The Circle probably did predate the Showcase chain but I believe it was always a Sumner Redstone property. As an aside, Redstone’s legal residence for decades was in Newton, within several miles of the Circle.
Does anyone know when the Circle opened? I assume no earlier than the mid-1950s.
Some of the recent posts brought back some RCMH memories, so here’s my $0.02:
I saw three films in the WB film festival that played RCMH in the fall of 1996: “My Fair Lady” (print was of disappointing quality, there were audio problems and the house was far from full); “Bonnie and Clyde” (largely full house) and “The Exorcist” (close to, if not a complete sellout, and I remember Ellen Burstyn jokingly telling the audience that they were “crazy” to sit through the film again).
The only film I saw at RCMH during the film/stage show era was “Smokey and the Bandit” in the spring of 1977. A weekday matinee; there probably weren’t more than 100 patrons.
If Cablevision and the film studios could ever agree on terms for short term exclusive runs of new films at RCMH, there certainly are films that would draw huge crowds to RCMH. The upcoming film version of the musical “The Producers” would likely be a smash hit at RCMH.
ErikH
commented about
Waikiki 3on
Feb 17, 2005 at 12:44 pm
The Waikiki complex was a great place to see a movie (#3 in particular had a lot of charm), and it’s a shame that the theaters couldn’t survive. The reason given by Consolidated was that the theaters didn’t attract much tourist traffic and residents preferred the new megaplexes (Dole Cannery and Ward Stadium) that were easier to access and offered better and cheaper parking options.
Note that the IMAX theater located next to the Waikiki closed in the summer of 2003 and remains vacant. I saw “The Matrix Reloaded” at the IMAX, which turned out to be the final attraction there. Consolidated’s reason for the closure: the location was unpopular with residents (traffic and parking hassles) and the IMAX attracted insufficient tourist business.
BOSTON — Indie and art film distribs who want a Boston playdate will find that it just became harder.
The Loews Copley Place 11-plex, which opened in 1984 and was the last downtown venue devoting any screens to off-Hollywood product, shuttered Sunday.
According to theater management, the decision was made by the landlord, who reportedly is eager to convert the space into a Barney’s clothing store.
This leaves Boston with but two downtown theaters, the 19-screen Loews Boston Common and the 13-screen AMC Fenway, both of which showcase mainstream Hollywood titles.
Far afield
Beantown moviegoers hungering for movies like “Finding Neverland,” “A Very Long Engagement” and the like will have to go to neighboring communities to see them, as neither downtown theater plans to change its booking policies.
Landmark’s nine-screen Kendall Square in Cambridge has become a major artpic venue since it opened in 1995, but it’s several blocks away from major retail or transit hubs.
Two other theaters have better locations but fewer booking opportunities: the one-screen Brattle in Cambridge and the three-screen Coolidge Corner in Brookline. The six-screen West Newton Theater is not accessible by the subway/trolley system but has developed a loyal arthouse audience among those who can drive there.
Boston has historically been considered underscreened, and it may get worse. National Amusements has the only other Boston theater, the six-screen Cleveland Circle that literally straddles the Boston/Brookline border. Unlike Fenway and Boston Common, it is an older theater without stadium-style seating. The company reportedly is considering selling the land to a developer for condominiums.
Interesting to read the above posts about the booking policy for the Beacon Hill.
The summary for the Beacon Hill should probably be revised to point out—-as other posters have done—-that there were two separate theaters with this name, presumably at the same address. The original may have had a consistent arthouse policy but the replacement (the underground bunker version that opened in the late 60/early 70s) never established a clear identity, as it went from a first run showcase to grindhouse with a brief stint as an arthouse in between.
In the early l970s, the Beacon Hill exhibited major first run releases such as “The Towering Inferno” (in an unusual move, “Inferno” was shown simultaneously at another Sack theater in Boston; I think it was the Cinema 57) and “Papillon.” I remember seeing Fellini’s “Casanova” at the Beacon Hill in the mid-70s, which was shown on a reserved seat basis. After the conversion to a triplex, the theater mostly showed move-over runs or first runs of Grade B films (apart from a brief detour as an arthouse as noted above) and eventually became known—-as the 57 was in its final years—-of showing exploitation films that attracted unruly crowds.
