Experience and the Ziegfeld. The operator at the Experience asked if I could open or him the day after the storm, but then decided to stay in the city. I was expecting to stay inside when I got a call from the opeator at the Ziegfeld saying his car was stuck in a drift. I kept a set of Ziegfeld keys in my apartment and took off for the theatre just a few blocks away. I remember thinking there would be no one there after such a big storm, but was surprised when I got to the theatre and found the line for the opening show extending around the block. They had plowed the sidewalk, but the snow was piled so high you could just see the tops of people’s heads above the pile. I stayed there until closing that night, and every show was sold out. Nothing gets between a New Yorker and thier movies!
Rob: Sorry to hear about your accident with the “Gandhi” reel, but I’ve got to say that movie was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at the Ziegfeld. I saw it there 7 times, including the night of one of the worst blizzards in NYC history, a Friday night in February 1983. Maybe you were working that night? It was a packed house, too.
Hey Rob I was just thinking we should have gotten together and modified a couple of those ole film lifts we had back in the three strip Cinerama days to lift those double 70mm reels which were made all the more difficult to handle with a full 70mm load on those floating hubs.