This is topic Theaters still running 35mm (please read the specifics) in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-27-2013, 10:23 AM:
Sorry, I realize now my original post was not very clear from the other thread so I've locked it.
Let's try this thread again, but note only list a theater if it is running 35mm as their only means of showing first or second run movies...NOT "still has 35mm capability".
As an example, if you know of a theater, say a 6 plex that has a screen or two for 3D purposes only, but the other screens are 35mm only, then this is the thread to post it in.
For the purpose of clarity and because I need to give a specific example, I really couldn't care less if the Alamo has a screen of 35mm to run rep stuff, or even the occasional first run print. Since ALL of their screens are digital, a theater like that should not be listed in this thread because at the end of the day they are not a "film theater" to this definition of "requires 35mm prints in order to be able to operate".
Again, this thread is for theaters running first or second run mainstream movies only WITHOUT the ability to run the movies digitally.
Again, no repertory or revival type of theaters should be listed here.
Also it is very important to list the NUMBER OF SCREENS in the building.
Also this is mainly a US market curiosity. Feel free to list locations outside of the US, but please make sure you note what country it is in if you are listing a non-US theater.
The point of this thread is to get an idea how many FILM-ONLY theaters are still in operation...and I'll bet it's going to be very few. For this reason I'm going to delete any posts made for theaters that shouldn't be listed here based upon these posting guidelines so as not to give a false sense of the actual amount of theaters still running film.
Finally, no jibber jabber about the industry please.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 11-27-2013, 02:40 PM:
Landmark Varsity
3 Screens
Seattle, WA
AMC Factoria 8
8 Screens
Bellevue, WA
Regal East Valley 13
13 Screens
Renton, WA
2nd run house, only running 11 screens since 2 auditoriums were damaged in a storm. Originally an Act III theater, all Digital Sound & THX, all stadium seating, though a modest slope compared to today's builds.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-27-2013, 03:05 PM:
Vaska Theater
Lawton, OK
1 screen (Bargain/2nd Run)
35mm only
Palace Twin Theater
Duncan, OK
2 screens (First Run)
35mm only
Posted by Donald Brown (Member # 5427) on 11-27-2013, 03:12 PM:
The Skowhegan Drive-In Theatre, a single screen operation in Skowhegan, Maine and the Randall Drive-In Theatre, another single screen operation in Bethel, Vermont are both, still, equipped exclusively for 35mm.
Don Brown
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-27-2013, 05:22 PM:
Clearlake Stadium Cinema in Clearlake California is twin discount still running 35mm as of this post. My understanding is they have digital equipment on order, but I do not know their conversion date.
Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 11-27-2013, 07:24 PM:
Plaza Twin, Port Orchard, WA. 1 screen on 35mm
Wheel-In Motor Movie, Port Townsend, WA. 1 screen on 35mm
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 11-27-2013, 09:09 PM:
Do I need to re-list the Gentry In Checotah, OK? Two screens still running 35mm. ![[thumbsup]](graemlins/thumbsup.gif)
Posted by Christopher Lani (Member # 7952) on 11-28-2013, 11:52 AM:
The Central Theater
Ely, Nevada
1 36 X 16 Screen 109' throw Ultra Stereo sound
Motiograph AA upgraded with Christie Xenon bulb housing and 3 platter feed
First Run Movies only
Converting to Digital but retaining ability to play 35mm in March, 2014
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 11-28-2013, 10:21 PM:
Plaza 8 Theaters
St. Joseph MO
Second run movies
8 screens
Future uncertain but looking positive.
Clarke Brothers Drive-In(soon to be bought by Screenland and converted)
St. Joseph MO
First and second run movies(double features)
2 screens
Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 11-29-2013, 02:01 PM:
Greenport Quad
Greenport, NY
4 Screens film
First run
Union 7
Union, NJ
7 Screens film
First run
Jackson Triplex
Jackson Heights, NY
3 Screens film
First run
Posted by Jeff Taylor (Member # 443) on 11-29-2013, 03:27 PM:
IIRC The Greenport Quad is seasonal (summer only). It'll be interesting to see if they convert and/or reopen this spring. Also, the tiny single screen in Montauk, NY was film last I checked, but I was told they are converting.
Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 11-29-2013, 09:36 PM:
He wasn't interested in changing over last summer. We will see what he decides to do next year. I have a feeling it may not stay open.
Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 11-29-2013, 10:26 PM:
San Jose, CA:
Winchester (Century) 21-22-23
Camera 3 Cinemas
Bellingham, WA:
Regal Bellis Fair
White Rock, BC:
Criterion Rialto Twin
Criterion White Rock 4
Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 11-30-2013, 02:00 PM:
Grandview Theatre, Columbus, OH
Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 11-30-2013, 02:41 PM:
UK-Scotland
The Regent, Leven, Fife. Single screen.
The Dominion, Edinburgh. 4 screens, screen 3 is 35mm.
Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 11-30-2013, 05:18 PM:
Tower theater
Post, Texas
Single screen.
(The owners plan to convert to digital.)
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 11-30-2013, 05:58 PM:
Buffalo Grove Theater
Buffalo Grove, Illinois
5 screens
Former subrun in a strip mall, now a low price first run. Still 35mm. Had Technicolor 3D on one or two screens.
Raising money to convert to digital. No timeline given though they acknowledge time is running out for film.
"Sadly we are being forced to convert to Digital Projection otherwise by 2014 we will be out of business. We could not raise enough money to qualify for a special rebate program but we were lucky enough to find a company that will install us for $180,000 instead of the original quote we received which was $300,000. We want to continue to stay in business and offer affordable movies to the masses. Without small Independent Theaters like this one, there would be nothing keeping the costs down and the big chains will be able to completely control movie prices. Could you imagine possibly paying over $20 to see a film?? That would be insane! It's us "little guys" that help keep the "big guys" somewhat grounded."
Is $180K for a five screener realistic these days with the new compact projectors?
Posted by Mark Strube (Member # 4190) on 11-30-2013, 10:51 PM:
That comes out to about $36K per screen... not an expert but that sounds about right for a basic job, especially if it includes install.
Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 11-30-2013, 11:11 PM:
Amusement Park Drive-in (2 screens)
Montana's fall/winter weather makes it almost impossible
to be open much more than 6 to 7 months out of the year.
Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 12-01-2013, 02:41 AM:
Main St. Cinemas
First Run
8 screens
Yuma, Arizona
Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 12-02-2013, 07:13 AM:
Court Street Theatre
SAGINAW, MI
Single Screen
35mm only
Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 12-02-2013, 06:32 PM:
Ohio Theatre, Madison, Indiana - 2 screens
Damm Theatre, Osgood, Indiana - 1 screen
Gibson Theatre, Batesville, Indiana - 1 screen
Brookville Theatre, Brookville, Indiana - 1 screen
Princess Theatre, Oxford, Ohio - 4 screens
Posted by Tim Horan (Member # 6055) on 12-03-2013, 08:50 PM:
Strand Theatre, Old Forge, New York
four screens, converting this year.
Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 12-05-2013, 08:41 AM:
Strand Twin Theater, Grafton, ND - one screen 35 mm, one screen digital.
Rolette Theater, Rolette, ND - single screen 35, mm.
The other small theaters around here that I'm aware of have either closed or purchased digital equipment.
Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 12-05-2013, 01:42 PM:
from the other thread...
quote:
Jonathan Wood posted:
Anyone know the state of play in the UK ? Hardly any I imagine?
I know of one multiplex in the UK that is still mostly 35mm.
The AMC 16 screen multiplex in Manchester, at last count they had about 4 screens digital the rest showing 35mm. Saw Elysium myself there in 35mm a few months ago. This is the only AMC cinema that now exists in the UK. The last site they had was in Birmingham and was sold off to Odeon.
Interestingly if you look at their website they are showing no 3D content (even thought they did have 3D installed in the digital screens).
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-05-2013, 03:47 PM:
Steve matz...
I was told by reliable sources that the Amusement Park Drive In had converted over to digital mid summer. You may want to verify this.
Mark
Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 12-05-2013, 10:53 PM:
You are correct Mark, I just got off the phone
with Riley Cooke; owner of Amusement Park Drive-in
along with his wife Vicki. They converted to Digital
in April. My error for not confirming!
What is sad though is he told me he literally threw
out his Century Projectors/related equipment in the dump.
He is like lots of other small theater owners that would
have liked to stick with Film but have to go with the Flow
if you want to continue in the Biz...
I wonder how many other Theater owners have basically just
thrown out their old projection Equipment. Thats really
a bummer to be in that situation... ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Posted by Michael Riley (Member # 5693) on 12-09-2013, 08:26 PM:
The Showcase-Rave-Cinemark 10 in Southington, CT still runs 7 of their screens in 35mm. The location has been on its last legs for years, and is essentially a first run discount house now. Cinemark didn't even want the place when they bought out Rave, and will likely shutter it within the next year.
Posted by Gavin Lewarne (Member # 5397) on 12-10-2013, 04:15 PM:
UK - Plymouth University "Jill Craigie" cinema
(open to the public as well as students)
1 screen, 35mm only on Kinoton FP30-A changeovers
Posted by Steve Moore (Member # 4753) on 12-11-2013, 08:47 AM:
Ive just returned from a visit to AMC in Manchester (UK) the only AMC in uk, which is still running 35mm in all its screens, and a very nice cinema it is too. All screens with cinemeccanica vic 5s, consoles and platters. I made the trip as i know they are taking out half the 35mm machines in a week or so, then the remainder a few weeks later.
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 01-05-2014, 12:08 AM:
Buffalo Grove (Illinois) mentioned above now says on their website that they have made the conversion to digital. Still looking for donations to help keep prices down as their digital loan costs them $4000 a month. I'll try to get over there soon to see if I can see what they used.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 01-05-2014, 12:49 AM:
Royal Twin, open weekends only, first and second run, film only. Two screens. Atchison KS.
Cinemark Movies 16, Second run, only 2-3 digital screens. Center line MI
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 01-05-2014, 02:56 AM:
Just took my daughter to see Frozen at the AMC Factoria 8, Bellevue, WA in glorious 35mm. (confirming they have not upgraded since my last visit).
Posted by Mick Wren (Member # 8011) on 01-06-2014, 04:02 AM:
According to presenters at the recent (Nov. 2013) Europa Cinemas Conference in Athens southern European countries hit by the recession are seriously struggling to convert to digital.
Greece has over 60% of it's cinemas without digital projection. Italy, Spain and Cyprus are not far ahead.
Posted by Jason McMillan (Member # 5542) on 01-06-2014, 10:53 AM:
Three that I know of in Houston, TX:
AMC Loews Spring 10
First Run, 10 screens
There are two independent sub-runs owned by a gentleman named Stephen Tsao under the name "Discount Movie Center Inc"
Windchimes Cinema
8 Screens
North Oaks Cinema
6 Screens
(Until recently there was FunAsia Bollywood Cinema 6 in the Southwest part of town, but they've shuttered and are now showing their content at the Carmike Yorktown 15. I guess that's one way to get out of having to pay for new equipment.)
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 01-09-2014, 12:30 AM:
Things are getting quite serious in the land of film. We at the Plaza 8 are having a very difficult time getting prints. No Wolf of Wall Street, no American Hustle, and several that are doubtful like Madea.
We're going on week 3 with no fresh content release. Sure makes Thursdays feel strange.
Such a shame.....
Posted by Terry Lynn-Stevens (Member # 7349) on 01-09-2014, 08:21 AM:
Buck, it is going to become even worse. Surprisingly some of the independents are still making 35mm prints.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-09-2014, 11:14 AM:
From Page 1:
quote:
The point of this thread is to get an idea how many FILM-ONLY theaters are still in operation...
Finally, no jibber jabber about the industry please.
Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 01-09-2014, 01:18 PM:
4-Star Theater
San Francisco
2 Screens - 35mm only
(and no jibber-jabber!)
Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 01-12-2014, 06:22 AM:
AMC (Clearview) Headquarters in Morristown till the end of Jan 2014
Posted by Jason McMillan (Member # 5542) on 01-13-2014, 04:35 PM:
Looks like I may have jumped the gun on my earlier post.. I'm being told that Tristate may have done a digital upgrade at North Oaks 6. I would assume (but have nothing to back it up) that he'll also find a way to upgrade Windchimes.
Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 01-13-2014, 07:37 PM:
AMC Shirlington (Arlington Virginia) all seven screens.
Kentland's Stadium 10 (Gaithersburg, MD) nine of the ten screens are 35mm only.
Posted by Dave Fleegel (Member # 6805) on 01-13-2014, 07:42 PM:
Broadway Theatre in Medford, WI
5 Screens
all
VIP PRO 35's
Cinema North
Phillips, WI
1 Screen
Park Theatre
Park Falls, WI
1 screen
The Stanley Theatre
Stanley, WI
1 screen
Tomahawk Theater
Tomahawk, WI
1 screen
Posted by Lindsay Morris (Member # 1430) on 01-16-2014, 06:47 PM:
Kookaburra Outdoor Cinema Western Australia is still running what is left of 35mm supplies until season end mid April.
Stuff is getting harder to source but pretty much have enough booked to see the season out.
