AMC Loews Paramus Route 4 Tenplex
260 E. Highway 4,
Paramus,
NJ
07652
260 E. Highway 4,
Paramus,
NJ
07652
24 people favorited this theater
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The more or less definitive history, based on reviewing all the photos and my experience seeing movies there, my first at the location in 1977. Original theatre opens. Per ad in photos, the Cinema is then built directly next to the Theatre. The big Route 4 Theatre, the Route 4 Cinema in its shadow as a second screen. Becomes a triplex, and then a quad, with the Theatre being an upstairs/downstairs and the Cinema divided down the middle. I don’t know which of those happened first, but that was the configuration in 1977. An up and a down, and two side by side. Screens 5 6 7 were new construction. As you walked in these were to the left, between the older buildings and the parking lot. And then the original building was further divided, first dividing the balcony into two theatres to make 8 screens, and then taking the left section of the main downstairs theatre and dividing into a top of the rake and a bottom of the rake. If you are looking at the photos of the original single screen auditorium, the aisle on stage left is the center aisle of the main screen, and the area to the right of the other aisle a front and back screen.
Digital Cinema was introduced to the public twenty-five years ago today. This cinema was among the four US locales that began screening that day the D-Cinema version of “Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace.”
I posted a picture under the picture tab of the dolby processor that was in theater one.
A chronology of 70mm presentations in Northern New Jersey has been published. The Route 4 complex gets several mentions in the article.
On this date 40 years ago the best star wars movie ever made the empire strikes back made its debut in 70mm and six track dolby stereo. With a cliffhanger ending and a darker storyline, it didn’t break a new hopes record gross but did solid business enough to warrant a third movie before the prequels were made and disney invested money in the sequels.
This was the first theater in Paramus to use 70mm projection.
Didn’t they have live music at this theater too?
moviebuff82, Reopened as the Stanley Warner Quad on December 23rd, 1977. Another ad posted in the photo section.
10 screens on May 25th, 1984. No ads bought except for the regular directory listings. However, it was renovated with that “Cineplex Odeon Toronto look” on June 16th, 1989 as you can see at the bottom right of the Worldwide Ad. Cineplex Odeon Worldwide cinemas opening Fri, Jun 16, 1989 – 221 · Daily News (New York, New York, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Became an Triplex cinema on August 4th, 1976.
Not much was spent since they ashamed to tout the cutting up of a cinema.
Paramus Route 4 Triplex opening Wed, Aug 4, 1976 – 30 · The Record (Hackensack, Bergen, New Jersey, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Is there a 1984 opening ad from when it became a 10 plex? How about when it became a cineplex odeon?
October 8th, 1965 grand opening ad posted.
7 screens opening on December 18th, 1981. Another ad posted.
This opened as a single screen cinema on October 12th, 1965 as Route Four theatre. On October 7th, 1970 the Route 4 Cinema opened next to the theatre. 1965 and 1970 grand opening ads in the photo section. more to come.
On this date 25 years ago DTS premiered with Jurassic Park. Fun fact…Universal owned a stake in Cineplex Odeon, whom many of its theaters had DTS installed. It became a huge hit.
After my family and I moved to Saddle River in June 1983 (I now live in Charlotte, Michigan), I remember seeing “Jedi” in the upstairs auditorium on Wednesday, August 10, 1983 (the sixth anniversary of when I first saw the original).
I thought that was really cool how the film was projected from below the bottom row in 70mm (that soon got split up into two different auditoriums – shame!).
Maybe that was the original Cinerama auditorium?
35 years ago tomorrow at midnight marked the first ever showing of return of the Jedi in 70mm six track dolby stereo. It became the fastest star wars movie to earn $250 million during its original run.
Damon Lindelof, who produced lost, used to work as an usher at this theater while in high school.
I remember the games they had there. The theater was actually pretty big, complete with escalators.
Who cares?? It’s long gone and nobody remembers anyway!
What arcade games were at this theater?
MSC77, this may not be of much help to you but I recall the big 70mm house wasn’t cut up until after “Empire”, and possibly “Jedi”. By May 1977 the left aisle was already divided into a separate theatre, as was the balcony. I know a smaller separate theatre existed for a few years right next to bigger house, but was eventually incorporated into one big theatre by building the arcade and 2 other screens.
Does anyone have a concise screen-count timeline for this venue? In particular, when did it transition from three to four screens?
moviebuff82: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” did play here in 70mm but it didn’t open until the second wave of its release cycle in mid December, 1977. (The first wave consisting of NY and LA exclusives opened in mid November.)
When did the Route 4 Tenplex get split surrounds? I’m sure with the release of Apocalypse Now many theaters used a 5.1 setup for 70mm engagements.