This is topic Largest Multiplex? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 06-24-2003, 05:35 PM:
 
Just wondering, but does anyone know what may be the largest mulitplex in North America or the World.
Here in Toronto we have 30 plex AMC. I know in other US cities they are up to 30 for Amc.
Does Anyone know?
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 06-24-2003, 06:27 PM:
 
I know the Toronto Eaton Centre cinemas held that record for a long time. Not sure who does now...

Incidentally, the Capitol 6 here 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. I have seen a few things there (Enemy at the Gate was pretty much sold out) but the screen is not significantly larger than you would find in a more modern stadium cinema of much smaller capacity.

Famous Players intends to close the Capitol 6 some time next year.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 06-24-2003, 08:01 PM:
 
We've been discussing this subject over on the Cinematour Forums as well.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 06-24-2003, 09:24 PM:
 
AMC built a couple of 30-screen gigaplexes in the Chicago far western and northwestern suburbs when they re-entered this market not that many years back. I think the industry has decided that that was just too manys screens and their most recent new-build here was a downtown Chicago 21-screen megaplex.
 

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Posted by Michael Cunningham (Member # 210) on 06-25-2003, 12:04 AM:
 
As far as the Capitol 6 in Vancouver claiming the largest single multiplex auditorium in the world with 1,012 seats, that claim is patently false. Regal has a multi in Alaska of all places with a 1,200 seat auditorium and I'm sure there are larger out there. Unless they are using a different measurement than seat count?

- Mike
 

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Posted by Bill Mantz (Member # 754) on 06-25-2003, 12:11 AM:
 
AMC has two 30 screen MegaPlexes in the Dallas area, But when I work for them for a very short time at AMC Stonebiar I meet the the presedent of AMC and he said that the biggest theaters they would build in the future would only have 24 sreens or less the 30 plexes lose money because they are just to big to run.
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-25-2003, 01:25 AM:
 
The Belgian exhibitor Kinepolis also has a 25-plex in Madrid (Spain) containing one 1000-seater and two 700-seater auditoria. With a total of over 9000 seats, it recently entered the Guiness book of world records for having the largest seating capacity.

I'd be curious to know whether there is a multiplex with more than 30 screens somewhere in the world?
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-25-2003, 02:34 AM:
 
For me size has nothing to do with screencount. It's all about square footage. The facility I work at is about 64,000 sq ft for 15 theatres.

I once saw pictures of a megaplex in Canada that had the worlds highest screencount. The auditori looked to be no more then 10 ft wide!
 

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Posted by Dan Harris (Member # 1759) on 06-25-2003, 06:27 AM:
 
The multiplex with the most screens in the UK, was the Warner Village Star City 30-screen in Birmingham, although I think this may have recently been reduced to 20 screens, or else it is planning to be.

The largest auditorium in Europe belongs to the Odeon Leicester Square, which has a capacity just shy of 2000.

Our chain tends to go for less, larger screens at one location rather than more smaller screens. For example, many of our 8's would probably end up as 10's under different operators.
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 06-25-2003, 06:45 AM:
 
Star City did close at least nine screens and I believe the equipment went to equip the new Warner site in Edinburgh
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 06-25-2003, 06:46 AM:
 
Star City ,or Stab City as it is known locally,did close at least nine screens and I believe the equipment went to equip the new Warner site in Edinburgh.

Frank Aston should be able to confirm this I think.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-25-2003, 07:16 AM:
 
Kodak's "Theater on the Ridge" seats over 2000 and has TWO projection rooms. The original room is located above the balcony, and has a pair of DP70 35mm/70mm projectors purchased from the Riviera Theatre in Rochester before it was demolished and a pair of EASTMAN Model 25 projectors for 16mm. The new projection room has a near-zero angle to the center of the new 25 x 63 foot Harkness Hall Matte White Plus MP screen, and is used as a projection lab for both film and digital projection.

http://www.harknesshall.com/n0600_6.htm

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/annualReport01/proxy/map.shtml

The size and "footprint" of the auditorium is very similar to the new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood:

http://www.kodaktheatre.com/information.asp

http://www.seeing-stars.com/Landmarks/KodakTheatre.shtml

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/news/kodakTheatre.shtml

http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/motion/news/complex.jpg

and the USC Digital Projection Lab at the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) on Hollywood Boulevard:

http://www.etcenter.org/DCL.asp

No plans to split the theatre and turn it into a megaplex with many small screens.
 