Then sit down and carefully consider to either convert OR Close for ever.
Might be time to retire after running the venue for the past 18 years.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 01-20-2014, 01:45 PM:
Kirkland Parkplace Cinema 6
Kirkland, WA
6 screens
Posted by Kyle Mitchell (Member # 8059) on 01-27-2014, 04:46 PM:
Roxy Cinemas
Ottawa, Illinois
6 screens
Majestic Theatre
Streator, Illinois
2 screens
Rt. 34 Drive-in
Earlville, Illinois
1 very large screen screen
I believe that all have been interested in converting, but just can not afford it.
Posted by Steve Wilson (Member # 2411) on 02-27-2014, 05:59 PM:
All the Drive Ins south of Indianapolis, Indiana are still on 35mm film. Mitchell 1, Georgetown 2, Bloomington 1, Rio 5 screens. I still expect Paramount to strike film during the lucrative summer months, starting in May or even mid to late April, some of these studios are going to leave out Jan, Feb and Mar due to lack of sales of any feature. The same will go into effect again in Sept & Oct. I would expect this to be the last summer for film, but who knows. Paramount had to rewrite its letter about 35 mm, because I don't think they are done yet. No reason to release a print in November and not the HOT Sales of the Summer months.
Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 03-02-2014, 02:52 PM:
TWIN CINEMAS
Newberg, OR
Two screens
Will stubbornly run film as long as its available, then probably close.
CAMEO THEATRE
Newberg, OR
One screen
Will eventually convert to digital, but probably not until absolutely necessary.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 03-07-2014, 11:47 PM:
Silver Cinema Market Square
Madison WI
4 screens, 35mm only
*Should* be converting
Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 05-21-2014, 04:42 PM:
unfortunately AMC's Shirlington theater has now changed over to 'all digital' - their 35mm systems are now history.
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 05-21-2014, 05:48 PM:
You can delete Clearlake Stadium Cinema in Clearlake, CA. They have converted to digital as of April 2014.
Posted by Lindsay Morris (Member # 1430) on 05-21-2014, 07:49 PM:
Last 35mm session at Kookaburra Outdoor Western Australia was on April 20th with Saving Mr Banks.
At that point 35mm supplies in WA were almost knackered with absolutely nothing coming out of Paramount. Only dribbles of titles from other distributors which was creating long wait periods for titles.
Took a bit of video footage of the old gear running and screen images etc which all looked rather good and switched off the faithful Lumex for the last time Sunday April 20th.
NOW considering options to either demolish the site or digitise it.
Had a very informative demo of a NEC 900C which filled the 9.5M screen quite well in scope and amazingly I could not readily detect a lamp being switched off during a screening. Could only JUST detect a slight increase in brightness when it came back up.
About to look at a Christie Solaria One in action tomorrow (Fri 23rd) and then sit down and do some number crunching. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 05-22-2014, 07:35 PM:
The 5-screen Cinemart in Forest Hills, NY (on Metropolitan Avenue) is still all 35mm.
Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 05-27-2014, 02:50 PM:
Regent Leven - now closed
Dominion Edinburgh Screen 3, now converted.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 05-28-2014, 03:09 AM:
Plaza 8 Theaters St. Joseph MO- Closed
Royal Twin Atchison KS- Converted
Cooke Brothers Drive-In St. Joseph MO- Closed
Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-29-2014, 03:35 AM:
quote:
4-Star Theater
San Francisco
2 Screens - 35mm only
(and no jibber-jabber!)
the 4-star shows dvds at times. as defined, i can't think of any first-run bay area screen that is 35mm only. in the rep world, the paramount and the stanford are film-only, but both show 16mm sometimes (though the features are always 35mm at the paramount).
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 08-18-2014, 11:34 AM:
The Syufy Century 21 (single screen), 22 (three screens), and 23 (two screens)dome theaters in San Jose, CA are now closed as of March 30, 2014. All six screens across these three buildings were running 35mm on Century JJ projectors through the last operating day.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 08-19-2014, 03:10 AM:
AMC Loews Factoria 8 in Bellevue, WA still 35mm. Just took my daughters to see "Planes: Fire and Rescue". Was worried this current week could be the end because there were no new features and a handful of long in the tooth holdovers, but "If I Stay" is on the schedule for next weekend.
Posted by Justin West (Member # 920) on 10-05-2014, 03:02 AM:
Route 34 Drive-In at Earlville, IL still running 2-projector 35mm and the owner, Ron Magnoni Jr., asked me to post how disgusted he is with the poor quality of circulated prints that have come his way this season. Besides masking tape "splices" he just received a print where stranded packing tape had been used...and that stuff doesn't easily or cleanly peel off. I suspect that all of the houses that could afford qualified projectionists have already switched to digital so that many of the 35 houses that remain either cannot afford a qualified projectionist (and thus they are so low grossing they cannot afford digital) or they never had a skilled operator to begin with! ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 11-29-2014, 07:09 PM:
Update on AMC Loews Factoria 8 in Bellevue, WA: Went there with my youngest today to catch Penguins of Madagascar and the friendly employee told me that they had reached an agreement with the property owner and will be upgrading soon with "new seats and digital projection". Digital conversion starts in the next couple weeks. Did not get any clarification if the new seats would be the recliners.
I am happy the Factoria will have new life but sad about the loss of 35mm and that the theater will lose some SRO-ness.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 12-11-2014, 04:44 PM:
The Admiral Twin in West Seattle, which had been running 2nd run for years, had a good enough run with "Interstellar" in 35mm that they are now switching to 1st run with Big Hero 6 and the Hobbit opening this coming week and Night at the Museum sequel opening soon. Still no news on plans to convert to digital.
Something is happening at the AMC Factoria 8 in Bellevue Monday - Thursday next week. Looks like 2-3 screens are closed during that time so either digital conversion or new seats or both could be happening. Hobbit opens there on Wednesday and Interstellar loses its "in film" notation on AMC's website starting Tuesday.
Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 12-12-2014, 12:59 AM:
Honestly if they just put in new seats and went digital I think that would be GREAT for that theater. I'm shocked they are still 35mm after all this time.
Looking forward to hearing more updates! Still a theater I must come check out soon.
Posted by Shawn M. Martin (Member # 6762) on 12-18-2014, 08:16 AM:
The AMC Spring 10 in Texas converted to digital several months ago. I think not long after they opened Transformers.
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 12-18-2014, 09:26 AM:
Sharon Cinema 8 in Sharon, Massachusetts still running 1st run 35mm
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 01-08-2015, 09:24 PM:
Regal WestRidge 8 still running 100% 35mm second run. Topeka KS. Unknown conversion date.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-16-2015, 06:20 PM:
The Vaska Theater here in Lawton (the last 35mm-only theater in town) has started a Go Fund Me page asking the public to pitch in to save the old theater. They're trying to raise money to help pay the down payment on a new digital projection system, new sound system and raise money to remodel the venue.
