This is topic Century 21-22-23 (San Jose, CA) lease ending in 2012??? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 05-08-2011, 11:28 AM:
 
Hi Folks:

Read on "Yelp" that the ground lease for the Century/Winchester 21-22-23 is ending next year.

Any confirmation or denial?

Mike
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-08-2011, 01:33 PM:
 
The Winchester Mystery House next door owns the land the cinemas sit upon. I will ask my contact at WMH what the scoop is the next time I talk to him.
 
Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 05-09-2011, 11:04 PM:
 
I just read this too. I will make a trip down to visit these theaters if they are to close. I really hope this doesn't happen as they are very unique and there aren't many of them left.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-09-2011, 11:07 PM:
 
My contact does not have any information on the matter. I guess we will have to wait and see. It would be a real shame to lose those domes.
 
Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 05-10-2011, 06:40 AM:
 
Question is, which will end first in 2012 -- the Century 21-22-23 or the world. [Eek!]
 
Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 05-14-2011, 02:11 AM:
 
No wonder they never upgraded to digital projection...

Unfortunatley the Century 24 down the street operated by Cinemark did and they did it wrong and screwed it all up... [Frown]

I will surely miss these theatres when they close, if they close. You know, the auditoriums are big enough to even convert them to IMAX or XD screens.....They could be money makers, if they wanted them to be.
 
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-14-2011, 12:44 PM:
 
quote: Sean Weitzel
It would be a real shame to lose those domes.
Really? I only ever got to visit a couple of dome theaters (maybe not these specific domes), but I was simply not impressed once I entered the auditorium. The domes crippled the screen sizes and the one that I saw which was split in half was awful. The sound was also pretty lackluster.

Maybe I just caught a couple of auditoriums that weren't operating at their peak and possibly a movie with a poor sound mix, but I wasn't impressed. They are really cool from the outside though.
 
Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 05-14-2011, 12:52 PM:
 
QUOTE: BRAD MILLER
"....I was simply not impressed once I entered the auditorium. The domes crippled the screen sizes......"

MIKE CROARO RESPONDS:
Brad...how so?

Mike C.
 
Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 05-14-2011, 01:48 PM:
 
When I lived in the Bay area, I thought those were among the best theatres around. They were 1.5+ hours drive, but I made a few trips down, including Titanic in 70MM.

There are 4 auditoriums between the two buildings. Two have big screens, two are medium.

There was also a dome theatre in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill that seemed incapable of properly showing a movie.
 
Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-14-2011, 04:57 PM:
 
Of all the years I ever lived in the Bay Area, from Santa Cruz to Walnut Creek, I only ever went to the Century 21 once, for the 50th Anniversary of Fantasia. Granted, it wasn't as big as the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, but I was still mighty impressed with the presentation.
 
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-14-2011, 05:44 PM:
 
quote: Mike Croaro was the last to post
domes crippled the screen sizes...
..since they didn't have a flat back wall, it prob made the screens having to come forward, or get reduced in height due to the ceiling curve reducing the screen height.

the Century 21 and 22 complex in SLC was a great cinema to attend and yet even though it had big screens, I did notice that the screens were almost in your face when you sat up close due to them being brought forward away from the decending curve of the ceiling.

Later on when one house was split and later on when presentation factors horribly decayed, this is where I do agree with Brad on sound quality (must have used SMART systems, or similar..) to follow with the presentations.

Eventually, the domes came down for the Century 16 that was built on the same lot.
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 05-17-2011, 11:45 AM:
 
-
The (San Jose) Mercury News, November 22, 1964
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-17-2011, 12:11 PM:
 
Century 21 was designed to be a three strip Cinerama theater but was only equipped with a single projector. The original screen was a strip screen, and the Able and Charlie booths exist but were always vacant.
 
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 05-17-2011, 12:47 PM:
 
This photo from the Century 21 in 1964 does not show a strip screen, but there are indeed three booths.

-
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-17-2011, 01:34 PM:
 
I've been looking for an old scanned article about 21 that I had at one point and had a close up detail of the strip screen. If it had one, I agree it did not have one for very long.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-17-2011, 02:29 PM:
 
This location had an Ampex 120 Watt/channel, 8 channel system, including 3 surround zones, left back, rear and right back.
I believe there was at least one extra amp on a switching panel.

All told, it took 5 racks to hold it all; two for preamps and power supplies, and 3 to hold the amps. I know, because I worked on them and also took them all out for the premiere of Apocalypse Now.

