Loews Cineplex Cinema 5
183-15 Horace Harding Boulevard,
Fresh Meadows,
NY
11365
183-15 Horace Harding Boulevard,
Fresh Meadows,
NY
11365
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Uploaded on: January 2, 2012
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Cinema 5 - Front Entrance (2000)- I took this picture back in 2000 when I was the Managing Director of the theater, after the re-paving of the entire parking lot was complete. Anthony Papadopoulos
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Just a little background, Mr. Ziggy Brenner was the main owner of Cinema City 5 and Next was Mr. Mann and then there were other investors and while Mr. Brenner didn’t want to sale as Cinema City 5 had the better runs and was actually out grossing the Meadows after the Conversion he was forced to sell by the investors. I was the Manager from 1987 to 1991 and was there when Cineplex took over they moved the Candy stand from the middle of the theatre to against the wall of Cinema 5 taking about 150 seats from the 500 seat auditorium. I don’t know where you got the 720 seat count from but that is wrong as theatres 1 to 4 were 250 seats each and theatre 5 was 500 seats before Cineplex took over in 1991 and someone stated you entered the Theatre at ground level and had to go up stairs to auditoriums that is partially true but the theatre as well as the parking lot were also above ground level due to some type of grading used by the A& P supermarket that was there originally and not a Bohack as stated so two wrong things the seating is wrong as it was well over a 1000 seats and originally over 1500 seats and the supermarket is wrong. Next there were 18 townhouses built on the property as well as 2 Marriot hotels which are opening bin a few months. Due to being there first Cinema City had the better runs because they were 5 theatres and the Meadows at the time were 2 runs and that’s why it was important for Cineplex to buy Cinema City 5 and tghey overpaid because they had to buy the property and the business Though not flashy Cinema City was a decent looking theatre in the late 80’s with full stereo sound and Theatre 5 was equipped with 8 channel sound as opposed to simple surround sound also theatre 5 had 70mm capability. Problem was that the waiting areas were small and if you didn’t want to wait in the downstairs waiting area you had to line up outside once you came in to buy your ticket and the bathrooms were also downstairs on the other side of the lobby from the waiting area, so you would have to come back upstairs and then go back downstairs to get to the bathrooms. No bathrooms on the main floor,
Michael Hochstein, I remember you were the manager in 1988-1989 when I worked at Cinema City. Alan Perkins was the assistant manager. I remember you both being good guys to work for. Alan actually gave me an original 1978 one sheet for the movie Halloween that I still have to this day. He had so many movie poster’s in his collection that he told me he had an insurance policy on them.
I also remember when we’d be on alert the Brenner’s were coming to visit and that we all needed to be on our best behavior. I remember Mrs. Brenner being overly decked out in clothing that looked like she walking the strip in Las Vegas. She was very gaudy and wore fur coats, costume jewelry, and a ton a makeup. She’d enter the theater like she was royalty.
I can remember a lot of people that worked there at the same time, Andrew, Carrie, Mike (there were a few Mike’s), Keith, Spencer, Darlene, and Joanne, and Don. I did have a great time working there. I was 18 at the time.
Hope all is well.
Several questions: 1) Does anyone recall what were painted on this side??? I only remember Jaws and The Thing.
2) Does anyone have complete color photos of the murals???
3) In 1989, I saw “The Wizard” here, but it was delayed because of “computer problems”??? The projector was connected to a computer??? How long was the delay??? That was surreal.