The Rock Community Church, C.P., has indeed moved into the former Elmwood Theatre space. They don’t have a web site, but they do have an active phone # – 718.651.2950.
It is – the previous three instances I recall being the 8th Street Playhouse from at least the mid- through the late-‘80s; the Film Forum, which used to have a first-show starting time of somewhere around 4 pm during the week, through not long after their move to Houston Street in the early '90s; and the Columbia Cinema in the late-'80s, early '90s.
I don’t know what kind of business the ImaginAsian is doing in general, Robert, but do know management recently decided to drop afternoon shows Mondays through Wednesdays. They also may be benefiting from Loews' decision to double-run the State Theatre first-run major-studio bookings with the E-Walk on 42nd Street (and, at least what seems like a possibility from this non-insider’s P.O.V., decision to stray from Bollywood flicks) as the Indian film ‘Veer-Zaara’ is scheduled to open there later this week. Hopefully the venue itself is at least holding its own…
Just answered my own question, with a little help from Google, re: the Newton Academy Cinemas/Academy Twin… the space is presently occupied by a Pier 1 Imports and a Kaplan Test Prep Center.
Does anyone know what became of the Newton Academy Cinemas? I remember, growing up in Boston, seeing its listing in the Boston Globe, that it had two screens (either initially or due to a twinning – I’m not sure which), and that it closed sometime in the mid-‘80s.
I’d have to imagine the former State space has officially become retail space by now. Out of curiosity, just how dramatic does ‘earthquake retrofitting’ tend to be? Is it a standard, all-purpose procedure for all properties which require it and, in either the opinion of those who live in areas where earthquake retrofitting is common or with a general knowledge of what it entails, is it sometimes used as an excuse by landlords to gut their property for other uses?
A new leaseholder took over the Globe in 2001 after it had sat empty for a while, renovated the property a bit, and tried a first-run policy. That, however, failed to catch on (perhaps due to the Globe’s previously well-established reputation as a porn house) and the Globe was soon again closed which, to my knowledge, it has remained since.
The 8th Street Playhouse closed its doors for good in late October/early November of ‘92, before the schedule of films Robert lists above ran its course.
It appears that the Cinema Latino concept has come to an end. I walked by the 62nd & Broadway earlier this afternoon and noticed that ‘Stage Beauty’, with Billy Crudup and Claire Danes, is currently playing there. In addition, there’s no longer any mentioning of Cinema Latino on the Clearview Cinemas web site.
After Pathe lost control of the Paris in 1989, there was brief talk that the Paris had shut its doors for the last time; to that end, Pathe ran an ad in the Times, listing all the films shown at the Paris, from its opening to its then-closing.
The Art Greenwich closed in June of 2000, its final two offerings being Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ and the Sex Pistols documentary ‘The Filth and the Fury’.
The Charles Cinema opened in 1966 as a Walter Reade single-screen venue with Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘You’re a Big Boy Now!’.
Struggling to keep it afloat, Walter Reade closed the Charles within a year of its opening. Sack Theatres then assumed the lease and converted the downstairs space into two additional auditoriums, with a separate lobby, concession stand and box office. (The Charles was part of an outdoor shopping center within the Charles River Park residential development.)
As a triplex, the Charles did solid, and, as Ian notes, at times, bang-up business, for several years following, but, as Loews began to shift its priorities to some of its other Boston properties, box office numbers at the Charles began to decline and, in October of 1994, the Charles closed its doors for good, counting the Whoopi Goldberg-Ray Liotta flick, ‘Corrina, Corrina’, and a re-release of ‘Schindler’s List’ among its final three offerings. (Among the films I personally saw at the Charles over the years were ‘The Color of Money’, ‘Glory’, ‘Sneakers’, and ‘Far and Away’ in the upstairs auditorium and, downstairs, ‘A Cry in the Dark’, ‘Opportunity Knocks’, and ‘Crooklyn’.)
The upstairs is currently occupied by the Scheppens Eye Institute (the former lobby serving as office space and the auditorium, I presume, as a lecture hall) while the downstairs is currently home to a CVS Pharmacy (in the old auditorium space) and the lobby as part of a construction zone for an ongoing project in the complex’s above-ground parking lot.