Don't think it ever had a ribbon screen.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 06-30-2011, 04:48 PM:
 
I found the newspaper article about the Century domes. While there is no photo, the article describes 21 as having a ribbon screen. Who knows if the article was accurate though.
-
 
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-30-2011, 07:19 PM:
 
We used to have a giant theater out in Denver called the Century 21. The name of the theater was an outright lie. It wasn't operated by Century Theaters nor did it have 21 screens. Just one fairly big one with amazing sound.
 
Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 06-30-2011, 08:08 PM:
 
Looking at that photo carefully, I actually think I do see thin vertical strips where the projection light is hitting the screen. Or maybe it's just playing tricks on me.
 
Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 07-01-2011, 02:57 PM:
 
I think the Century 21 should be restored and preserved. 23 can die in a fire. Split domes suck!
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 07-01-2011, 04:18 PM:
 
21 went through a pretty thorough renovation a few years back. It's still a single screen, just not as big as the original. 23, and 24 were twinned. 23 is still operated by the Syufy family, but 24 is owned by Cinemark, is digital, and has horrid presentations.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 07-07-2011, 12:39 AM:
 
Just watched "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" on Blu-Ray (bought it for less than what it would've cost to see it at a theater) and it starts out with what looks like the outside of a Century or similar-styled theater. It's supposed to be a roller rink, and the scenes inside look like a dome-shaped building but checked part of the commentary track and they said that was filmed inside a warehouse; they didn't mention where the outside part was filmed (I'll listen to the whole commentary later when I have time).

Most of my early movie-going was at the San Jose Centurys (saw the original release of Star Wars there among others). It would suck if they ever closed them. (I didn't know the 21 had the extra projection booths for Cinerama- what have they been used for if they never had projectors in them?)

We have 2 large domes in Sacramento but they were both split more than 30 years ago- if they ever restore them back to the big screens I'd see everything that played there but don't know how they've stayed in business this long the way they are.
 
Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 04-19-2012, 03:19 PM:
 
Any update on the 21-22-23 theatres?

According to Fandango, the 22 is mysteriously closed today, and today only, with the films they were showing all week shifted over to the 23.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-05-2012, 02:03 PM:
 
My source who used to work at the Mystery House is no longer employed there so I may not have any more updates. I checked Fandango today and the 22 still appears to be showing movies.
 
Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 12-18-2012, 01:59 PM:
 
Any news as to when they'll be put out of their misery?
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 12-31-2012, 04:54 PM:
 
I have heard nothing. If I do hear anything credible I will update this thread.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 04-25-2013, 01:02 AM:
 
Latest update: On the heels of all of the interest with the Syufy dome in Pleasant Hill, CA comes this article today hypothesizing what I wrote about over a year ago:
http://www.mercurynews.com/real-estate/ci_23100098/

Shopping mall, offices and homes could rise at Century theaters site in San Jose

By George Avalos
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 04/24/2013 05:06:59 PM PDT
Updated: 04/24/2013 07:39:09 PM PDT

SAN JOSE -- A big new shopping center, office towers and residences could replace several of the Century movie theaters near the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose under a plan to lease the property, realty agents said Wednesday.

The site being eyed for redevelopment includes the Century theaters on Winchester Boulevard near Interstate 280. The theaters' domes are a familiar sight in the area, and the theatres have over the decades played many blockbuster films.

A group of San Jose families has hired realty brokerage Cassidy Turley and its retail unit Terranomics to market the 11.6-acre site on Winchester Boulevard between Olin Avenue and Interstate 280, across the street from Santana Row.

"There is
The Century Theaters' domes off Winchester Boulevard are a familiar sight in the area, and the theaters have over the decades played many blockbuster films. (Mercury News archives) ( lg francis )
very good interest in this site," said Todd Oliver, a partner with Terranomics Retail Services.

Potentially 500,000 square feet of retail or offices, or both, could be built at the site.

"You could build a large shopping center or have one or more office towers at the location," said Greg Davies, a partner with Cassidy Turley.

It also is possible that new homes could emerge on the property.

"The city has designated this in its general plan as an urban village," Davies said. "By definition, that could include all three uses -- retail, office and residential."

The owners, operating under the name Winchester Investments, intend to lease the land beneath the theaters to the future owner. To make way for the potential
offices, shops and homes, the owners would then probably bulldoze the theaters.