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Posted by Stephen Brown (Member # 292) on 06-25-2003, 07:39 AM:
 
Greater Union in Australia has a 30 screen complex in Marion in South Australia.

Supposedly all stadium seating, although I have no idea of the largest house size.

regards
Steve Brown
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 06-25-2003, 08:48 AM:
 
Matt,

Indeed The Capitol #1 is a huge auditorium, I was disappointed in it's screen size. I was expecting alot bigger. It's apparently equipped for 70MM, and the masking to the left and right could be hiding a much larger screen.

Have you been to the Park Cinema on Cambie? That was a big 70mm house back in the 80's and has seating for about 600. I haven't been there myself, I wonder how big the screen it there?
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 06-25-2003, 04:51 PM:
 
I have not yet been to the Park...just haven't had anything I want to see yet. I understand the projectors are some original DP-70s, though I have not seen anything 70mm advertised there since Alliance/Atlantis took it over.

Disappointing is definitely the word for Capitol #1. I seem to remember emergency exits on either side of the screen that would prevent it from getting much larger than it was. I much prefer #7 across the street at the Granville 7. Its also 70mm capable (w/ a Vic 8) but the screen seems much larger. I'm sure they don't mask it down for 35. Smaller auditorium though.
 

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 06-25-2003, 05:10 PM:
 

quote:

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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.

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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)
 

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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 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.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 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.
 

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 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!
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 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.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 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.
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 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!
 

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Posted by Dan Harris (Member # 1759) on 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!
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 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.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 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.
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 06-26-2003, 02:40 PM:
 
It's the coronet then. There wasn't a theater by the name of Colonial in Vancouver.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 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)
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 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?
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 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.
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 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.
 

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Posted by Greg Pauley (Member # 503) on 06-28-2003, 12:27 PM:
 
Picture of the main auditorium at the Keith Albee Theatre seats 1800 just had it's 75th birthday!


 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-28-2003, 02:26 PM:
 
With a theatre like that, no film is needed. Just pay your ticket, watch the auditorium for 2 hours, then get up and leave

Dan Harris, I just forgot to say that, unlike you mentioned, the Odeon Leicester Square is not the largest cinema in Europe. The largest is the Rex in Paris. With 2750 seats, it still happens that the performance is sold out, mainly at Christmas when there is a Disney production.

Picture of the Rex:

 

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Posted by Dan Harris (Member # 1759) on 06-28-2003, 06:19 PM:
 
Thats an impressive auditorium, Lionel. There must be quite a steep projection rake. I'm sure Odeon will be happy to be second

Dan
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-30-2003, 11:29 AM:
 
I have no doubt about this

Have you ever been to the Odeon Mezzanine multiplex next door? I never dared to pay a ticket for that. I'm pretty sure it sucks!
 

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Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 06-30-2003, 01:58 PM:
 
The Edinburgh Playhouse is larger than either of the two cinemas mentioned above. It has 3056 seats [bigger than the Warner Village/ VUe multiplex next door] and was built in the silent days. It is mostly used for large scale musicals [it was built so as to be converted to a theatre if cinema died] but is showing the sing along version of Sound of Music later this year so could still count as a cinema.
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 06-30-2003, 02:20 PM:
 
Mark, I didn't know about this theatre. Thanks for the info. I'm glad to learn it is being used for stage shows when there is no film to fill the auditorium. Other owners would perhaps had preferred to convert it into a 20-plex or so. That's great
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 06-30-2003, 03:21 PM:
 