Wow; thanks, Ian. Studying the exterior of the building in January of ‘03 (seeing the aluminum siding on the rear exterior and thinking nothing of it), speaking with one of the proprietors of the furniture store in the space to the right of the former lobby, and looking at the Stormship office space photos on their web site, I was under the impression that the auditorium space had only been gutted (and it killed me to think that that even happened since the Cinema 1 & 2 had been my childhood theatre and where I imagine I saw my first movie as well). Do you know approximately when the auditorium space was demolished or do you have any other details on the theatre and its history, etc.?
There are plenty of chains that do a shoddy job (or worse) of maintaining their theatres in general, but are there any chains that, in the opinion of anyone who’ll read this, do a good-to-great job of keeping their properties in excellent condition (i.e., sightlines, physical maintenance, projection quality, guest services, etc.)? My personal vote goes to Landmark Theatres. Through different ownerships, they’ve always represented, in my opinion, the ideal moviegoing experience in these modern times, certainly with the venues I’ve been to (the Sunshine; the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge, Ma.; the Century Centre Cinemas in Chicago; and the NuArt in LA). What chain, if any, would earn your pull of the lever?
The original Orpheum closed in November of 1989, with one of its final offerings being the Eddie Murphy-Richard Pryor flick, ‘Harlem Nights’; the ‘new’ Orpheum opened sometime in 2001.
The Colorado went out on top with a highly successful engagement of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ during the winter of 2000-2001, drawing some of the biggest crowds the theatre had hosted in years. (After the Colorado closed, ‘CTHD’ moved down Colorado Boulevard to the then-newly opened Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 which, while a great place to catch a flick, ultimately resulted in the closing of the Colorado and its fellow boulevard single-screen mate, the Esquire.)
The Rock Community Church, C.P., has indeed moved into the former Elmwood Theatre space. They don’t have a web site, but they do have an active phone # – 718.651.2950.
Touchstone is still an active Disney division, Robert; they did, however, close up Hollywood Pictures a few years ago.
Right, I forgot about those – and the Nova, too…
It is – the previous three instances I recall being the 8th Street Playhouse from at least the mid- through the late-‘80s; the Film Forum, which used to have a first-show starting time of somewhere around 4 pm during the week, through not long after their move to Houston Street in the early '90s; and the Columbia Cinema in the late-'80s, early '90s.
I don’t know what kind of business the ImaginAsian is doing in general, Robert, but do know management recently decided to drop afternoon shows Mondays through Wednesdays. They also may be benefiting from Loews' decision to double-run the State Theatre first-run major-studio bookings with the E-Walk on 42nd Street (and, at least what seems like a possibility from this non-insider’s P.O.V., decision to stray from Bollywood flicks) as the Indian film ‘Veer-Zaara’ is scheduled to open there later this week. Hopefully the venue itself is at least holding its own…
Just answered my own question, with a little help from Google, re: the Newton Academy Cinemas/Academy Twin… the space is presently occupied by a Pier 1 Imports and a Kaplan Test Prep Center.
The former Dorchester Theatre/Park Cinema space currently houses a Radio Shack.
Does anyone know what became of the Newton Academy Cinemas? I remember, growing up in Boston, seeing its listing in the Boston Globe, that it had two screens (either initially or due to a twinning – I’m not sure which), and that it closed sometime in the mid-‘80s.
I’d have to imagine the former State space has officially become retail space by now. Out of curiosity, just how dramatic does ‘earthquake retrofitting’ tend to be? Is it a standard, all-purpose procedure for all properties which require it and, in either the opinion of those who live in areas where earthquake retrofitting is common or with a general knowledge of what it entails, is it sometimes used as an excuse by landlords to gut their property for other uses?
A new leaseholder took over the Globe in 2001 after it had sat empty for a while, renovated the property a bit, and tried a first-run policy. That, however, failed to catch on (perhaps due to the Globe’s previously well-established reputation as a porn house) and the Globe was soon again closed which, to my knowledge, it has remained since.
The 8th Street Playhouse closed its doors for good in late October/early November of ‘92, before the schedule of films Robert lists above ran its course.
The Movieland’s days as a film venue ended in March of 1988 with an engagement of the kids' flick ‘The Land Before Time’.