"This has been a site for movie theaters for almost 50 years," Davies said.

The lease on the theaters is about to expire, so the owners decided to attempt a ground lease of the property to redevelop the site, sources said.

Retail development has been rebounding in Silicon Valley as the economy has improved over the past year or two.

Plus, large and small tech companies have gobbled up considerable stretches of office space in Mountain View, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Santa Clara, and now the leasing surge has spilled into North San Jose.

Across the street from the Century theatres, Santana Row has enjoyed brisk retail leasing. Earlier this year, popular retailer H&M expanded its space at Santana Row, taking over a former Borders Bookstore site. Smaller retailers have also been opening shops at the retail complex.

Then in March, the principal owners of Santana Row, Federal Realty, revealed plans to build three office complexes and more retail on the site. The offices would total 700,000 square feet and be able to accommodate about 3,000 workers if completely filled.

The brokers for the property believe
the Century theaters parcel could be similarly successful.

"We believe this is the best remaining infill site in the West San Jose area," Davies said.
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 05-01-2013, 08:38 PM:
 
I just feel ill.

No wonder theatrical viewing is dying; why pay money to see a film when there are so few truly grand theaters worthy of the name left?
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-01-2013, 10:08 PM:
 
Same reason you always did....to see a good movie on a huge screen with a crowd.

I agree the building is part of the experience but there really are some beautiful new multis being built today. But for me the building is really only maybe 10% (?) of the experience if that.

Once you've "lost yourself" in a good movie it doesn't matter where you are seeing it. I started watching the original "Carrie" on a 32" TV (with no external speakers) in our bedroom the other night and I got so absorbed I forgot to get under the covers until about halfway thru the movie.

Also, theatrical viewing is not dying. You must be one of those naysayers who works for the media.
 
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-02-2013, 12:42 AM:
 
Yep, can't live in the romantic world forever and seeing things through rose colored glasses.

To operate these three big houses back in those days were pennies compared to where it's now mega dollars to operate and with lesser crowds. Somethings gotta happen, eventually.

Same fate happened last year when the Cinedome 70 twin got yanked down in Riverdale, Utah: opened in 1969 and played the huge movies there and crowds galore. When it shut down, it was barely drawing anybody, for the crowds all went to the megaplexes and similar.

Century had a similar complex in SLC on State and 33rd, but just a twin dome which each dome got split where it was a 5 screen complex.

Yet, Century kept the property, yanked down the domes and built a 16plex on the location. Now, it's Cinemark 16 due to the buyout of Century by Cinemark.
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 05-02-2013, 07:10 AM:
 
But that's just it; movie going used to be a special experience of some type.

Now I readily admit tonight I'll be stuffed into an AMC watching Iron Man 3 with a bunch of people who, though they've been anxiously waiting for the film to come out, still feel they need to talk through the entire film and keep track of what's going on on Facebook throughout the film. [Frown]

But seeing films at a theatre like the Century 21 is an experience - I can still remember every film I've seen there, and am truly grateful for being able to do so.

For that matter, I still remember the privilege of being able to see Die Hard across the street at the Town & Country; an amazing theater as well.

Compare to the AMC I saw Pain & Gain at last week that not only had uneven illumination, but a streaked screen that had, I'm not kidding, a visible hole in it about ⅓ of the way down from the top and just left of the center; a Sony 4K projector doesn't make a difference if the screen is crap, but I digress.

With even the best multis we're now looking at the movie like yet another screen in our lives; when you see a film at the Century 21, the Arclight Cinerama Dome, or a real IMAX theatre, you're in the movie.

There's just spmething like that "the image is so large it fills my peripheral vision" experience that can't be otherwise matched, and is one that anyone who has not experienced cannot understand.

Heck, even a film like Knowing was made better by way of being viewed at the Century 21. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-02-2013, 10:54 PM:
 
I guess part of your problem is being in Colorado, which between reports from you and Joe Redifer, appears to have the worst movie theaters in the world.

The other thing is the "first weekend." Back in the "glory days" movies used to hang around for months or years. They weren't hyped to the gills on the opening weekend, so people didn't have this "need" to see the movie at the same time as everyone else. Movies weren't sliced and diced within hours on the internet, so you had a bit of mystery awaiting you if you hadn't seen a film yet. You could go a couple of weeks in and still be with a decent sized crowd but not have to deal with opening night fanatics.
 
Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 05-02-2013, 11:10 PM:
 
The image Adam posted had brought back pleasant memories of Honolulu's Cinerama Theatre. Our theatre was not a dome but it had a screen exactly as the Century 21. It originally had the special type of screen for three strip Cinerame when THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM and HOW THE WEST WAS WON played at that theatre in that format. The projection equipment from our Cinerama theatre is still in service at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles.

-Claude
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 05-07-2013, 07:53 AM:
 
The irony of Colorado is even as few as five years ago there were theaters that actually cared about presentation - the UA Continental and Century Theaters at BelMar were two, and as you go further back there were even more. I'm grateful that in the early 1990s I got to see movies at two palaces on Colorado Blvd. in Denver - the "United Artists" - a.k.a the old Cooper - and the Century 21 (no relation) that have since been replaced by a Barnes & Noble and a now-dead electronics' retailer's big box.

Now there are few Colorado theaters left that care, with the rest seeming to view the films they present as anything more than a way to get people in to whom they can sell popcorn and drinks. [Frown]

Somewhere in my fantasies ArcLight opens a complex in Denver. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 05-08-2013, 10:38 PM:
 
Welp, the Pleasant Hill city council voted 3-2 to allow the demolition of the Pleasant Hill dome after hours of public speeches ending past 2am on Tuesday. This morning the Dome was a nice pile of rubble. Attention has increasingly turned to the Winchester Trio: http://www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold/ci_23201097/herhold-should-one-winchester-domes-be-saved

Herhold: Should one of the Winchester domes be saved?

By Scott Herhold

sherhold@mercurynews.com
Posted: 05/08/2013 03:29:23 PM PDT
Updated: 05/08/2013 04:15:23 PM PDT

1960's-era domed theaters appear doomed, like these Century theaters in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

When San Jose's Century 21 theater opened nearly a half-century ago, the first movie it showed was the comedy "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.'' Last week, the 950-seat theater on Winchester Boulevard was running the Tom Cruise fantasy, "Oblivion.''

The metaphorical distance between those two titles gives you the thumbnail version of what's happening with the modernistic theaters on Winchester Boulevard, which are looking more doomed than domed these days.

A plan for developing offices and shops on the turf across from Santana Row would mean all but certain demolition of the Century 21, 22 and 23 cinemas, now officially renamed the Winchester theaters.

Arguing that these are iconic buildings,
preservationists are now waging a campaign to save at least one of the theaters, which have not quite reached the 50-year-mark for official landmark consideration.

"I'm very concerned that we in San Jose are erasing a very significant period of our history as we demolish so much of the postwar architecture, '' said cultural historian Heather David. "It's part of our cultural identity.''

I may as well tell you that modernistic '50s and '60s architecture is not my passion. The preservationists, however, have a right to make an argument for saving a dome, and the rest of us should listen. I'm going to present this issue as impartially as I can.

The first of the three cinemas, Century 21, opened in late 1963, making use of the
"laminated beam'' construction technique widely used in churches. It even had a special wraparound projection room for Cinerama movies -- though Cinerama movies were not shown there.

Era of optimism

"It was one of the last hurrahs for the stand-alone movie theater,'' said theater historian Gary Parks. —It was part of that Tomorrow-Land sort of optimism before the counterculture changed things at the end of the decade. People gobbled it up.''

The cinemas were run by the litigious Syufy chain, which had theaters throughout the Bay Area. The domes specialized in big blockbusters like the Star Wars movies or "2001.'' For a long time, they had the most comfortable seats in town.

The ownership of the land underneath the theaters, meanwhile, has roots that go back to Sarah Winchester, the heiress who built the nearby Winchester Mystery House.

County records show that two families, the Raneys and Farrises, descendants of the husband and wife who took over the Winchester Mystery House after Sarah's death in 1922, continued to have an interest in the land underneath the theaters. Vincent Raney, the modernistic architect who designed the theaters, was a member of
A Century dome in San Jose, Calif. May 6, 2013. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
the Raney clan.

Ray K. Farris II, a businessman from Monte Sereno who is listed as the agent for service for Winchester Investments LLC, the owner of record, did not return my call. So it's hard to know the exact structure of ownership for the 11.6 acre site now.

50-year lease

Preservationists say the Syufy chain, which continues to operate the cinemas despite selling the bulk of the Century theaters to Cinemark USA in 2006, had a 50-year lease on the property. With that lease expiring, the landowners are exploring new options.