The Edinburgh Playhouse hasn't shown a film in ten years to the best of my knowledge. As far as I knew the equipment had long since been removed. It wasn't stereo when it was running regularly.
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 06-30-2003, 07:06 PM:
 
i went to the multiplex "next door" to the odeon leicester square a couple years ago when visiting london. i was a bit confused to find it had a separate box office and all. it was a pretty small auditorium, but the presentation was fine, as i recall. even the ads were somewhat palatable. since they were "foreign" they were a cultural novelty.

my objective was to see something not playing at home, and that turned out to be "the hole". i thought it might be a remake of "le trou" but it was a shoddy horror film.

carl
 

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Posted by Lionel Fouillen (Member # 1475) on 07-01-2003, 01:53 AM:
 
Too bad the Edinburgh Playhouse no longer shows films. Only mono sound? Brrr...

The above-mentioned Rex can show 16mm/35mm/70mm and features digital sound. From a commercial point of view, it's considered as Screen #1 of the multiplex built next to it. That makes it less isolated in today's multiplex-oriented landscape, hence easier to make business with.
 

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Posted by Dan Harris (Member # 1759) on 07-01-2003, 11:38 AM:
 
The Mezannine auditoria are quite small, each seating about 50/60 people each I think, but as has already been said presentation is generally flawless. Not sure about the price difference from the main building, I havn't been to London in a while.

I may be wrong, but I believe it was built in what used to be an alley used for access which Odeon owned.
 

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Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 07-01-2003, 05:29 PM:
 
The playhouse is still listed on the Pearl and Dean [film advertisers] listings (link) so I think they must still have some projection kit installed.

In October the touring "Sing along a Sound of Music" (link) is visiting the playhouse so it will be showing films then. However I think they bring their own kit [last time they were at a standerd theatre] so I dont know if this counts.
 

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Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 07-02-2003, 10:40 AM:
 
Not to totally re-hijack the Vancouver discussion, but regarding some Vancouver theaters:

quote:

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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.

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Since Matt's been in there, All screens except #6 have upgraded to Dolby Digital, but only #7 still sounds incredible. Several of the screens used to have DTS, and screen 7 used to have SDDS. Screens #5 and #6 were from the older Coronet theater, as mentioned, and you can still see some of the old architecture on #6, as odd as a theater it is (twisty staircase just to get there, and you have to walk RIGHT onto the stage to get to the emergency exit).

I also have the screen count of Capitol #1 ("The Barn") at 1031 seats, which makes it the largest multiplex screen in Canada, not the world. As for reports of it closing, I've also gathered from two sources that it might change to a discount house or become something similar to the Station Square cinema out in Metrotown.

quote:

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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.

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quote:

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Have you been to the Park Cinema on Cambie? That was a big 70mm house back in the 80's and has seating for about 600. I haven't been there myself, I wonder how big the screen it there?

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Seats 640, and I was a bit underwhelmed for the screen size for the large auditorium. I'm HOPING there was a much bigger screen hidden for 70mm, but since it's now an upscale art house owned by Alliance Atlantis, there won't be any 70mm going through the place anymore.

Regards,

Jason
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 07-02-2003, 11:25 AM:
 
I think that list may not be up to date, there is at least cinema on there that have been closed for yonks.That said, the last time I was at a show at the playhouse, there were adverts screened on the safety curtain, but they were slides, now P&D do provide slide advertising, so perhaps that's why the playhouse is on the list? I can't remember if the slide ads were P&D or not. I was asking around today, and to the best of anyones knowledge the Edinburgh Playhouse stopped screening films in 1978.
 

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Posted by Dino Panagiotopoulos (Member # 1579) on 07-04-2003, 01:20 AM:
 
In this area, AMC has the Forum 30 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. 30 screens is alot but its mostly small 100-200 seat theaters.
The biggest multiplex in the world seat wise (according to Guiness) is a theater I believe in Spain with around 9500 seating capacity. I dont have the book in front of me but I will check exactly and post it.
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-04-2003, 01:41 AM:
 
Jason,

for sure next time your in town, drop me a email and we'll arrange something.
 

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Posted by Matt Hale (Member # 1518) on 07-05-2003, 12:59 AM:
 
We should all get together and see if we can talk them into a tour or something...
 

