Cinemart Cinemas at 106-03 Metropolitan Ave in Forest Hills has a second chance for survival, since Warner Bros. Pictures has at last licensed a first-run film, “American Sniper,” which is also one of the year’s most acclaimed films, produced and directed by Clint Eastwood.
- Previews will be screened on January 15 at 7 PM, 8 PM, and 9 PM, and include free popcorn and a drink with refills.
- Beginning on January 16, there will be 8 to 9 daily screenings through the Oscars (February 22) and likely beyond.
The Cinemart is being tested! If the film does not draw a large enough audience, owner Nicolas Nicolaou may have no choice but to close his 5-screen theater, which dates to 1927, since Hollywood studios will likely issue no other first-run films.
The Cinemart's year-round lower price policy consists of a $6.00 admission for weekday matinees (12 PM to 5 PM) with an extension to Tuesday evenings. Seniors and children pay $6.00 at all times. General admission for adults is $9.00. Patrons can anticipate complimentary popcorn and a drink with Wednesday and Thursday admissions.
If ticket sales prove successful, the owner envisions restoring and renovating one of the borough's last continuously operated independent movie theaters.
http://www.cinemartcinemas.com
Thank you,
Michael Perlman
38 comments:
i feel for this guy, but they are using 35mm film projection in 2015? maybe the owner should invest some money back into the business?
I love this theatre and the area!
Blame Hollywood.
The chinese own AMC, this place is finished. Going to a movie theater is so 20th centiry.
Why does it have to keep vying for first run films? It can't compete with the Midway which is near public transit, and the other large theaters in the borough which have better street parking. Kew Gardens Cinema only about half a mile away seems to do fine without first run stuff.
It is sad but it's days are numbered. It might survive this time but viewing habits have moved to home screens. The days of the nabe movies house are ticking down. The steam engine replaced the sledge hammer. So on and so forth.
A lot of motion picture distributors have given up dropping off 35 mm film reels. They stream digital to theaters. If an owner doesn't have the new digital projectors his business is finished. Unfortunately these machines...I have been told...run about $65,000 each. Many operators won't or can't afford to make the switch....so bye, bye.
The old Waverly , Angelica, Film Forum in Greenwich Village don't always vie for first run films.They run art and indies films. A small potatoes retail business can never compete with a mega store. Right on! So why try to buck the big Midway theater at their own game? Become a specialty theater if there is that kind of audience to support it.
Mr. Perlman already lost two vintage diners which he fought to save which were moved out west somewhere out of sight....also the Trylon theater. Attending this preview won't guarantee saving this small neighborhood house. Time to get real fella. The old Forest Hills is no longer the old Forest Hills.
Turn it into a Indie film mecca.
A sad history:
When the talkies came vaudeville died. When the VCR came a lot of theaters closed. Post DVD...the era of streaming...is the final nail in the local theaters' coffins. I will miss them all. I will have to learn to be content with buying a Roku device and home popped popcorn. Groan!.
I wonder how the old Austin theater on Lefferts is doing.
It has been given the coupe de grace. There is no chance of serving a shot in the head with a 45 slug!
I remember the good old days when we had the RKO Keith theater on Northern Blvd.
I worked in The Lefferts and Casino theaters in Richmond Hill way back in 1970's. Both are now converted into drug and retail stores. I think the same fate awaits the Cinemart !
Here is a link to old theaters:
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4686
Yes, I remember the RKO Keith's too. Thanks, at least, for the memories. That was a theater! Most neighborhood theaters have been cut up into shoeboxes. The Loew's Jersey, in Jersey City, still offers movies on a 50 foot screen. Now, that is worth seeing. Path trains stop at Journal Square and the Loew's is right across the street.
P.S. There was also the grand Loew's Triboro theater on Steinway Street. Both the Flushing Keith's and the Triboro were victims of borough politics...specifically Donald Manes' crooked dealings. May both theaters rest in peace. May Manes rest not at all . Those old vaudeville ghosts are merciless with murderers of their temples.
Don't get me wrong, I love the value and location of Cinemart, but it is truly a dumpy theater. Beat up facilities with zero chance for renovation. Sorry, but it is on it's way out.
I'll miss the old matinee with my kids followed by banana ice cream at Eddie's.
"I'll miss the old matinee with my kids followed by banana ice cream at Eddie's."
___________________________________
I miss also the crusty old eye-glass-wearing matrons who patrolled the kiddie sections wearing those white uniforms, with their hair in tight buns and wielding hefty flashlights. Ah, those were the days. Reminds me of when I saw The Fly at the old Astoria Theater on "Schteinvay Schtreet". You know when the scientist turns into a little bitty fly? His head is still human but he's caught in the spider web as the voracious hungry hairy spider approaches? The little bitty fly with the human head scared shitless peeeeps out in a high-pitched voice: "Help me! Help me! H-e-e-e-l-l-p- m-e-e-e!" You coulda hoid a pin drop. AND then the big kid sitting in the row behind me screams at the screen: "WHY DONCHA HELP DAT FUCK ALREADY!?!?" The entire kids section goes nutz larfing their arses off. And who comes down the aisle with her feet stomping? The crusty old matron, eyeglasses steamed with her hair in a bun, swinging her flashlight back and forth yelling out "Who said that? WHO SAID THAT!?!?" We all ducked low in the seats including that big kid behind me while our hearts where pounding under the gaze of the matron. I can still hear her snorting in rage. No one fessed-up and she had to sulk back to her seat in the back. The kiddie section was then a model of decorum for the rest of the show.
Ah those were the days at the old theaters.