Our local ABC affiliate, KSWO-TV, has ran the Vaska's fund-raising campaign as the top story of their 5:00pm and 6:00pm newscasts today. There is an article about it on their web site. They'll probably have a copy of the news video posted soon. I'll try to post a link to that later. One embarrassing thing in the news story: they showed an image of a 35mm film strip with a Paramount logo on it. The film strip looks very very badly worn.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-16-2015, 08:25 PM:
To me the sad thing is the manager, who has worked there for 10 years, saying this:
quote:
I came here as a kid, I went to the video as a kid.
"Video?" Come on dude, try to preserve some of the magic.
Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 01-17-2015, 12:19 AM:
I wonder if the Vasca was built by and operated by Video Independent Theaters originally...
I also noticed the blue tail light on the Barco at the Starplex. Either they are overdue on maintenance or the xenon bulb is about to be due for change or IS due for change...
Posted by Steve Wilson (Member # 2411) on 02-25-2015, 11:03 AM:
Holiday Drive In Theater, Mitchell IN
Starlite Theater, Bloomington IN
Centerbrook Drive In Theater in, Martinsville IN are
all 3 still running 1st run film! One more season.
At the recent UDIOTA Convention, I was a little put off by the staff from Nato saying they did not like 35mm film being available to theaters while all the rest were forced into making the change to digital. It did not seem to matter to him that film is saving hundreds of theaters that are not profitable enought to lay down $70K for a digital machine along with its much higher annual costs to run.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 02-25-2015, 12:13 PM:
Seattle Area stuff:
AMC Factoria 8 in Bellevue now digital
Varsity in the U-District now digital under a new operator
The Admiral Twin in West Seattle seems to be the last 35mm 1st run theater in the area. (the SIFF theaters and Cinerama still have 35mm equipment but primarily for special screenings). Since the going 1st run with Interstellar the Admiral has played:
Big Hero 6, The Hobbit: BOTFA, Night at the Museum SOTT, American Sniper, Foxcatcher, Boyhood, Spongebob: Sponge out of Water. (Paramount seems to still be doing 35mm for tentpole of family films).
The East Valley 13 in Renton is still 35mm/2nd run. The are playing Penguins, Night at the Museum, Big Hero 6, Interstellar, Horrible Bosses 2, Fury and others. The must be feeling the pinch cause some of their titles are getting long in the tooth. Still playing Lucy, X-Men, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, How to train your Dragon 2. And…..the 2nd run hit still hanging in there: INTO THE STORM!
Off topic: The Boeing Imax has "retired" their 15/70 projector and is converting to laser.
Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-26-2015, 05:58 AM:
As of yesterday, The Page Theatre in Luray, VA ceased running 35mm but it had been running 35mm 1st run up until then. Is is all digital now.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 02-27-2015, 12:02 AM:
For all I know it may the the last theater, 1st or 2nd run, in LA County still in film, but about half of the screens of Cinemark Movies 12 up in Lancaster, CA are listed as 35mm according to Fandango. (I found this looking to see if any film presentations of Interstellar are still around, and of course there it is.) My apologies, it's a little ways up the road so I haven't personally taken a look.
So for the record, they presently have:
Night at the Museum 3 (Fox)
Horrible Bosses 2 (New Line)
Penguins of Madagascar (Dreamworks)
Big Hero 6 (also in RealD 3D Digital) (Disney)
Interstellar "presented in film"
Annabelle (New Line)
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-02-2015, 04:44 AM:
Funny how they said film was going to be gone by the end of 2012, but apparently it's still around!
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 03-03-2015, 12:27 AM:
Sure is. Seems to have a nice little niche even if it isn't being marketed that way.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 03-03-2015, 12:36 AM:
Alas, soon after my post about the Admiral they announced that the operators reached an agreement with the landlord to extend the lease and will convert to digital.
That will leave the 2nd run Regal East Valley 13 in Renton as the only cinema regularly running 35mm with no digital in house.
(Again - not counting the Cinerama or SIFF theaters that still have 35mm for rep showings).
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-03-2015, 10:23 AM:
Has anyone heard if the predicted higher rents for film prints have come to pass or are the studios still selling at the same terms as with digital?
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 03-03-2015, 10:33 AM:
At least WB has with rep runs. Just was booking a kid mat with WB. They quoted me a bunch more for the 35mm than the DCP. Not sure how that plays out first run.
Posted by Jason Metcalfe (Member # 5739) on 04-21-2015, 07:29 PM:
Brad is probably going to hate me for this but I would really love to see a thread like this for all of the rep theaters that are running 35mm and 70mm, there's a pretty big list over at the Northwest Chicago Film Society Sprocket School wiki but I'm sure there are some venues that are missing:
http://www.sprocketschool.org/wiki/List_of_analog_film_exhibitors
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 04-22-2015, 10:56 PM:
quote: Buck Wilson
Regal WestRidge 8 still running 100% 35mm second run. Topeka KS. Unknown conversion date.
This site converted to Sony 4ks last week.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 04-23-2015, 12:16 AM:
Seattle Area update:
Regal East Valley 13 in Renton (2nd run) has gone digital.
Admiral Twin in West Seattle still 35mm but plans to convert and become a quad sometime this fall.
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-23-2015, 12:08 PM:
That Sprocket School site is interesting to put it mildly - symptomatic of the AMIA / "Film Forever" tendency who seem to believe that because they've come from an archival film handling background and then done a one-day course in which they've threaded a machine and done a changeover or two, the future of analog film presentation is safe with them.
I had one such person come in a little while back, interested in projection work: she had a master's degree in film handling and clearly knew her acetate from her polyester. After we'd chatted for a few minutes, I mentioned to her that the previous evening, a nasty ground hum had suddenly appeared on the left surround channel whenever the digital projector's bulb was on. How, I asked, would she go about trying to investigate what was causing that? Her answer: wouldn't know where to start - call a tech. Next question - the sound suddenly goes out halfway through a reel (which actually happened to me last week - exciter blew). What would you do? Her answer was the same - call a tech. And as for the DCP server and projector, she'd never even seen one!
It was clear to me, sadly, that this girl would need many months if not years under constant, full time training and supervision before she could safely be left with a show on her own. These kids don't seem to understand that to work in the dwindling number of venues still projecting film, the ability to make elegant splices (taking two hours to check and prep each reel, which their bosses won't be able to pay for - if I take more than an hour to examine and prepare a 6-8 reel print, mine will want to know why) and appreciate the rich blacks in an IB print is not relevant: the ability to understand the equipment in the booth, fix minor faults and work around major ones is what's important.
