Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Multiplex Advice

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Posted by Bhaskar Dhungana (Member # 1283) on 09-16-2003, 11:03 PM:

I recently renovated a single theatre, based solely on the advice given here in this forum ( me and an architect together). Its a big hit!

Now I want to convert another old theatre into a duplex (is that a term? ) However, I am worried about sound travelling from one theatre to another. What do I have to look out for?

(1) This theatre has a balcony (upper level) which I want to convert to one theatre, and a lower level from which I would make another. Will sound travel from the floor of the top floor, even if there is heavy duty concrete?

(2) Which is the best side to face the theatre? I have the option of facing both the screens in the same direction or in opposite direction (screens will be next to one another facing opposite direction, obviosly one will be above the other since one will on the balcony and other in the lower level).

Note: If you are wondering why I am asking this questions here and not some "expert". Well, we don't have any here in Nepal. Our theatres are in pretty primitive conditions.

Thanks

Bhaskar Dhungana
Kathmandu, nepal

Posted by Greg Pauley (Member # 503) on 09-16-2003, 11:46 PM:

This is called a “Piggy Back” conversion at least in my area. This was done a lot back in the seventies twinning single screen houses. We still have one in operation with the balcony using the old original projection booth, while the downstair booth was built in front of the balcony. The upper auditorium in these theaters turned out to be “stadium seating” long before anyone knew what stadium was. A lot of the older balconies had very narrow platforms for seating and most had to convert two rows of platforms to make one level of seating.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-17-2003, 12:03 AM:

Some of the variations I've seen of this:
1) A partition is installed at the balcony rail ALL THE WAY up to the ceiling. Another partition is installed a few feet back, & this new space at the foot of the balcony becomes the new projection booth for the big screen & auditorium which remain unchanged on the floor. The area in the balcony is usually divided again, front to back, creating 2 auditoriums in the balcony. The booth(s) are located at the top of the balcony, sometimes in a mostly-unchanged original booth. Disadvantages: Often for mid-size balcony theaters, the only entrance to the balcony is at the cross-over aisle near the bottom. Audiences will enter & leave the auditorium down front in front of the screen while the movie is running, which is very distracting. The same is true for theater personnel going to the booth in the show. Plus, with the booth for the theater on the floor being behind the balcony screen, the entrance to the booth & folks going in & out are often visible distractions for the audience in the balcony auditorium(s). And construction that wall from the edge of the balcony to the ceiling is a big job!

2) A partition is constructed from the edge of the underside of the balcony to the floor, creating one space under the balcony, & leaving the other space. Often, the new underbalcony space is divided again lenghtwise, to create 2 auditoriums under the balcony. Walls are erected at the back of the underbalcony spaces to create the new booths for these auditoriums. The original booth & original screen remain in use, but the seating for that screen is only the balcony. The advantage is lower cost, easier construction, & less distractions during operation for the audience. The drawback is that the big auditorium (using the original screen & booth) has the worst seats: just the old balcony seats.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 09-19-2003, 05:43 PM:

i've never seen anything like #2, but #1 pretty much describes our triple, and its problems. the downstairs booth is accessible from the mezzanine, but the upstairs booths only from the auditoria. i hate having to go up and down with a show going, especially a crowded one with people on both sides of the aisle, but sometimes it has to be done, ducking down and tightly clenching my keys to prevent rattle. the front wall is actually built out beyond the rail of the original balcony.

a couple more points. a house with a booth at the top of a stadium-style balcony probably has a steep projection angle, and probably still will after it's tripled. our downstairs screen has fairly bad keystoning. it's embarrassing showing windowboxed scope trailers. also, because of the curve of the balcony, the upstairs theaters have oddly angled screens. the projectors are way off to the sides in those booths, so it's not too off-axis, but to sit centered to the screen you have to sit close to the far wall (and still people just love to sit way over on the other side, where latecomers and projectionists have to walk in front of them).

carl

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-22-2003, 12:40 AM:

The Loew's Jersey was subdivided like #2
http://www.loewsjersey.org/restore/restore2.shtml

New Orleans has an example of each, right across the street from each other.
#1: The Saenger on Canal Street had the balcony enclosed, creating a new theater named the Saenger Orleans which ran 70mm films. The floor seats used the original screen.

#2: The Loew's (now named the State Palace) across the street had the underbalcony enclosed. The balcony seats used the original screen.

Both theaters have been returned to single auditoria.

I didn't mention it previously, but there have been other varieties. The Loew's Victoria in NYC was cut up into about 5 theaters - the floor forward of the balcony was subdivided into 2 or 3. One of the NYC folks may better recall; but I remember the classic divided-floor side seats off-axis to the screen.

The Victoria, a really beautiful theater, is being gutted to create an arts center adjunct to the Apollo. Even the very handsome facade will be consumed (for no really good reason).