Bow-Tie Warner Theater
190 E. Ridgewood Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NJ
07450
190 E. Ridgewood Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NJ
07450
11 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cineplex Odeon, Clearview Cinemas, RKO, Stanley-Warner Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: Thomas White Lamb
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Warner Theatre, Warner Quad
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- May 13, 2009 — My career as a movie theater manager
- Nov 28, 2007 — Warner Quad makes a comeback
Opened on June 15, 1932 with Warren William & Bette Davis in “The Dark Horse”. This 1,542-seat Art Deco style neighborhood palace was originally part of the Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. The Warner Theatre later became part of the Stanley-Warner chain and then the merged units of RKO-Stanley-Warner.
As the decades worn on, the Warner Theatre lost its grand, signature Warner sign. It was twinned on June 26, 1978. In 1981, Cineplex Odeon purchased the theatre and converted it into a four screen house on May 23, 1984 and renamed Warner Quad. Operated by Clearview Cinemas circuit since 1998, in June 2013, Bow-Tie Cinemas took over, as that chain took most Clearview locations. The Warner Quad offers a healthy diet of first run commercial and art house fare and its asymmetrical Art Deco style façade continues to highlight Ridgewood Avenue. It was closed by Bow Tie on January 28, 2024.
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Recent comments (view all 31 comments)
Saw my first Bond film (“Goldfinger”) at the Warner just after I turned 13. Many of the biblical epics of the late 50s/early 60s showed there, so there’s a good chance that “Ben-Hur” was one of them.
I remember seeing “Goldfinger” there too! But it was in a double-feature with “Dr. No,” so it was probably a second release. They used to do that in the days before DVDs.
I remember seeing “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” here in September 1984 (for the fourth and final time that year), and also “Last of the Mohicans” in October 1992 when I returned to the area for a visit. (In 1984, I lived in Saddle River with my family – I also attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck – and in 1992, I was living in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.)
Became a twin on June 26th, 1978. No ad found in the Newark newspaper.
And four screens on May 23rd, 1984. Ad in photo section.
Please update, it became a twin on June 16, 1978. Just uploaded ad from The Bergen Record
Please update, total seats 1041 Theatre 1 324 Theatre 2 319 Theatre 3 and 4 199 seats (Theatre 3 and 4 upstairs and is NOT ADA) The lower seat count due to more comfortable seats put in by either Bow Tie Cinemas or Clearview Cinemas the previous onwers.
Please update, theatre opened June 15, 1932. Grand opening ad in photos.
By Saleah Blancaflor | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The Warner Theater, a longstanding movie theater in Ridgewood, will permanently close and cease operations following its evening showtimes on Sunday, its parent company Bow Tie Partners announced in a press release Monday.
The theater opened in 1932 as a single-screen cinema, featuring the premiere of “The Dark Horse” starring Bette Davis. In 1978, the space expanded to two screens, and in 1984, two more screens were added. Bow Tie Partners acquired The Warner Theater in 2013, and its affiliate, Bow Tie Cinemas, has operated it for the last decade.
The theater’s shuttering follows struggles related to the pandemic, Bow Tie said — a familiar tale which caused dramatic changes to the movie theater business, particularly older venues. The Bergen County theater “is no longer viable at this location,” the statement said.
Bow Tie said it plans to remain part of the downtown Ridgewood is considering options for redevelopment of the movie theater space, including use as a performing arts venue.
“We offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of our loyal customers who, over the past 11 years, have provided us the honor of hosting them at the movies in Ridgewood,” said Ben Moss, Owner of Bow Tie Partners, in a statement. “We are very much looking forward to remaining a part of the vibrant downtown Ridgewood business community and look forward to announcing our future plans when we have finished our analysis of alternative uses.”
Currently, there are no other Bow Tie Cinemas operating in New Jersey.
Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at . Follow her on Twitter @saleyley and Instagram.
This was a beautiful single screen theater. No loss to the community that its life as a quad is over. Would be nice if it were restored to its single screen beauty otherwise it might as well be a supermarket.