"You could build a large shopping center or have one or more office towers at the location,'' Greg Davies, a partner with Cassidy Turley told a reporter recently.

That fits in with the city's plan, which calls for an urban village consisting of shops, offices and possibly apartments. (Such a development would worsen already-clotted traffic, a story for another time).

Even preservationists acknowledge that the land is underutilized now. From a capitalistic point of view, you can't blame the property owners for wanting to increase their return. In Pleasant Hill, demolition began Wednesday on the CineArts Theater, called the Dome.

Saving a dome?

Could a sensitive plan in San Jose incorporate one dome and maybe even use it as a marketing device? The most logical choice would probably be Century 23 -- behind the Winchester Mystery House -- though Century 21 is the most historic cinema.

Adding weight to the preservationists' cause is the search by the people who ran the entertainment-oriented Retro Dome -- the former Century 25 at Westgate -- for a new home. With some changes, they believe one of the domes would do nicely. But they don't pay the rent that a corporate tenant might.

San Jose Planning Director Joe Horwedel says that one of the tensions in this debate is what he calls the "Noah's Ark'' phenomenon -- the belief that every city should have its own example of a particular architectural style or icon.

I ran that past Brian Grayson, the head of the Preservationist Action Council, who was, not surprisingly, skeptical.

"Part of our city's history is the fabric of the buildings and what came before,'' he said. "Just because a city 100 miles away has an example of the building doesn't tell the story of this city.''

For once, I don't have a passionate answer here. You may: If you go to www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold, you can vote on whether to save a dome.

Contact Scott Herhold at 408-275-0917 or sherhold@mercurynews.com. Twitter.com/scottherhold.
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 05-10-2013, 06:14 AM:
 
The problem is the Century 23 is twinned, badly.

The best dome to save would be the 21,.
 
Posted by Daniel Scalia (Member # 7632) on 05-14-2013, 07:10 PM:
 
Adam, where did you find the picture of Century 21 San Jose?
 
Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 06-24-2013, 06:14 PM:
 
It's on Cinematour.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 08-19-2013, 04:49 PM:
 
Update from the organizers of the "Save the Winchester Domes" petition:

quote: Save the Winchester Domes Petition posted

Hello,

Thank you for signing the petition to Save The Winchester Domes. We are pleased to write with an update:

We had a very positive meeting with Joseph Horwedel, Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement for the City of San Jose, and some staff from City Councilmember Sam Liccardo's office. Mr. Horwedel shared with us the plans underway for the areas surrounding the Winchester Domes and what they are requiring of any developer considering development.

We were told officially that all the property owners for Century 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 have all put in requests to demolish the Domes sitting on their properties. The City has stopped the removal of the Century 24 and 25 domes until a decision has been made as to what is happening with all of five Domes as it is their hope that at least one Dome will be saved. For those of you who have asked, and for our staff's and fans' understanding, this is why we were rushed out of Century 25 (The Retro Dome) and later mystified when the demolition didn't commence as expected.

Mr. Horwedel also shared with us that to his knowledge Federal Realty (owners of Santana Row and Westgate where 25 is slated to come down) and the Sobrato Organization (a true supporter of both non-profit and arts organizations in Silicon Valley and beyond) are planning to submit proposals to develop the land where Century 21, 22, and 23 currently stand. He also mentioned that all potential developers will be urged to be creative in the attempt to preserve one of these buildings in their prospective designs.

Mr. Horwedel mentioned how exciting it is to attempt to save a building with the ability for a perfect tenant to make their home and drive the programming for said property. In the past, many of the preservation projects have been for buildings that although they should be preserved did not necessarily have a use once it was preserved.

We urge you to stay involved. He has asked us to reach out to the potential developers and be prepared to show how we would program and keep alive the preserved buildings. We plan to send out a survey to you and our fans in the coming weeks to assess the best uses for the venue. Besides filling out the survey, we ask if you know any folks working for these developers that you make an introduction for us to begin a positive dialogue of preservation and partnership within their plans of urban village development.

Thank you for your continued support and interest. Please let us know if you have any questions.

The Retro Dome

 
Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 10-09-2013, 04:34 PM:
 
According to a newsletter email from the Retro Dome gang, they are moving into the CENTURY 21 on November 1st....

Here is their upcoming schedule:

The Little Mermaid presented by The Academy
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Nov 1, 2013 - Sunday Nov 3, 2013

Cinderella
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Thursday Nov 7, 2013 - Friday Nov 8, 2013

The Matrix
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Nov 8, 2013 - Saturday Nov 9, 2013
It's not just a movie, it's an experience!