I don’t remember the Beacon Hill as an “art house” per se, although I remember the occasional foreign film was shown there. Fellini’s “Casanova” played the Beacon Hill on a reserved seat basis in the mid-1970s, before the conversion to a triplex. And after the conversion, the Beacon Hill mostly showed first runs of Hollywood films not considered strong enough for the Cheri, etc. or moveovers.
To those who miss the combination film and stage shows at RCMH: wouldn’t the upcoming film of the stage musical version of “The Producers” —-scheduled for release in mid-December—-be the ideal Christmas attraction for RCMH? I know, wishful thinking.
The Ziegfeld may not be ideal but it’s one of the few theaters that attempts to recreate the grandeur of the old movie palaces. The only other surviving NYC movie theater (that continues to operate as a movie theater, that is) that even comes close is the Loews auditorium at the Loews Lincoln Square.
And seeing a classic film at the Ziegfeld in 70MM is a great experience (such as “My Fair Lady” in the early 1990s and the hit revival of “Lawrence of Arabia” that played the Ziegfeld for months in 1989).
The IMAX screen in Waikiki closed in the summer of 2003. This screen was adjacent to (but not part of) the Waikiki triplex that closed the previous year.
FYI. This week’s Village Voice has an ad for a reissue of “Raging Bull” that opens at the Ziegfeld on January 28 for an exclusive run prior to the release of the special edition DVD in early February.
While the loss of the Circle would leave the Brookline/Newton area badly underscreened, the Circle lost much of its luster nearly 30 years ago when it became a twin and then a multiplex. The only advantage offered by the Circle is its proxmity to public transportation—-and taking the T to the Circle is almost essential at peak show times, as there are far too few parking spaces for a 7 screen complex (a source of complaints for years).
The new Braintree multiplex was, I believe, the first theater in the Boston area to feature Dolby Digital sound. Although I was living in the Metro West area at the time, I remember trekking over to Braintree to check out “The Fugitive” —– the only reason I would have traveled that distance was due to the Dolby Digital presentation.
Anyone know the reason why “With Six You Get Eggroll” had its world premiere in Braintree? It’s rare for a major Hollywood film to have a world premiere in Boston (Hitchcock’s “Frenzy,” “The Paper Chase” and the megabomb “Raise the Titanic” are among the few that come to mind), so the world premiere of a major release in the Boston ‘burbs strikes me as just about unheard of.
Speaking of coming attractions at RCMH, the 40th anniversary DVD of “Mary Poppins” includes a trailer announcing the film’s return to RCMH to launch the film’s reissue in the early 1970s.
Here’s hoping that the back-to-back announcements of the closings of the Beekman and Cinema 1-2-3 will prove to be a catalyst in improving the quality of filmgoing on the Upper East Side.
One of the most memorable experiences I had as a moviegoer took place in Cinema 1 on a Friday in the fall of 1980: the opening night showing of “Heaven’s Gate” (Cinema 1 was showing the film exclusively). A section of the auditorium was roped off for United Artists executives, who emerged ashen-faced after the screening ended (the audience booed as the credits rolled). The next day, United Artists announced that the film would be pulled from Cinema 1 the following week.
As a student at a nearby college in the early 1980s, I made quite a few visits to the Welles. The complex often featured top independent and foreign films, but in its final years it turned increasingly to mainstream releases. I suspect this may have been the result of losing films to the Nickelodeon and Copley Place, which were competing with the Welles for the same type of product (in its early years, the Copley Place emphasized foreign and indie fare on many of its screens). I remember seeing “Blame It On Rio” at the Welles; not exactly the type of film you would expect to be shown there. Competition from the Nickelodeon and Copley Place would also help explain why the Welles didn’t reopen following the fire.
Also, I believe that Welles himself visited the theater in the 1970s for the premiere of his film “F For Fake.”
The NYC Paris has a very unique history as it was owned for decades by the French company Pathe. For that reason, a connection between the Boston and NYC Paris theaters is probably unlikely.
I agree that the Boston Paris was neglected by Sack/USA. For example, despite its reputation as a prestige house in the 70s and 80s, management never bothered to install a stereo sound system at the Paris, even when Dolby had become commonplace.
For the record, it’s probably worth clarifying that the Music Hall was renamed The Metropolitan Center in the 1970s, then (as noted in a previous post) renamed The Wang Center following Dr. Wang’s donation in the mid-1980s.