This website mirrors this tendency exactly: lots of stuff on prints and film handling, but nothing on equipment maintenance, troubleshooting and repair. The pages for projector models are blank, and there aren't even any blank pages for the common models of audio processor!
Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 04-24-2015, 11:17 AM:
quote: Leo Enticknap
That Sprocket School site is interesting to put it mildly - symptomatic of the AMIA / "Film Forever" tendency who seem to believe that because they've come from an archival film handling background and then done a one-day course in which they've threaded a machine and done a changeover or two, the future of analog film presentation is safe with them.
Leo, it's exactly this attitude that is costing us people who are potentially interested in learning equipment maintenance and troubleshooting, but find themselves put off and out by "old timers" who think it's more important to criticize what is likely the last regime of film projectionists rather than pass along valuable information.
Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 04-24-2015, 12:05 PM:
Jack
It is not about being put-off by "Old Timers" like myself...
Where to begin? Going back to the dawn of cinema exhibition, the people who engineered, manufactured and operated this equipment all had multitudes of skills including formal backgrounds in engineering, machining, electrical and later, electronics, not to mention being Showmen". Threading a projector and running a change-over is just "the icing on the cake".
My formal background is in aviation maintenance, tool making/precision machining and manufacturing engineering.
How many times have I been called out to repair a booth that had been heavily abused! Solutions included being in the machine shop either repairing or making custom parts.... and hitting up local "mom & pop" hardware or electrical supply stores as a MacGyver to come up with a creative and quality solution to a problem on very short notice thereby preventing a dark screen!
These are not attributes that can be taught over-night!!
What irritates me are seeing videos of so-called "projectionists" who make themselves cozy in the booth recliner...and even worse, booths that are utter pig-stys!. Step 1 is having the discipline to have a spotless booth...and I guarantee you that there is no such thing as break time in a properly run 20-plex!
Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 04-24-2015, 12:16 PM:
No argument there, Will. I still deal with "projectionists" (almost exclusively "old timers") who were probably always and still are awful projectionists and have terrible habits.
On the other hand, I know a number of people under 40—some even on this group!—who are excellent technicians in their own right.
What I don't like, and encountered frequently when I started projecting, is the attitude by those who have the knowledge of, "hah, look at this young turk who can appreciate an IB print, but doesn't know a drive shaft from a timing belt!"
Everybody started somewhere. And everyone started as just an operator. And many of us (no thanks to SOME) learned well from folks who SHOWED us how to do it instead of saying, "you're no projectionist!"
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-24-2015, 12:53 PM:
Jack: I would be more than happy to spend as much time as it takes. Sadly, the money isn't there in my organization to hire and train an apprentice. My point is that if we hired someone out of film archiving school, or an experimental filmmaker who has done a bit of Super 8 or 16mm, that's effectively what we'd be doing. I suspect that most of the other venues that are trying to make a strategic, long-term commitment to preserving the ability to project film are in the same position.
I'm also conscious that the skills base above mine is fragile, too. For example, we recently had a fault with our CP200, which, for all my trawling through the service manual and having used them on and off since 1992, I couldn't identify and fix. Luckily for us, a Dolby tech visited us to tune the room for a big premiere shortly afterwards (for which we weren't using that processor at all), and kindly took a look at it for us. Simply by knowing instinctively where to look because he'd been servicing these things more or less since they were first made, he found the problem in three minutes flat. But Dolby doesn't officially support the CP200 any more, and the techs on their workforce who are experienced in working on them is only going to dwindle from here on in.
I'm not trying to p!ss off or alienate the archive-based movement to preserve film projection, but I do believe that they are not going to achieve what they're trying to achieve just by doing what they're doing. From here on in, trying to maintain and regularly use the ability to show 16/35/70 is going to be like trying to commute daily (and reliably) in a 30-year old car with 300,000 miles on the clock. It can be done, but someone who knows all there is to know about the design and aesthetic qualities of the vehicle, but not how to adjust the valve clearances, is really going to struggle.
What would really help is a workshop in which attendees are taught to strip a Norelco to the chassis and rebuild it under the supervision of someone who's been doing that for a living since the 1960s, or troubleshoot a misbehaving CP200.
Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 04-25-2015, 04:10 PM:
Therein lies the problem. Archival theaters want an archival film handler, but they also want a projectionist. As you stated well, that's not what these folks are being trained as. While I agree that there should be a place to train projectionists (film OR digital), film archives might not be the best place for this, or for the hiring pool.
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-26-2015, 12:04 PM:
quote: Jack Theakston
Archival theaters want an archival film handler, but they also want a projectionist.
They actually need more than a projectionist: they need someone with a skill set that in the mainstream days of film projection, a rank-and-file projectionist - even a chief - was not required to have. In those days, projectionists hired by a theater did film handling and basic, planned maintenance (e.g. replacing xenon bulbs). More complex maintenance and repair tasks were done by a tech working for the chain centrally, if your venue was owned by a chain, or by a service contractor if it was an independent. That layer of maintenance and repair support is now almost gone and will be totally gone within a few years.
Sorry to harp on about this, but I think the analogy with a keeping a classic car in everyday use is a good one. If you're trying to keep your 1972 Chevy El Camino in reliable enough condition for daily commuting, you're going to have to stay ahead of the game by replacing and adjusting components that the car's owner would not have had to touch (or pay anyone else to touch) during the first decade or so of its life. You're going to have to spot early warning signs of future failure, and make strategic decisions about what jobs you're going to do preemptively and what you're going to not worry about until symptoms appear. You're going to have to identify sources of model-specific replacement parts, including ones intended for other vehicles and non-automotive use that'll work on yours. And you're going to have to do all of this without the safety net of being able to take the car to a local shop if you run out of time and/or knowledge to fix something, because the local shops will probably say sorry, we're not able to work on a car that old and specialized.
The same applies to maintaining the projector heads, lamphouses, rectifiers and audio A-chain and B-chain components in a film projector booth. No-one makes or supports film projectors any more. No-one makes or supports audio processors with film sound playback capability anymore (apart from the optical sound add-on card for the AP20). If laser projection becomes the industry norm, xenon bulbs may go away as well, which will be a huge problem. I come from a film archival background originally too, but worked as a projectionist alongside my training in that (which no-one else I did my degree with did, or showed any interest in doing). In those days, being a projectionist meant being a film handler with only very basic repair/maintenance/troubleshooting skills on top. In the remaining 16/35/70 booths, someone with only those skills is not going to be able to keep the shows going for very long. If the "Film Forever" tendency really wants to keep those shows going, repair, troubleshooting and maintenance is the area of training and support that is missing from all of these advocacy/support websites and where the resources really need to be developed.
