AMC Uptown 1
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
3426 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC
20008
60 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 587 comments
There are booth pictures on film-tech.com in the warehouse – pictures.
A new article has been published cataloging the 70mm presentations of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The Uptown gets several mentions in the piece.
Regarding the Washington Post article about the Uptown published a couple days ago, that people are having difficulty accessing, try this link Instead.
I couldn’t open it. Maybe someone with a subscription can copy tell us or copy and paste it.
So what did the article say?
5/26/23 Washington Post opinion piece on the Uptown Theater. It has a paywall but maybe locals are already subscribed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/26/uptown-theater-future-arts-destination/?fbclid=IwAR2fgWUT9dOF1l_-JyoyMQ_xip5lMvF15JFDouiJg4BxgMGsN-S611vHbJ8
I scanned through the article and blanked out when I read the part of a 375 seat main theater. LOL! I assume the large screen is untouched. If they make it smaller, forget it. It seems the event films like your Avatars and Top Gun 2s get the people out to the big screens as it should. I’d never pay $20+ to stream a movie at home, unless I’m rich and have a dedicated THX-certified or better cinema auditorium.
The other sources of revenue from food and other entertainment makes economic sense. However, its not going to get me to drive there and pay $$ for pretty looking spoonfuls of food served on bone China and crystal glassware.
It appears that Landmark is no longer considering adding the Uptown to it’s portfolio but that a group within the Cleveland Park community is hoping to revive the theatre.
https://dcist.com/story/23/03/16/uptown-theater-closed-dc-neighbors-fundraise-keep-it-theater/
Another 2021 article about possible renovation:
https://wtop.com/entertainment/2021/10/is-the-uptown-theater-returning-to-dc-heres-what-we-know-so-far-folks/
Here’s a new 4-page 50th anniversary FIDDLER ON THE ROOF retrospective featuring a roadshow playdate chronology and historian Q&A. The Uptown’s 57-week run is mentioned in the piece.
Since for years, I’ve sat in the Uptown balcony, it would be disappointing if the balcony became a 2nd screen. It the entire theater was divided left to right, that would be even worse. New seats would be fine. I doubt Landmark anywhere has any Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos surround sound, but that would be great, too. If Landmark could get the curtain used again, that would also be nice.
I was over in the neighborhood the other day and there is no liquor license signage up, but according to another friend, the older prior seats were being taken out earlier in the week. All I know at this point is that Landmark IS, and will be running this theatre. However there’s been some alarming news/rumours that they might twin the theater, which would be horrible. In somewhat related news, a friend, who up and just literally dumped me for reasons unknown, who worked for Alamo Drafthouse corporate, said that the December opening of the Rhode Island Ave. theatre’s ‘Big Show’ screen would exceed the Uptown’s screen by some twenty feet, making it the largest screen in DC proper.
I heard over the local news station that the neighborhood board association gave their approval for some kind of liquor permit to Landmark Theaters. However, it should be noted they didn’t apply for one, nor stated any intention to lease the theater. I suppose it was a gesture to entice Landmark to take over the venue.
I wouldn’t expect it to be cut up (and there are many reasons as to why). If it was, it would lose its appeal extremely fast and likely make it not worth the hassle/cost.
My guess is that they would try to pair it with E-street to book it like one complex, in a sense. This was done back in the day to ensure that the Uptown to eject a lower performing title to Wisc. Ave cinemas or another LCE (and before that Circle) theatre. Heck, I remember a time when Circle would offer a studio a 2-week run in a take it or leave it fashion because that theatre gives a movie credibility, not vice-versa.
We’ll see. This is a different world in many ways.
If Landmark is successful in reopening, I don’t see how economically viable it will be to keep it a single screen. They’ve got to at least twin or triplex the place. They could turn the balcony into another single or twin..or more depending how much of a shoebox theater you want. Sounds depressing.
Parking is difficult, unless your patrons take the Metro. I don’t. Back in the day, you could park in the residential area adjacent to the theater but now they’ve got stickers so that isn’t going to work, either, except for the non-enforcement hours, which I don’t recall off the top of my head.
Possible upcoming re-opening by Landmark.
https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/landmark-theaters-in-talks-to-reopen-uptown-theater?fbclid=IwAR2eqChOTiBfkLhjc5IOBzfCKc40FdjJs2clD1sztYw9ffvLOBbaZoGFp8g
Sounds like they let the lease expire and opted to not renew rather than downgrade it to AMC classic. The only single screen theater they have left is a IMAX in Chicago, IL at the navy peir
I agree. Just like the Paris in NYC, leave the seats alone. Its an old theatre and should be left as such.
What if Disney buys the uptown? It could be their flagship theater on the east coast much like the El Capitan is on the west coast, then renovate it with recliners and reserved seating and upgrade the audio to Dolby Atmos and dolby vision projection.
With the Seattle Cinerama’s closure, Netflix buying the Egyptian in Hollywood, it would make sense for Amazon (Jeff Bezos) to either buy the Cinerama..maybe the Uptown, too. Both great classic movie houses. They could dismantle the 3-strip cinerama projection and bring it back here, too. :) How cool is that?
Aside, to SethLewis: Yenching Palace! That Chinese place was great. I was so sad when that closed and became a Walgreens. They had the best neon sign.
Oh no. I just heard the news — Not only is my treasured Seattle Cinerama closing, but my beloved Uptown? I went there often, when I lived in the DC suburbs, for almost twenty years, 1994–2013. It was the theatre that really kindled my love for grand cinematic experiences. Rest in peace, friend.
As the closure of the theater is sinking in, I’ve become more disappointed in the Post’s article. They are too lazy to go and get a current picture of the place and use one from years ago. How crazy is that? I’m just curious as to how badly the theater was doing for it to close. You’d think if there was a marginal loss, the others in the chain would help offset it.
If they want to twin it, make the upstairs an auditorium to itself. Actually, you could do two. Split the balcony into two screens. Keep the big one downstairs intact. :)
SethLewis, actually it was the 1996 blizzard since 12 monkeys came out during christmas of 1995. How many single screens AMC’s are left? Barely none, as AMC introduced the megaplex idea to the US with the Grand Theatre in Texas and has been in business in many forms for the past 100 years. I hope someone who takes over this venue doesn’t demolish it and turn it into a performing arts center. RIP Uptown.
This does not need an IMAX laser install – a top of the line 4K laser projector is the least it would need to be state of the art – pop in a Dolby Atmos system, the theater could and should feature the modern amenities of most chain theater ‘premier’ screens. Folk literally have no problem dropping $20 on average at Tyson’s for Dolby Cinema, and other luxury theaters in the area, there’s no reason why if another film exhibitor were to resume operation HAS to include laser projection and immersive audio when it’s become the norm. Reading the Post article was just depressing, sure running a one screen theater is a challenge, but it needs the community to back it and give some voice to the neighborhood if it truly wants it back, and it comes at a terrible time, when theaters nationwide and internationally are having a significant drop in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Booking Pixar’s ‘Onward’ there, which was Pixar’s second lowest grossing movie, and then having it’s next movie, the new James Bond, bumped to November, and then the sudden audience no-shows, just gave AMC the more excuses to just throw in the towel, just sad and unfortunate.