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Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 07-09-2003, 02:09 AM:
 
Matt & Ron,

At the moment my next trip will be in September for the film festival, but I'll be in touch if I make it any earlier.

If either of you are around the Capitol or Granville in the meantime, see if you can find out if they will allow any tours/photos. The fine people at film-tech NEED to see these places.

Jason

email and MSN: jason_whyte@yahoo.com
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-09-2003, 09:26 AM:
 
Indeed, people here should see the Capitol 6, actually come to think about it, #1 looks like the Northpark #1 that was/is highly regarded around here, Capitol #1 might be a bit wider though.

I might be at the Film Festival this year, provided that there's something that looks interesting, I missed out on Bowling For Columbine last year....
 

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Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 07-30-2003, 05:18 PM:
 
Just a few notes on Granville Street theatres (Vancouver, B.C.) . The original Capitol Theatre auditorium was on the Seymour Street side, where the current 6-plex is. The entry was similar from Granville Street, with the enclosed walkway over the lane, and the first access being at the balcony level, a walk down stairs to reach the main floor. The balcony was a small one, and the booth very small; I was told by an old-timer that the original plans had neglected to include one (still in vaudeville days). The stages of the Capitol and Orpheum were back-to-back.
The small lobby area of the Vogue Theatre was explained by the inability to acquire property on Smythe Street, so the original plans were simply adapted to the space available.
And here's a 1973 shot of the west side of Granville, showing the Odeon (originally Plaza), Coronet (Paradise) and in the distance the Colonial.
Cineplex incorporated the Coronet into the Granville 6. Auditorium 7, the large upstairs one, and Cinema 1 in Oakridge were both built to THX specs, but the licensing was discontinued as a cost saver when the company directorship changed in the early '90's.

 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-30-2003, 06:25 PM:
 
There was an balcony in #1 of the Capitol? There's no evidence of it now if there was. I guess is was removed in the 1977 upgrade, where the 5 theaters were added on top. Another interesting thing is that Capitol #1 was upgraded to 70mm late in the 70mm craze of the 1980's, I guess when the Stanley theater closed down, Famous had no downtown 70mm screens so they retrofitted #1 to 70mm.

As for the Vogue, apparently it's haunted. Oddly enough, people started seeing in the late 1980's, when it's run as a first run movie house ended. Odeon apparently wanted it kept quiet to keep people going to the theater. As a live performance venue, some one was performing on stage and claims that a person dressed in 1930's attire starting dancing on stage while the performance was underway. Also, a shadowy figure has been spotting walking up the balcony stairs.
 

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Posted by Ron Keillor (Member # 1790) on 07-30-2003, 07:31 PM:
 
The orientation of the current Capitols auditoriums is at 90° to the original. The original screen backed the back wall of the Orpheum. There are no architectural artifacts in the new building.
The video display on the sidewalk on Granville was removed a couple of weeks ago. The video units had been taken out years before - probably tape availability, player maintenance and problems with piggyback bookings put an end to that. I remember there had been problems with zoning when it was built; the problem was gotten around by using a hairline crack to separate it from the theatre so it was technically a separate structure.
The "old" Cap did play some single-projector Cinerama.

[ 07-31-2003, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: Ron Keillor ]
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-31-2003, 09:03 AM:
 
90 degrees? are you referring to the Vogue or Capitol?
 

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Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 08-01-2003, 12:10 AM:
 
um...I'm surprised no one had mentioned Radio City Music Hall. I know it's not considered a theater all the time, but when I took a tour there I was shown around the entire place. It seats almost 6,000 people and it has Dolby Digital and whatnot....wouldn't that win?
 