Posted by Manny Montes (Member # 5639) on 04-26-2015, 01:55 PM:
I think that theres definitely a problem on both ends of the spectrum. One is that most people who are film archival experts are not electrical engineers or sound engineers and probably aren't great projectionists either, they have a very specific skillset. Just like most projectionists/techs wouldn't be great at film archival. The other issue is that no one is willing to pay for someone to have both skill sets as you pointed out (both in time to train an apprentice as well as actual cash). I somehow doubt that the film forever group is going to really invest a lot into training a measureable amount of people these skills, which IMHO is their downfall, as you said, there won't be support companies for this equipment forever, so it is important to gain the knowledge now.
Another problem I think Jack hit pretty well is that there are a lot of old timers who think that if you weren't projecting film in the 70s with a carbon arc changover then you're useless (i've heard the term platter baby used before). Corollary to that there are young guns who look at the old timers as just antiques of an era gone by. I think this has to do more with what type of PEOPLE they are rather than their status/age, i've seen jerks on both sides of the fence, so I don't think you can point a finger at either side for it.
Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 04-26-2015, 02:23 PM:
The is certainly little support for replacement of equipment, but necessity is also the mother of invention. You can bring back whatever you want if you have enough money. But "film forever" is, of course, an unrealistic attitude given that the manufacture of film is quickly dwindling, the prints won't last forever, and I still don't see any high rollers doing anything to really keep it afloat (ie. finance it). And I don't think there is any argument that although there are still plenty of machines out there, no one is making them new or supporting the old ones and those are going to go away eventually.
The point is that there are still many people alive today who know what they're doing, and there's a great amount written by dead people for those who don't. Most film technology is based on fairly simple (by comparison) electrical and mechanical engineering. And so long as the people who have this knowledge share it—this forum is a great example of just that—there's still hope yet.
Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 05-18-2015, 05:51 PM:
Fine Arts Theatre, Maynard, MA
2 screens, both 35mm first run only
Kinoton PK-60D/Super Lume-X/CP-650
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-19-2015, 11:08 AM:
I have one twin left, Ritz Theater in Tooele, Utah. We are converting one of the screens over in about a week. Not sure what the plans a with the small screen yet. But it will likely run film on screen 2 for a while longer.
Mark
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 05-19-2015, 12:50 PM:
Wow, here we are 3 months later and the Lancaster, CA theater I posted about on Feb. 27 is still running 4 of the same titles in 35mm - that's not a good sign! Again, according to Fandango.
I can only imagine what Interstellar looks like after 7 months. Wish it were closer, it would be interesting to take a look, but it must be a dive.
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-19-2015, 01:23 PM:
Well, what do you know about that theater? Is it a place that takes care of film or do they trash a lot of prints?
I don't remember what was said about that theater but, on the face of things, it is incorrect to assume that, just because they have been running the same prints, the picture must be bad.
It could be just the opposite. If they have been running the same movies for all of this time, maybe that means they are a good theater.
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-19-2015, 04:28 PM:
Or that they closed and no one cared enough to notify anyone.
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-20-2015, 12:18 AM:
I drove through the Palmdale/Lancaster metro en route to a mini-break at Pismo Beach a while back. It seemed to me to be a big enough place to support two or three theaters, but I suppose that if that market was oversaturated before the digital conversion got seriously underway, one of them could have struggled to afford to convert.
Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 05-20-2015, 07:34 PM:
It opened in October of 1990. Maybe the lease is about to expire.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-20-2015, 07:54 PM:
quote: Randy Stankey
I don't remember what was said about that theater but, on the face of things, it is incorrect to assume that, just because they have been running the same prints, the picture must be bad.
It depends on who is operating the projection equipment. The quality of the gear and how well it is maintained are also factors. Back in the 1990s and earlier it was somewhat common for a theater to keep playing a certain hit film for a really long time. Our local Carmike had 2 prints of Titanic from its original December release date both prints stayed in the two largest, THX houses until April and at least one print was still playing at the theater in May. Both prints fared very well.
Back on topic, here locally the Vaska Theater is the last one in this region still showing film (and trying to raise money for a digital conversion). They've been stuck showing American Sniper and 50 Shades of Grey even though both movies are available on Blu-ray now. American Sniper has been available for digital download for nearly a month.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 05-23-2015, 06:07 PM:
OK, I went. My daughter and I saw "Penguins of Madagascar" last night, where Dave the Octopus hatches a nefarious plan to mutate all penguins worldwide, such that wackiness ensues, etc., etc.
Official presentation review:
THEATER: Cinemark 12, Lancaster, CA
ADMISSION PRICE: $3 (it's been a discount house for 16 years!)
STAFF: A- (plenty of them and doing a good job)
THEATER SIZE: 113 seats
THEATER CLEANLINESS: B
BRIGHTNESS: C+
CLARITY: A (crisp clear print, steady and no rocking, great color)
PRINT CONDITION: D
SOUND: Analog
So this movie came out Thanksgiving weekend, meaning that it's been run nearly 900 times. Of all the screens we peeked at when our show was over, our movie looked the worst, but ALL prints were scratched (mainly on the sides, of course) including Interstellar (which was running with analog sound and a buzzing ground loop in the audio - ugggg!) This photo that I took at "Penguins" says it all, although darker scenes masked the wear nicely:
Really a nice place and great comfy seats:
They seem to be aware they're the last screens in LA running film, well aware they can't get prints, and the word is that Cinemark will "upgrade" them to digital in the future.
Had a great time with the daughter at least, and the show was cute.
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 06-01-2015, 09:14 PM:
What a shame- I'd do a better job for free- it should be considered an honor to run the last 35mm prints.
Posted by Jack Theakston (Member # 4484) on 06-02-2015, 10:47 AM:
Some FilmGuard would have helped.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 06-03-2015, 03:51 PM:
My thought exactly. 1,000 runs on a properly-maintained system and lubed with FilmGuard should look like new. There was no manager there that night and my request to see the booth was declined. Looked like all the employees at that hour were teenagers, save the security guard.
Posted by Peter Howard (Member # 3491) on 06-03-2015, 10:28 PM:
How many people in the theatre with you Bill?
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 06-09-2015, 03:48 PM:
A couple of dozen.
None of the screens I peeked in on were full, but there were several dozens of people at Interstellar, and Unfriended (in digital projection) was half full in a larger room.
So not amazing business, but not shabby either considering the length of the runs.