A shame that the Wang isn’t viable as a film house, because it is far from ideal as a venue for live theater. While the large seating capacity—-more than twice the size of a typical Broadway house—-means a high gross potential, the acoustics and sightlines are mediocre and charging near-Broadway prices for the rear orchestra and mezzanine makes little sense due to the considerable distance from the stage (bring binoculars).
The Globe article is correct about the type of films that played the Pi Alley after it was twinned. The complex either showed move-overs from “prime locations” or initial first run engagements of films that weren’t expected to do well. Before the Pi Alley was twinned, however, it often showed first runs on an exclusive basis, such as “Tommy” and Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers.”
Regarding the above question about “quintaphonic sound” used for “Tommy” at the Pi Alley—-the brochure enclosed with the DVD of “Tommy” discusses this sound system in some detail. Quintaphonic sound was only used in “Tommy”’s intitial exclusive runs in theaters such as the Pi Alley and the Ziegfeld in NYC.
The Cinema 57 played “Grease” on an exclusive basis in June 1978 for at least several weeks before expanding to the suburbs. I don’t believe that “Grease” played the Music Hall as a first run, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was shown at some point as part of the Wang series.
Regarding the “house allowance” for the Ziegfeld referred to in the Daily News article. Until the mid-1990s or thereabouts, Variety published the grosses for individual theaters in Manhattan, and those entries often included the weekly “nut” for that theater (“house allowance” in Variety-speak). The Ziegfeld’s weekly “nut” was in the $30,000 range; higher than any other film theater in Manhattan, including the Astor Plaza. As that figure must be at least 7-8 years old, I assume that the Ziegfeld’s “nut” is significantly higher now.
I doubt that the current run of “Phantom” is clearing the weekly “nut”; I attended an early evening Ziegfeld showing on a weekday between Christmas and New Year’s and there weren’t more than several dozen people in the audience.
When the Ziegfeld has an NYC exclusive, it can do huge business; during the early weeks of “Chicago”’s run, many showings sold out hours in advance. But the “Chicago” exclusive run was an anomaly; the only other Ziegfeld exclusive in the past few years that comes to mind is the Disney animated film “Brother Bear.” It stands to reason that the revenue from rentals for special screenings/premieres is the only way that Cablevision/Clearview can keep those doors open.
I don’t believe that the “King Kong” remake was the final film shown at the Gary, unless it was a reissue (and I would be surprised if Paramount would have reissued that bomb). I made the mistake of seeing “King Kong” in Boston in December 1976—-the film was shown in the large auditorium of the Savoy, now the Opera House. Also, there are some photos of the Gary in the Cinematour.com website—-see URL in one of the above posts—-that show “Crossing Swords” on the marquee. “Crossing Swords” was a 1978 release; this may have been the final film shown at the Gary. On a semi-related note, “Crossing Swords” was one of, if not the final, film shown at Radio City Music Hall before Radio City was converted to concert use.
I saw “Earthquake” in Sensurround in the original (and largest) GC Shoppers World auditorium, then known as Cinema I. A cheesy flick but a great deal of fun in Sensurround. As noted above, the “Earthquake” engagement was extremely unusual for a major Hollywood studio release. The GC Shoppers World had a Boston area exclusive with “Earthquake” for an extended period; if my memory is accurate, the film opened in Framingham in October 1974 but didn’t play the Gary (or anywhere else in the area) until December. I remember seeing a film in Cinema II while “Earthquake” was still playing in Cinema I (I think the film was “Murder on the Orient Express”) and you could hear and feel the Sensurround rumblings—-and Cinema II was located on the other side of the lobby from Cinema I.
Does anyone remember the approx. seating capacity of Cinema I before it was twinned in 1976? I went there many times as a child and my recollection is that it was enormous (ditto the screen).
I believe that the old Embassy theater was located on Moody Street in Waltham (the Landmark Embassy is located on a side street just to the east of Moody Street). I remember seeing “With Six You Get Eggroll” there (1968 release); I doubt that the Embassy was still in operation by the end of that decade. The General Cinema two screen discount theater in Waltham—-also long gone—-opened at roughly the same time as the shuttering of the Embassy.
The Circle probably did predate the Showcase chain but I believe it was always a Sumner Redstone property. As an aside, Redstone’s legal residence for decades was in Newton, within several miles of the Circle.