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Posted by Richard C. Wolfe (Member # 431) on 08-02-2003, 12:50 AM:
 
Radio City Music Hall was the largest seating capacity movie theatre in America. It is seldom used as a movie theatre any longer. Only for special films on rare occasions. But I thought the question here was "What is the largest mutiplex"? Radio City is and has always been a single screen theatre. By the way, Radio City was not built to be a movie theatre. It was one of three theatres constructed in the Rockefeller Center project. Radio City which claimed 6,200 seats at it's opening was intended for all live productions of music and spectacle. The RKO Roxy (not to be confused with the other famous New York Roxy)later renamed the Center with 3,509 seats opened with movies and smaller stage shows. Both of these theatres were managed by theatrical impresario Samuel Lionel(Roxy)Rothafel. The opening stage show at the Music Hall was such a disaster that within several months movies were added to the bill. When Roxy left the original Roxy which also claimed 6,200 seats at it's opening (but had less), he took his name with him and gave it to the other Radio City theatre. The Fox interests that controlled the old Roxy sued saying it owned the Roxy name. Fox won, and the RKO Roxy became the RKO Center Theatre, being named for it's location in Rockefeller Center.

Radio City Music hall is still a theatre all the time, it's just not a movie theatre all the time.

Now what IS the largest multiplex theatre? And are we talking about total seat count or number of auditoriums?

[ 08-03-2003, 01:48 AM: Message edited by: Richard C. Wolfe ]
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 08-02-2003, 09:42 AM:
 
Richard C. Wolfe said:

quote:

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Now what IS the largest multiplex theatre? And are we talking about total seat count or number of auditoriuns?

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quote:

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Just wondering, but does anyone know what may be the largest mulitplex in North America or the World.
Here in Toronto we have 30 plex AMC. I know in other US cities they are up to 30 for Amc. Does Anyone know?

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Which as you can see was referring to screen count.
 

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Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 09-22-2003, 10:06 AM:
 
Yup! AMC has a 30 screener on the North side of Phoenix and
Harkins has a 25 on the East side.

FJN
 

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 09-22-2003, 12:13 PM:
 
There is a 36-screener featured in the movie Bachelor Party.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 09-22-2003, 01:57 PM:
 
A real one or a reel one?

AMC has two thirty screen gigaplexes in the far western suburbs of Chicago. I think the industry has pretty much decided that the 20-something megaplex is sufficient. One thing about the gigaplexes is that there are so many screens that they can run virtually everything, including multiple screens of the major hits, yet still toss in an art, independent or foreign film.

I'm looking at one listing right now and I see they are running "Thirteen" and a couple I've never even heard of: "Kuch Naa Kaho" and "St. Petersburg Express." Makes me wonder if they do 4-wall deals.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-22-2003, 02:09 PM:
 
Unfortunately many of the screens in modern "gigaplexes" seem to be there just to up the screen count and spread the risk when a movie doesn't do well at the boxoffice, or give flexibility in scheduling. These sub-screens tend to be small, with inadequate sound. Nothing wrong with a smaller auditorium, as long as the audience can get a "big screen" experience with proper viewing distance and top-notch sound. But a "shoebox" with analog (or even mono) sound just doesn't cut it anymore. For 35mm, my preferred seat is usually 2X the height of the image from the screen. Sorry, not everyone can get to the movie during the first week when it is in the "prime" auditorium.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 09-22-2003, 04:37 PM:
 
I've said this before, but Cinemark did a very nice job on the 17-plex they opened here in 1999. Even the smallest auditoriums have good projection & sound, and decent-sized screens, and all stadium seating (which I happen to like). The only real problem I fault them on is sound leakage between auditoriums sometimes. It's lightyears ahead of the 12-plex they opened in the late 80s and which I have hated since the day it opened.

Cinemark 17

Movies 12 (Now a $1.50 theatre)
 

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Posted by Marcial Feliciano Ramos (Member # 1989) on 11-01-2003, 11:57 PM:
 
Here in Puerto Rico the biggest megaplexes have 14 screens. Here we have only 2 movie chains CineVista Theather and Caribbean Cinemas that have a monopoly in the business (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, etc.
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 11-02-2003, 01:12 AM:
 
The magic number of 14 for Puerto Rico was based on research of the available film releases to this market at any given time. Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth associated with the USA so there is a curious mix of film distribution policies for the market....example Disney is handled by an independent company, Universal is USA controlled and other film companies are run by international divisions. In Latin America, in most markets outside of the Cinemarks and UCI operations, generally 6 - 10 screens, again due to available product.
 

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