Posted by Andrew Armstrong (Member # 8494) on 06-10-2015, 12:24 AM:
I came across this thread while searching for 16MM stuff. I was a projectionist from 1987 to 2001. I have to say, i have not paid any attention to films on the exhibition side since they showed me a DCP, until i read a article about interstellar being released on 35 and 70 IMAX. I am shocked that any movie house in the USA still uses film at all. Actually i would be nervous paying to see a film movie, unless it was being done with a staff that understands film, it's handling and showing. I have lost count of the number of times i had to go tell the manager or person running the cash register to go and use the correct flat or scope for the movie being shown or to remove the polarizer for a 2D movie. So i can see them severely messing film up and further killing it off. Another thing i discovered today was a lot of Christie film projectors selling for dirt cheap on Ebay.
Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 06-22-2015, 02:56 PM:
Back in May, I reported this:
"The 5-screen Cinemart in Forest Hills, NY (on Metropolitan Avenue) is still all 35mm."
They've gone digital. I'm actually surprised. They had held out so long, I thought they would close rather than go digital (not because they were so into film, but because they couldn't afford the transition). I saw "Love & Mercy" there in digital and I have to admit that the presentation was pretty good. The last 35mm film I saw there was "Her". That presentation, frankly, was not so good - projection was dim and print was dirty and scratched.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 08-11-2015, 09:39 PM:
OK, according to Fandandgo and the Cinemark website, Lancaster 12 is now all digital as of the end of July. That means a 7/27 screening we saw of "Cinderella" was in their last day or three of film! A sad pleasure to see an operator in the booth adjusting the masking to scope for the feature and starting the show. The print looked fairly good (compared to the nightmare picture I posted above, it was pristine!) and well-illuminated, but the sound wasn't that great and the image wasn't perfectly focused. So now that view through the port window will be the impersonal computerized box and organic film no more. If there are any other theaters in Los Angeles County running first- or second-run film, who knows where it might be. Pretty sure this was the last.
My girls and I enjoyed the show, by the way, and for a $1.15 family ticket, can't be beat!
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 08-11-2015, 10:00 PM:
Admiral Twin in West Seattle now digital. I have seen Jurassic World, Ant-Man and Mission Impossible there with the new projectors and the image was great and sound pretty good too.
And proper screen masking for all three aspect ratios represented above.
I got to peek in the both. Platters are still there though the 35mm projectors have been shoved aside. A 35mm print of Rocky Horror is on one of the platters though they stopped showing it 6 months ago.
Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 08-12-2015, 12:24 PM:
Starlite Drive-in
Bloomington, IN
Starlite web site
Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 08-16-2015, 12:48 PM:
my 35-yrs servicing 35mm film booths all over Texas, Oklahoma, Japan, Guam & Nigeria I only have (2) theaters that still have 35mm film... the Circle Cinema in Tulsa OK & The Texas Theater in Dallas/Oak Cliff Texas (where they found Lee Harvey Oswald at)... I still service 40-theaters buy sound only.....I never thought I see the 35mm go away in my lifetime...
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 08-16-2015, 01:22 PM:
The Blue Light discount cinema in Cupertino, ca is a 5 screen and still 35mm. They just launched a kickstarter last week to try to convert. They cite the issue of lack of available content on 35mm. (Big surprise).
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 08-21-2015, 12:28 AM:
They should just keep running whatever film prints they can get- it's not like there's been a whole lot of great new movies lately ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 08-21-2015, 01:05 AM:
The Garberville Theatre in Garberville CA. Small town single screen.
May not quite qualify but the Crest Theatre in Sacramento CA. They mostly run Blu-Rays on a non-cinema video projector. Two 35mm projectors and platter. Single screen former Fox West Coast Theatre. Also a live venue.
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 08-28-2015, 02:55 AM:
Yep, the Crest is the last 35mm venue here- and with the owner's dedication, he eliminated the union projectionists last year along with the management team that saved the place from wreckage long ago. As a result, "Blade Runner" was recently shown upside-down and backwards. It's said that they got it fixed relatively quick, but I wonder how?
Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 08-28-2015, 08:41 PM:
As of earlier this year the Crest Sacramento is under new management. Did some sound service there. They need some replacement lenses. The ones there are bad.
Posted by Paul Goulet (Member # 297) on 08-28-2015, 09:29 PM:
Groton Cinema 6 Closed Monday, they were still running film
http://www.theday.com/article/20150824/NWS01/150829640 The Day
Groton — Debora Price drove into the parking lot at the Groton Cinema 6 early Monday afternoon planning to catch a matinee with a couple of her friends.
Unfortunately, she discovered, the theater was closed.
"I had no idea," Price said. "The movie times were all online this morning."
The six-screen theater, which has occupied a freestanding building at the Groton Shoppers Mart on Poquonnock Road (Route 1), had shut down — apparently for good — Sunday night.
"Closed. Sorry For Any Inconvenience," read a sign on the front door Monday morning. Movie titles had been removed from the theater's marquee.
Town officials received no notice the theater was closing.
An employee at the Big Y supermarket that anchors the Shoppers Mart had a pretty good idea, though.
"Last night, about 8 o'clock, I saw two trucks there that were either moving stuff in or out — more likely out," Bryan White said Monday. The Big Y stands next to the Groton Cinema 6 building.
The theater is owned by Belmont Capital LLC of Cambridge, Mass., where an employee said Monday afternoon that the president of the company's theater division, Mark Benvenuto, was "on site" in Groton. Benvenuto had not returned a message by the end of the day.
"It's too bad," said Jonathan Reiner, Groton's director of planning and development services. "I'm sure people around town have a lot of memories of first dates and celebrations there."
Reiner noted that the Groton Cinema 6 building "has been around for a while," and that the theater's departure could give rise to "some opportunities" in the area.
"There could be some reinvestment into the plaza itself," he said. "A lot of old theater buildings have been converted to other uses. There's definitely a silver lining for the silver screen."
According to the website for Belmont Capital-owned theaters, www.yourneighborhoodtheatre.com, the company has more than a dozen movie theaters in New England and New York, including a North Smithfield, R.I., drive-in.
The Groton theater was built in 1965 and comprises 22,400 square feet. It's been assessed at $506,870.
b.hallenbeck@theday.com
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
Posted by Jill Duncan (Member # 8906) on 08-31-2015, 01:46 AM:
About two weeks ago the Cinemark 16 second run theater in Warren, MI went all-digital (from 14 screens 35mm). I'm happy that I was at least able to spend a year seeing movies regularly on film, I can't imagine having that privilege ever again going forward.
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 09-01-2015, 06:19 PM:
It seems this topic could use a reboot since a lot has happened since Brad created it. In my neck of the woods up in the Seattle area. All three 35mm locations I reported (Admiral Twin, Factoria 8, East Valley 13) have all gone digital. Aside from rep houses that still have the option for 35mm available, I do not know of any cinemas left in the area still running 35mm as their only means of projection.