I don't go to the movies anymore. I'd rather watch a movie on Netflix, in the comfort of my home and without having to pay crazy prices for a soda and popcorn, sit for previews lasting 20 minutes and have some doofus tell me to stop texting during those previews. Having said that, it would be a shame to lose Cinemart and have a Duane Reade open in that location.
I can do without the kids screaming and throwing popcorn, sticky floors and bedbugs. I'm with you, give me a DVD and my own TV any day.
It was GREAT going to a movie or "drive in" till the mid 70s.
Sucks these are dieing and I feel really bad for these Cinema owners and old theaters going down. Foreigners watching foreign flicks in foreign languages makeup most the patrons these days.
Good movies "Americans Like" are rare, most produced these days is total CRAP from the same people. Just like the music.
Rents and the age of cheap huge 1080P LED HDTVs with 5.1 home surround is almost impossible to compete with. And more these days:
Example: The last movie I paid to see was Spaceballs ending up punching out some punks making noise (who then "upgraded" to spitting soda out a straws) when my girlfriend asked them to SHUT THE F_ UP.
Fearing arrest, blood on my pants we had to make b line to the car like Bonnie & Clyde.
Ushers are afraid of getting shot so they really cant keep order (people are animals these days)
Why go to a movie, sit in a steel chair, deal with parking, car breakins or the usual annoying asshole/assholes that ALWAYS seem to end up in the seat behind you.
Its far more fun to stay at home, have your own party with some snacks, wine or beers of YOUR CHOICE and do what you want!! Including watching "uncensored" Blazing Saddles on blue ray
-Joe
Duane Reade would never open in that space. There is little to no foot traffic except for Eddies and Dee's customers. There is hardly any parking either. CVS is about 8 blocks west and has its own parking lot.
"A lot of motion picture distributors have given up dropping off 35 mm film reels. They stream digital to theaters."
No, they don't stream. that was initially envisioned but it proved impossible to prevent "piracy" via that method.
The current scheme involves hand delivering a cartridge containing the feature, commercials, etc. This is plugged into the projection system and "ingested". It must then be validated by means of a phone call. An exhibitor buys a certain number of shows and then the feature stops playing. In most cases additional shows can be ordered by way of he phone call and the machine will unlock.
Gone are the days of 1:00AM showings for your friends and families. I guess you can still give them free popcorn.
Good memories George !
I do not mean to offend but, one of the reasons why "it's days are numbered" is because of the attitudes we see in these comments. Too many people give up on things because everyone seems to think that new is better. That is not always the case. The Cinemart provides a quiet alternative to the blaring, big ticket theaters that hustle patrons in and out like cattle. The indie movie industry has gotten much bigger, the Cinemart should go the way of the Kew Gardens Cinema and focus on those movies.
I for one will try my best to support this last chance and hope that cynicism will not prevail. Too many times we let things disappear because "that's just the way it is". Sad.
Thanks for the update on cartridge delivery vs streaming. Those new projectors are still expensive.
C'mon...get a life. This theater cannot be saved. If you do not hold the deed to the property, you cannot control what it is used for. Reality bites like a bitch!
I think the kew gardens on lefferts has a stronghold on "indies"(oxymoron,these movies are distributed by the majors).However,cinemart doesn't have a chance because of the glut of lousy movies from awful genres that are churned out assembly line style for the 10 months of the year that the awards shows don't pay attention to.the sequels,the cartoon movies that appeal to adults,the comic book inspired movies,these don't appeal to the older consumers.and the great old theaters like cinemart have to show this shit and people wonder why they don't survive like they should,regardless of home streaming.
it's the lack of creativity,or maybe the refusal of it that the quality of movies are shit and who with any sense would pay for that.except this culturally bereft generation which enjoys this shit and would rather go to the multiplex than cinemart or even sunnyside
good luck cinemart,I for one hope you survive because you're theater is the only one that charges under 10 dollars.
I live at the Kew Gardens Cinema! I would be thrilled if the Cinemart went the route of the Indie movie and I' m not talking sloppy seconds from KGC which is usually the case. The Midway building was sold and might be on its way out. The Brandon Theater is a pediatric clinic. Not looking good folks. Soon we'll all be holed up in our homes watching on TVs. I for one, will be very sad to see another theater go.
I saw Birdman at this theater last weekend after the big chains (Regal, AMC, National Amusements, Bow Tie) all pretty much stopped showing it.
However, some of the comments on technology are relevant to this conversation. Major studios have migrated away from using celluloid film completely, and only continued because many smaller theaters around the country begged them to continue, but the industry has said that will end this year or next.
They are pushing smaller community theaters to upgrade their projection equipment to the tune of $50,000 by offering financial assistance, but the bottom line is celluloid has migrated to portable hard drives, and in order to survive, it will be necessary to invest in new projection equipment. I don't know if Cinemart has done so, but I hope so.
I am not a big fan of Kickstarter et al, since it seems to be online panhandling, but this might be something the Cinemart should consider if they need to replace the celluloid projector. It's a more permanent solution than having to beg people to show up for certain films constantly.
It would survive in Brooklyn ...
you guys are boring. yes, please stay home and watch your walmart 1080p tv and don't go anywhere and talk about the way things use to be, while your kids run around "screaming and throwing popcorn, with sticky floors and bedbugs"
I'm going to the screening and grabbing dinner and drinks in the area.
If the snooty residents of Forest Hills would permit...a porno venue might save it
Another Perlman folly. Time to move boy.
Folly? Would you label Jackie Kennedy's work to save Grand Central Terminal a folly? It takes hard work and compassion to take on something worthwhile. Evidently some people don't have either quality and are just lazy and more concerned with what's on TV or the internet.
Use the cafe!!! For film events like Moving Image, screenings and after-parties. Make it an indie film mecca. It's hard work, but it's not impossible. Host a film festival for aspiring filmmakers!!!
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