I remember when RKO owned and operated this theatre. The indoor marquee had an odd brown and bright yellow display. I saw a lot of movies here as a kid. The two I remember specifically were “Batman” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” I remember the line for Batman was a mile long. I, like every other kid in the world, was totally pumped to see this flick. I remember looking down at my black Batman converse sneakers covered in the Batman logo on that tan colored hard floor thinking about how great it was going to be. It was probably one of the longest lines I ever waited in for a movie. I’m still trying to figure out if I saw “Goonies” here or at the Kingsway Theatre. Great memories!
I remember the drive-in very well. It was a major factor in our family travels from Brooklyn to New Jersey. The only movie I distinctly remember seeing there though was “Arachnophobia” and for good reason. It was a hot summer night when we saw it and we were sweating buckets in the car. We rolled down the windows and being in the middle of a grass lot that probably wasn’t the best idea. The bugs (mosquitoes specifically) started to creep in and watching “Arachnophobia” really didn’t help.
It was still a great and unique attraction which I really wish remained. It sadly gave way to a completely foreign establishment to us New Yorkers a wholesale warehouse known as the Price Club (now Costco) and the Multiplex Cinemas. The Multiplex instantly tried to win over saddened drive-in goers by showing a few blockbusters for like 50 cents a pop. I think they showed “Batman,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Wayne’s World,” but I could be wrong. Does anyone remember?
You’re right about the name. However the close date is subject to debate. The UA sold the theatre to Cinemagic Theatres which kept it open a while longer as a discount theatre. I still have the ticket stubs for “Austin Powers,” “Mimic,” and “Chasing Amy” which all came out in 1997 and were shown there. The admission price was $2.83 and it included a small free popcorn. Talk about a deal.
The last couple of movies to show there that I found via an online newspaper search were on December 13, 1997 – Men in Black, Seven Years In Tibet, Gattaca, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Fairy Tale: A True Story, In & Out, Kiss the Girls, Red Corner, Full Monty, Bean, & Starship Troopers. The theatre was knocked down shortly after that. I have a small piece of the rubble.
I use to go to this theatre when I lived in Brooklyn as a kid. I don’t think it was the theatre I went to most often because there was a closer theatre in walking to distance to my home on West 5th street. Yet it made an big impression on me. The beautiful murals painted on the front and side walls made this theatre seem larger than life to me. The only movie I can distinctly remember seeing here is the original “Jurassic Park,” though I’m sure I saw many 80’s classics here that just aren’t registering. I remember the theatre was swamped because this was a must see movie event. I also remember a comic store being right near there which I definitely went into prior to this showing at least. Does anyone remember if there was also Crazy Eddie’s across the street or in the immediate area? If I’m not mistaken there was one right by there.
I remember when RKO owned and operated this theatre. The indoor marquee had an odd brown and bright yellow display. I saw a lot of movies here as a kid. The two I remember specifically were “Batman” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” I remember the line for Batman was a mile long. I, like every other kid in the world, was totally pumped to see this flick. I remember looking down at my black Batman converse sneakers covered in the Batman logo on that tan colored hard floor thinking about how great it was going to be. It was probably one of the longest lines I ever waited in for a movie. I’m still trying to figure out if I saw “Goonies” here or at the Kingsway Theatre. Great memories!
I remember the drive-in very well. It was a major factor in our family travels from Brooklyn to New Jersey. The only movie I distinctly remember seeing there though was “Arachnophobia” and for good reason. It was a hot summer night when we saw it and we were sweating buckets in the car. We rolled down the windows and being in the middle of a grass lot that probably wasn’t the best idea. The bugs (mosquitoes specifically) started to creep in and watching “Arachnophobia” really didn’t help.
It was still a great and unique attraction which I really wish remained. It sadly gave way to a completely foreign establishment to us New Yorkers a wholesale warehouse known as the Price Club (now Costco) and the Multiplex Cinemas. The Multiplex instantly tried to win over saddened drive-in goers by showing a few blockbusters for like 50 cents a pop. I think they showed “Batman,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Wayne’s World,” but I could be wrong. Does anyone remember?
You’re right about the name. However the close date is subject to debate. The UA sold the theatre to Cinemagic Theatres which kept it open a while longer as a discount theatre. I still have the ticket stubs for “Austin Powers,” “Mimic,” and “Chasing Amy” which all came out in 1997 and were shown there. The admission price was $2.83 and it included a small free popcorn. Talk about a deal.
The last couple of movies to show there that I found via an online newspaper search were on December 13, 1997 – Men in Black, Seven Years In Tibet, Gattaca, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Fairy Tale: A True Story, In & Out, Kiss the Girls, Red Corner, Full Monty, Bean, & Starship Troopers. The theatre was knocked down shortly after that. I have a small piece of the rubble.
I use to go to this theatre when I lived in Brooklyn as a kid. I don’t think it was the theatre I went to most often because there was a closer theatre in walking to distance to my home on West 5th street. Yet it made an big impression on me. The beautiful murals painted on the front and side walls made this theatre seem larger than life to me. The only movie I can distinctly remember seeing here is the original “Jurassic Park,” though I’m sure I saw many 80’s classics here that just aren’t registering. I remember the theatre was swamped because this was a must see movie event. I also remember a comic store being right near there which I definitely went into prior to this showing at least. Does anyone remember if there was also Crazy Eddie’s across the street or in the immediate area? If I’m not mistaken there was one right by there.