Does anyone know when the Circle opened? I assume no earlier than the mid-1950s.
Some of the recent posts brought back some RCMH memories, so here’s my $0.02:
I saw three films in the WB film festival that played RCMH in the fall of 1996: “My Fair Lady” (print was of disappointing quality, there were audio problems and the house was far from full); “Bonnie and Clyde” (largely full house) and “The Exorcist” (close to, if not a complete sellout, and I remember Ellen Burstyn jokingly telling the audience that they were “crazy” to sit through the film again).
The only film I saw at RCMH during the film/stage show era was “Smokey and the Bandit” in the spring of 1977. A weekday matinee; there probably weren’t more than 100 patrons.
If Cablevision and the film studios could ever agree on terms for short term exclusive runs of new films at RCMH, there certainly are films that would draw huge crowds to RCMH. The upcoming film version of the musical “The Producers” would likely be a smash hit at RCMH.
The Waikiki complex was a great place to see a movie (#3 in particular had a lot of charm), and it’s a shame that the theaters couldn’t survive. The reason given by Consolidated was that the theaters didn’t attract much tourist traffic and residents preferred the new megaplexes (Dole Cannery and Ward Stadium) that were easier to access and offered better and cheaper parking options.
Note that the IMAX theater located next to the Waikiki closed in the summer of 2003 and remains vacant. I saw “The Matrix Reloaded” at the IMAX, which turned out to be the final attraction there. Consolidated’s reason for the closure: the location was unpopular with residents (traffic and parking hassles) and the IMAX attracted insufficient tourist business.
From today’s Daily Variety:
BOSTON — Indie and art film distribs who want a Boston playdate will find that it just became harder.
The Loews Copley Place 11-plex, which opened in 1984 and was the last downtown venue devoting any screens to off-Hollywood product, shuttered Sunday.
According to theater management, the decision was made by the landlord, who reportedly is eager to convert the space into a Barney’s clothing store.
This leaves Boston with but two downtown theaters, the 19-screen Loews Boston Common and the 13-screen AMC Fenway, both of which showcase mainstream Hollywood titles.
Far afield
Beantown moviegoers hungering for movies like “Finding Neverland,” “A Very Long Engagement” and the like will have to go to neighboring communities to see them, as neither downtown theater plans to change its booking policies.
Landmark’s nine-screen Kendall Square in Cambridge has become a major artpic venue since it opened in 1995, but it’s several blocks away from major retail or transit hubs.
Two other theaters have better locations but fewer booking opportunities: the one-screen Brattle in Cambridge and the three-screen Coolidge Corner in Brookline. The six-screen West Newton Theater is not accessible by the subway/trolley system but has developed a loyal arthouse audience among those who can drive there.
Boston has historically been considered underscreened, and it may get worse. National Amusements has the only other Boston theater, the six-screen Cleveland Circle that literally straddles the Boston/Brookline border. Unlike Fenway and Boston Common, it is an older theater without stadium-style seating. The company reportedly is considering selling the land to a developer for condominiums.
Interesting to read the above posts about the booking policy for the Beacon Hill.
The summary for the Beacon Hill should probably be revised to point out—-as other posters have done—-that there were two separate theaters with this name, presumably at the same address. The original may have had a consistent arthouse policy but the replacement (the underground bunker version that opened in the late 60/early 70s) never established a clear identity, as it went from a first run showcase to grindhouse with a brief stint as an arthouse in between.
In the early l970s, the Beacon Hill exhibited major first run releases such as “The Towering Inferno” (in an unusual move, “Inferno” was shown simultaneously at another Sack theater in Boston; I think it was the Cinema 57) and “Papillon.” I remember seeing Fellini’s “Casanova” at the Beacon Hill in the mid-70s, which was shown on a reserved seat basis. After the conversion to a triplex, the theater mostly showed move-over runs or first runs of Grade B films (apart from a brief detour as an arthouse as noted above) and eventually became known—-as the 57 was in its final years—-of showing exploitation films that attracted unruly crowds.
I don’t remember the Beacon Hill as an “art house” per se, although I remember the occasional foreign film was shown there. Fellini’s “Casanova” played the Beacon Hill on a reserved seat basis in the mid-1970s, before the conversion to a triplex. And after the conversion, the Beacon Hill mostly showed first runs of Hollywood films not considered strong enough for the Cheri, etc. or moveovers.