Anyone know of any holdouts out there?
Posted by Shawn M. Martin (Member # 6762) on 09-02-2015, 04:37 PM:
quote: Larry Shaw
Fine Arts Theatre, Maynard, MA
2 screens, both 35mm first run only
Kinoton PK-60D/Super Lume-X/CP-650
This one converted to digital last week.
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 09-02-2015, 06:45 PM:
The Vaska Theater here in Lawton is no longer showing movies on 35mm. The theater operator was able to get a new digital projection system financed and installed about a month ago. I don't know what make/model of projector was purchased. Some other upgrades to the sound system, seating and other parts of the theater are either in progress or planned.
The Vaska was the film-only last theater in Southwest OK. At first I thought the theater had closed for good. I passed the theater a few different times, driving by on Ferris Ave., and noticed it wasn't open. The film projector was down in the lobby near the front door. I know the property owner; he told me about the digital plans.
There is still some question of how long the Vaska can last. It does have a small, yet loyal following of customers. There's a lot of people in town who have memories from long ago of watching movies in that theater. Yet, Carmike is about to open a new 13-plex plus IMAX-branded house. Carmike's existing 8-plex in Lawton could either be converted to a bargain/2nd run theater or just closed. The latter is a possibility given the shorter amounts of time movies have between theatrical opening and availability on home video.
Posted by Rick Cohen (Member # 6140) on 09-02-2015, 09:27 PM:
I've been using a spreadsheet to track all the drive-in theatres which are still running 35mm, and have not converted to digital. The current numbers are 333 operational drive-ins. Of those, 288 have converted to digital, and 45 are still operating with 35mm. Most conversions occur in the springtime or over the winter months, so there will probably be several more digital drive-in screens by this time next year, as well as more drive-ins closing which decide not to convert, and can't obtain enough 35mm prints to sustain their business. If anyone is interested, I can probably compile a detailed list of all the 45 drive-ins still running 35mm from my spreadsheet.
Rick
Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 09-02-2015, 10:13 PM:
If you don't have the South Drive-In in Dodge City Kansas it converted to digital a 2 years back. Barco 32B 4K. 6500 watt bulb. It is a single screen.
Front 1/3 of the field still has speakers. Some or all on Altec tube amp. FM stereo sound as well.
100' x 40' screen
Posted by James Wyrembelski (Member # 9037) on 09-07-2015, 10:28 PM:
Our single screen made the switch about a month ago.
Gem Theater
Beaverton, MI
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 09-16-2015, 03:28 PM:
Hey, check this out! We still have a local holdout, the Pacific Theaters Sherman Oaks 5, which as of this writing is showing (according to Fandango) Mission Impossible, Pixels, Ant-Man, Minions, and Jurissic Whirled. (It does say digital on MI. Wonder if that's a mistake?)
Too bad the Last Projectionist Standing isn't a reader here to give us the inside story.
Hat tip to Leonard Maltin for this.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 09-16-2015, 05:35 PM:
How neat is that!!
One wonders if you could open a small second run theater with 35mm and manage to get prints
quote:
seeing prints that looked battered after just a week of wear from those platter machines
Screw that comment though.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 09-17-2015, 08:06 PM:
Obviously the concession stand projectionist is NOT trained by Brad.
Posted by Jill Duncan (Member # 8906) on 09-21-2015, 04:06 AM:
It's been about a month or so since Cinemark switched and damn, I sure miss 35mm. I knew when I happened on the theater a year ago that this was not going to last forever (had I not Blackhat playing for 5+ months, Ouija for 8 months, Peabody and Sherman for 9 months, Maleficent and Guardians for 11 months, etc surely would've given me a clue), and I'm happy for what I was able to see on film in the time before they switched to digital... but... what a loss. It was easier, I think, before I was aware of any vaguely local theater still running film. Before last September I hadn't seen film since 2010.
Posted by Bill Brandenstein (Member # 7758) on 11-08-2015, 10:01 PM:
Finally visited that film holdout, Pacific Sherman Oaks 5, last night and am pleased to say that all 5 screens are still exclusively film, the newest prints being "Pan" and "Crimson Tide" er "Crimson Peak." Presentation was good, which is to say neither excellent nor bad. What really struck me was how great AntMan looked on film, a delightfully punchy level of footlamberts I haven't seen for a long time, and blacks that were quite... black. What can I say? I miss film. It just looked so dynamic and rich. Hopefully laser will settle that score once and for all, so at least if we're stuck with videos, it can look amazing again.
Enjoyed meeting the manager afterwards, who was very cordial but unable to allow a booth tour... yet. And she claims there's another theater in the area still running film, but being in a different chain, didn't know which one.
Posted by Julian Antos (Member # 5497) on 11-09-2015, 06:30 PM:
The Landmark Market Square Multiplex in Madison, WI is still running 35mm on two screens. They have INSIDE OUT (screen 1) and ANT MAN (screen 4). INSIDE OUT was one of the best experiences I've had in a multiplex in a long time. Print was still in pretty nice shape (negligible base scratching ... I'd imagine it's run over 500 times at this point) and the projection was excellent. Good crowd of kids and families and a great film. Projection was sharp, bright, and loud.
ANT MAN was a really nice print but image was pretty dark. Both films were perfectly in focus.
No trailers before the show, but they had these BEAUTIFUL coca-cola ads. I practically jumped out of my seat.
Management says the theater in Green Bay still has two 35mm screens.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 11-09-2015, 07:28 PM:
Julian, I visited that theater in March 2014. Very nice experience, they seem to care. Pretty good presentation, very clean place. They were all film at that point. The fellow gave me a very quick booth tour. They weren't running the best equipment, but are clearly making the best of it. He said they were going to try to go digital. Glad they're still open.
Posted by Andrew Brady (Member # 8846) on 11-18-2015, 12:11 AM:
Are there any 35mm theaters left in Florida? Haven't been to one in a few years now and I really miss film.
Posted by Stuart McPherran (Member # 9633) on 09-04-2016, 02:40 AM:
Hollywood Theatre: Portland, Oregon 1 screen (16MM 35MM 70MM Digital)
Posted by Sascha F. Roll (Member # 9043) on 09-04-2016, 03:29 AM:
quote:
Let's try this thread again, but note only list a theater if it is running 35mm as their only means of showing first or second run movies...NOT "still has 35mm capability".
As an example, if you know of a theater, say a 6 plex that has a screen or two for 3D purposes only, but the other screens are 35mm only, then this is the thread to post it in.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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