It appears that the Cinema Latino concept has come to an end. I walked by the 62nd & Broadway earlier this afternoon and noticed that ‘Stage Beauty’, with Billy Crudup and Claire Danes, is currently playing there. In addition, there’s no longer any mentioning of Cinema Latino on the Clearview Cinemas web site.
The Pilgrim closed its doors for business in late December of 1995 and was demolished the following spring.
After Pathe lost control of the Paris in 1989, there was brief talk that the Paris had shut its doors for the last time; to that end, Pathe ran an ad in the Times, listing all the films shown at the Paris, from its opening to its then-closing.
The Paris, although overall distinct, reminds me a bit of the Regency, or at least the general layout of the auditorium does.
The Art Greenwich closed in June of 2000, its final two offerings being Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ and the Sex Pistols documentary ‘The Filth and the Fury’.
The official web site of the Castro: http://www.thecastrotheatre.com/
Thanks for the correction, Seth; don’t know what I was thinking, typing ‘2001’ instead of 1994 in my original comment…
The Charles Cinema opened in 1966 as a Walter Reade single-screen venue with Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘You’re a Big Boy Now!’.
Struggling to keep it afloat, Walter Reade closed the Charles within a year of its opening. Sack Theatres then assumed the lease and converted the downstairs space into two additional auditoriums, with a separate lobby, concession stand and box office. (The Charles was part of an outdoor shopping center within the Charles River Park residential development.)
As a triplex, the Charles did solid, and, as Ian notes, at times, bang-up business, for several years following, but, as Loews began to shift its priorities to some of its other Boston properties, box office numbers at the Charles began to decline and, in October of 1994, the Charles closed its doors for good, counting the Whoopi Goldberg-Ray Liotta flick, ‘Corrina, Corrina’, and a re-release of ‘Schindler’s List’ among its final three offerings. (Among the films I personally saw at the Charles over the years were ‘The Color of Money’, ‘Glory’, ‘Sneakers’, and ‘Far and Away’ in the upstairs auditorium and, downstairs, ‘A Cry in the Dark’, ‘Opportunity Knocks’, and ‘Crooklyn’.)
The upstairs is currently occupied by the Scheppens Eye Institute (the former lobby serving as office space and the auditorium, I presume, as a lecture hall) while the downstairs is currently home to a CVS Pharmacy (in the old auditorium space) and the lobby as part of a construction zone for an ongoing project in the complex’s above-ground parking lot.
Wow; thanks, Ian. Studying the exterior of the building in January of ‘03 (seeing the aluminum siding on the rear exterior and thinking nothing of it), speaking with one of the proprietors of the furniture store in the space to the right of the former lobby, and looking at the Stormship office space photos on their web site, I was under the impression that the auditorium space had only been gutted (and it killed me to think that that even happened since the Cinema 1 & 2 had been my childhood theatre and where I imagine I saw my first movie as well). Do you know approximately when the auditorium space was demolished or do you have any other details on the theatre and its history, etc.?
There are plenty of chains that do a shoddy job (or worse) of maintaining their theatres in general, but are there any chains that, in the opinion of anyone who’ll read this, do a good-to-great job of keeping their properties in excellent condition (i.e., sightlines, physical maintenance, projection quality, guest services, etc.)? My personal vote goes to Landmark Theatres. Through different ownerships, they’ve always represented, in my opinion, the ideal moviegoing experience in these modern times, certainly with the venues I’ve been to (the Sunshine; the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge, Ma.; the Century Centre Cinemas in Chicago; and the NuArt in LA). What chain, if any, would earn your pull of the lever?
The original Orpheum closed in November of 1989, with one of its final offerings being the Eddie Murphy-Richard Pryor flick, ‘Harlem Nights’; the ‘new’ Orpheum opened sometime in 2001.
Just wondering… if there’s hope for restoring the Westlake for use as a theatre, is there similar hope to be had for the Fox Venice?
The Colorado went out on top with a highly successful engagement of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ during the winter of 2000-2001, drawing some of the biggest crowds the theatre had hosted in years. (After the Colorado closed, ‘CTHD’ moved down Colorado Boulevard to the then-newly opened Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 which, while a great place to catch a flick, ultimately resulted in the closing of the Colorado and its fellow boulevard single-screen mate, the Esquire.)