To those who miss the combination film and stage shows at RCMH: wouldn’t the upcoming film of the stage musical version of “The Producers” —-scheduled for release in mid-December—-be the ideal Christmas attraction for RCMH? I know, wishful thinking.
The Ziegfeld may not be ideal but it’s one of the few theaters that attempts to recreate the grandeur of the old movie palaces. The only other surviving NYC movie theater (that continues to operate as a movie theater, that is) that even comes close is the Loews auditorium at the Loews Lincoln Square.
And seeing a classic film at the Ziegfeld in 70MM is a great experience (such as “My Fair Lady” in the early 1990s and the hit revival of “Lawrence of Arabia” that played the Ziegfeld for months in 1989).
The IMAX screen in Waikiki closed in the summer of 2003. This screen was adjacent to (but not part of) the Waikiki triplex that closed the previous year.
FYI. This week’s Village Voice has an ad for a reissue of “Raging Bull” that opens at the Ziegfeld on January 28 for an exclusive run prior to the release of the special edition DVD in early February.
The DVD of “Gigi” includes a trailer for the film featuring several shots of the exterior of the Royale during the film’s roadshow run.
While the loss of the Circle would leave the Brookline/Newton area badly underscreened, the Circle lost much of its luster nearly 30 years ago when it became a twin and then a multiplex. The only advantage offered by the Circle is its proxmity to public transportation—-and taking the T to the Circle is almost essential at peak show times, as there are far too few parking spaces for a 7 screen complex (a source of complaints for years).
The new Braintree multiplex was, I believe, the first theater in the Boston area to feature Dolby Digital sound. Although I was living in the Metro West area at the time, I remember trekking over to Braintree to check out “The Fugitive” —– the only reason I would have traveled that distance was due to the Dolby Digital presentation.
Anyone know the reason why “With Six You Get Eggroll” had its world premiere in Braintree? It’s rare for a major Hollywood film to have a world premiere in Boston (Hitchcock’s “Frenzy,” “The Paper Chase” and the megabomb “Raise the Titanic” are among the few that come to mind), so the world premiere of a major release in the Boston ‘burbs strikes me as just about unheard of.
Speaking of coming attractions at RCMH, the 40th anniversary DVD of “Mary Poppins” includes a trailer announcing the film’s return to RCMH to launch the film’s reissue in the early 1970s.
Here’s hoping that the back-to-back announcements of the closings of the Beekman and Cinema 1-2-3 will prove to be a catalyst in improving the quality of filmgoing on the Upper East Side.
One of the most memorable experiences I had as a moviegoer took place in Cinema 1 on a Friday in the fall of 1980: the opening night showing of “Heaven’s Gate” (Cinema 1 was showing the film exclusively). A section of the auditorium was roped off for United Artists executives, who emerged ashen-faced after the screening ended (the audience booed as the credits rolled). The next day, United Artists announced that the film would be pulled from Cinema 1 the following week.
Note that the NY Times ran an article last summer about the closing of the Astor Plaza before it shuttered (and the article referred to this site).
As a student at a nearby college in the early 1980s, I made quite a few visits to the Welles. The complex often featured top independent and foreign films, but in its final years it turned increasingly to mainstream releases. I suspect this may have been the result of losing films to the Nickelodeon and Copley Place, which were competing with the Welles for the same type of product (in its early years, the Copley Place emphasized foreign and indie fare on many of its screens). I remember seeing “Blame It On Rio” at the Welles; not exactly the type of film you would expect to be shown there. Competition from the Nickelodeon and Copley Place would also help explain why the Welles didn’t reopen following the fire.
Also, I believe that Welles himself visited the theater in the 1970s for the premiere of his film “F For Fake.”
The NYC Paris has a very unique history as it was owned for decades by the French company Pathe. For that reason, a connection between the Boston and NYC Paris theaters is probably unlikely.
I agree that the Boston Paris was neglected by Sack/USA. For example, despite its reputation as a prestige house in the 70s and 80s, management never bothered to install a stereo sound system at the Paris, even when Dolby had become commonplace.
