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Author Topic: Largest Multiplex? Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 06-25-2003 05:10 PM                     quote: the Capitol 6 in Vancouver claims their cinema #1 is the largest single theatre in a multiplex anywhere in the world, with a seating capcity of 1,012. Do former single-screeners count if in subsequent years had additional screens added? If so, then here are a couple from Southern California that exceed the Capitol 6 in seating capacity: Mann's Chinese: 1,400+ (single screen until 1979 / 3-plex 1979-1998 / single 1998 - 2001 / 7-plex 2001 - present) Regal (formerly Edwards) Big Newport: 1,200+ (single screen 1969 / 2-plex mid 1970s? and '80s / 3-plex early '90s - 1996? / 6-plex '96? - present)  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 06-25-2003 05:32 PM                     Here in Manhattan we have the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street. It's across the street from the Loew's E-Walk 13 Theatre. In Southern California area. AMC has the "30 at the Block" in Orange, AMC "Covina 30" in Covina, AMC "Ontario Mill 30" in Ontario, Edwards had the "Long Beach 26" in Long Beach, They also had a 22 plex across the parking lot from AMC's Ontario 30. Century Theatres has a 25 plex in Orange/Santa Ana called "Century Stadium 25". The largest Pacific Theatres plex in the Los Angeles area is their "Winnetka Stadium 21". Its located on the site of their former Winnetka 6 Drive-In.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 06-25-2003 06:30 PM                     Screen count does not necessarily mean the multiplex site itself will be "large" or have a really high seating capacity. For example, The AMC Odyssey 30 at Grapevine Mills near Dallas-Fort Worth Int'l Airport seems kind of tiny and cramped. They have a few screens with more than a couple hundred seats, but many of the houses are just plain itty bitty. I and my former girlfriend watched "Amistad" in a house that could not have had anymore than 50 seats. At least it seemed like it had less than 50 seats. We had watched "Titanic" in 70mm DTS earlier that day over at the 1000+ seat GCC Northpark Mall #1. The difference in auditorium size really amplified the "tiny" effect. Anyway, people can watch only ONE movie at a time. So it would seem like having the "best" screens would be the important factor instead of having the most.  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 06-25-2003 07:07 PM                     Those familiar with the multi-plex movie theatre gag in Bachelor Party (the movie, not the rite of passage) realize the gag isn't funny anymore!  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-25-2003 09:43 PM                     I remember hearing that the Capitol 6 was originally a single and then the additional 5 screens were built on top of it. I'd love to go through there with a camera one of these days before they shut it down in lieu of the new FP 10 screen Paramount scheduled for 2004. The Park has DP70's? I thought the only theater that had those was the Stanley when it was in operation.  |  IP: Logged Matt Hale Expert Film Handler Posts: 123 From: Vancouver, Canada Registered: Dec 2002 posted 06-26-2003 01:06 AM                        I was mistaken, it was the Stanley that had (still has?) DP70s. I always get the Stanley mixed up with the Park, being that I haven't been to it since Star Trek IV. The Capitol 6 was built on the site of the Capitol Theatre, an old vaudeville/movie palace along the lines of the Orpheum or the Vogue. The building that is there now was built around 76-77 but I am told that the layout closely matches the original structure, with the #1 being roughly the same size as the original, and the second and third floors being at about the level of the two balconies. The original plan was to make the Orpheum into a 6-plex but enough people protested that it was decided to restore it for the Symphony instead. Apparently nobody cared about the Capitol, so it cant have been that spectacular. I know this because my old theatre, the Park Royal, used to be the Famous Players head office and we found a set of blueprints tucked in a drawer behind the screen in #3. The Granville 7 is also (partially) built out of an old theatre but I cannot remember the name right now. The other end of it used to be the Palm Hotel.  |  IP: Logged Lionel Fouillen Expert Film Handler Posts: 230 From: Belgium Registered: Nov 2002 posted 06-26-2003 01:36 AM                     Dan Harris, I like to go to Odeon cinemas when I'm on holiday in the UK. The Odeon Leicester Square you mentioned is indeed one of the greatest but my favourite was the Odeon Marble Arch. Too bad they made a 5-plex of it!  |  IP: Logged Dan Harris Film Handler Posts: 86 From: Bristol, UK Registered: Jun 2003 posted 06-26-2003 03:26 AM                     Lionel, Marble Arch was lovely before it was carved up. Unfortunately, most of the older singles have now been subdivided so much it's hard to recgnise them. Odeon Liverpool, once a 1700-seat single, is now a 10-screen multiplex. Of course from a business point of view, the more screens, the more product the better, but I just hope Leicester Square is never touched!  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-26-2003 04:51 AM                     Matt, was Granville 7 built out of Landmark " Towne "? Landmark had a theater down on Granville street in the early 1980's and they played " Caligula " there for something like 16 months straight. Also, do you know what type of equipment is in the Capitol #1? I'm guessing it's a Vic 8 with possibly a CP200.  |  IP: Logged Matt Hale Expert Film Handler Posts: 123 From: Vancouver, Canada Registered: Dec 2002 posted 06-26-2003 12:57 PM                        I thought the name of it was either the Colonial or the Coronet or something like that. Of course it may have been changed during its life. You can still see some of the plaster work in at least one of the cinemas, peeling gray paint and all. I have not been to the booth at the Capitol 6, but looking through the port the penthouse on the projector looks to me like it belongs on a Century JJ. That is mostly a guess, however.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-26-2003 02:40 PM                     It's the coronet then. There wasn't a theater by the name of Colonial in Vancouver.  |  IP: Logged Matt Hale Expert Film Handler Posts: 123 From: Vancouver, Canada Registered: Dec 2002 posted 06-26-2003 05:11 PM                        There was a Colonial futher down Granville street, according to cinematour.com but it closed in 72. That page however confirms that the Granville 7 was the Coronet, both by the address and the dates (1964-86, the Granville 7 opened in 87)  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-26-2003 09:03 PM                     Well this is quite the history lesson. You see these names of old theatres when you do research in old newspapers. You said you been in the booth of Granville 7? What are they running for a sound processor?  |  IP: Logged Matt Hale Expert Film Handler Posts: 123 From: Vancouver, Canada Registered: Dec 2002 posted 06-26-2003 10:19 PM                        Well it was quite the whirlwind tour through back hallways and secret stops in the elevator - each auditorium pretty much has its own booth - I only remeber one that served 2 screens, and that was more like 2 booths seperated by a long passageway. They run all Cinemeccanica heads (vic5s and vic8s) and consoles. Platters are Potts Alpha, and I think the 70mm one was a Strong. As I recall screens 2-6 are all optical mono sound, so the answer to your question is not much of one. In fact I remember seeing a Cinemeccanica mono monitor in one booth, the same model we tore out of the Park Royal when we renovated #2. I cannot for the life of me remember what they were using in their THX rooms (1 & 7) but I do remember seeing a DTS reader on top of the vic8. I have a couple of photos that illustrate just how many theatres there were on Granville street. The first 2 are from the 50s, the last about 1969. I think I must now apologise for completely hijacking this thread. This has very little to do with large multiplexes.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-27-2003 04:21 AM                     Thank you so much for those pictures. Indeed, that was " theater row " back in the day. optical mono eh? That explains why only 2 houses list DTS out front and 2 that say " Dolby Stereo ". For a premier downtown theater, you'd think they would have Dolby digital on all screens or something. Hell, " The Grande " out my way is all digital equipped.  |  IP: Logged

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