For the record, it’s probably worth clarifying that the Music Hall was renamed The Metropolitan Center in the 1970s, then (as noted in a previous post) renamed The Wang Center following Dr. Wang’s donation in the mid-1980s.
A shame that the Wang isn’t viable as a film house, because it is far from ideal as a venue for live theater. While the large seating capacity—-more than twice the size of a typical Broadway house—-means a high gross potential, the acoustics and sightlines are mediocre and charging near-Broadway prices for the rear orchestra and mezzanine makes little sense due to the considerable distance from the stage (bring binoculars).
The Globe article is correct about the type of films that played the Pi Alley after it was twinned. The complex either showed move-overs from “prime locations” or initial first run engagements of films that weren’t expected to do well. Before the Pi Alley was twinned, however, it often showed first runs on an exclusive basis, such as “Tommy” and Bergman’s “Cries and Whispers.”
Regarding the above question about “quintaphonic sound” used for “Tommy” at the Pi Alley—-the brochure enclosed with the DVD of “Tommy” discusses this sound system in some detail. Quintaphonic sound was only used in “Tommy”’s intitial exclusive runs in theaters such as the Pi Alley and the Ziegfeld in NYC.
The Cinema 57 played “Grease” on an exclusive basis in June 1978 for at least several weeks before expanding to the suburbs. I don’t believe that “Grease” played the Music Hall as a first run, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was shown at some point as part of the Wang series.
Regarding the “house allowance” for the Ziegfeld referred to in the Daily News article. Until the mid-1990s or thereabouts, Variety published the grosses for individual theaters in Manhattan, and those entries often included the weekly “nut” for that theater (“house allowance” in Variety-speak). The Ziegfeld’s weekly “nut” was in the $30,000 range; higher than any other film theater in Manhattan, including the Astor Plaza. As that figure must be at least 7-8 years old, I assume that the Ziegfeld’s “nut” is significantly higher now.
I doubt that the current run of “Phantom” is clearing the weekly “nut”; I attended an early evening Ziegfeld showing on a weekday between Christmas and New Year’s and there weren’t more than several dozen people in the audience.
When the Ziegfeld has an NYC exclusive, it can do huge business; during the early weeks of “Chicago”’s run, many showings sold out hours in advance. But the “Chicago” exclusive run was an anomaly; the only other Ziegfeld exclusive in the past few years that comes to mind is the Disney animated film “Brother Bear.” It stands to reason that the revenue from rentals for special screenings/premieres is the only way that Cablevision/Clearview can keep those doors open.
I don’t believe that the “King Kong” remake was the final film shown at the Gary, unless it was a reissue (and I would be surprised if Paramount would have reissued that bomb). I made the mistake of seeing “King Kong” in Boston in December 1976—-the film was shown in the large auditorium of the Savoy, now the Opera House. Also, there are some photos of the Gary in the Cinematour.com website—-see URL in one of the above posts—-that show “Crossing Swords” on the marquee. “Crossing Swords” was a 1978 release; this may have been the final film shown at the Gary. On a semi-related note, “Crossing Swords” was one of, if not the final, film shown at Radio City Music Hall before Radio City was converted to concert use.
I saw “Earthquake” in Sensurround in the original (and largest) GC Shoppers World auditorium, then known as Cinema I. A cheesy flick but a great deal of fun in Sensurround. As noted above, the “Earthquake” engagement was extremely unusual for a major Hollywood studio release. The GC Shoppers World had a Boston area exclusive with “Earthquake” for an extended period; if my memory is accurate, the film opened in Framingham in October 1974 but didn’t play the Gary (or anywhere else in the area) until December. I remember seeing a film in Cinema II while “Earthquake” was still playing in Cinema I (I think the film was “Murder on the Orient Express”) and you could hear and feel the Sensurround rumblings—-and Cinema II was located on the other side of the lobby from Cinema I.
Does anyone remember the approx. seating capacity of Cinema I before it was twinned in 1976? I went there many times as a child and my recollection is that it was enormous (ditto the screen).
I believe that the old Embassy theater was located on Moody Street in Waltham (the Landmark Embassy is located on a side street just to the east of Moody Street). I remember seeing “With Six You Get Eggroll” there (1968 release); I doubt that the Embassy was still in operation by the end of that decade. The General Cinema two screen discount theater in Waltham—-also long gone—-opened at roughly the same time as the shuttering of the Embassy.