Alice In Wonderland
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Saturday Nov 9, 2013 - Sunday Nov 10, 2013

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Nov 15, 2013 - Saturday Nov 16, 2013

Peter Pan
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Saturday Nov 16, 2013 - Sunday Nov 17, 2013

2001: A Space Odyssey
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Nov 22, 2013 - Saturday Nov 23, 2013

It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Saturday Nov 23, 2013 - Sunday Nov 24, 2013

Toy Story
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Nov 29, 2013 - Sunday Dec 1, 2013

The Godfather
The Retro Dome at Century 21
San Jose, CA
Friday Dec 6, 2013 - Saturday Dec 7, 2013
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 10-16-2013, 02:11 AM:
 
Just got the email about that- so does that mean no more first-run movies there? What about the 22?
 
Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 11-25-2013, 07:39 PM:
 
Interesting....Century 21-22-23 has stopped listing their films on Fandango. Last week there were no showtimes. This week there is a lone listing for Hunger Games 2. The theatre is still open, showing Hunger Games, Thor, Last Vegas, Gravity.

Mike
 
Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 11-27-2013, 01:55 PM:
 
We still have showtimes for them:
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 12-17-2013, 03:29 AM:
 
Looks like as long as the Retro Dome thing is going, the rest of the week at the 21 they're showing movies that have been out for a few weeks that fewer people will care about not showing every day.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-04-2014, 04:30 PM:
 
Hello!

There's no easy way to say this, so we'll just say it:

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEE A MOVIE AT THE CENTURY THEATRES ON WINCHESTER IN SAN JOSE.

It was announced on February 28, 2014 that Syufy's first-run movie programming will cease at Century 21, 22, and 23 as of March 31st. Therefore, since our presenting agreement is with Syufy, The Retro Dome programming at Century 21 will also end at the end of the month.

We know your first question might be, "are the buildings being demolished?" We do not know yet. The announcement only has to do with programming in that Syufy's lease is up and not being renewed. Once a new land lease is signed, conversations can begin with the developer. We are continuing our efforts to attempt to preserve one or more of the Domes; we are in almost daily contact with the Preservation Action Council, City Leaders, and the land owner. But for now, operations at those theatres will cease March 31.

Your second question is probably, "what happens to The Retro Dome?" We are continually exploring options to find a permanent home and will, in the meantime, produce events. Obviously, we still have a month of great movies planned for March and hope you will join us. Our line-up for April through December will be put on hold with the hope that we'll be operational again no later than May for our annual "Mamma Mia! Sing-along" for Mother's Day.

We'd like to give special thanks to Syufy Enterprises and a personal round of applause the dedicated staff at Century 21 who've made our time there so pleasant. This was a shock to them, as well, so we hope you'll come out in droves to support their final month.

The Retro Dome
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-09-2014, 11:16 PM:
 
Guess nobody else cares about these theaters- the Sacramento ones (which were split) should have closed long before these were ever scheduled to. At least I'll have a week off school to go see one last movie at these. I may never even go to another theater again after that.
 
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 03-10-2014, 12:53 PM:
 
Those theatres were there when I lived there back in the 70s. They were a novelty then and I believe the novelty aspect has worn off. I personally don't see anything attractive about a humungous screen with a sound system that makes your seat rattle. I don't think they'll be missed.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-10-2014, 01:06 PM:
 
I personally don't see anything attractive about a tiny screen not much bigger than what I've got at home, which is what most new theaters are. These theaters made every movie special. If they have to close, I hope Cinemark will at least do the right thing and restore the two still standing (and still doing decent business) in Sacramento- they were both cut in half over 35 years ago and are awful now.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-10-2014, 02:09 PM:
 
I remember shoehorning 70mm projectors and sound systems into those very half domes at that time. Pretty gross even then.

"I was only following orders"
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-10-2014, 03:38 PM:
 
I think I would have quit before doing that- a deep dark secret that I don't think I've shared here before is that I worked on floor staff at the Sacramento 22 complex for a few months back in 1992, was a very depressing experience (I didn't think the split domes would bother me that much, but they DID!) and I've never been back in there since! (Got a regular projectionist gig at another theater so quit Century right away- most of the people there acted like they were under some sort of mind control.) I didn't move to this area til after the domes were split, but didn't ANYBODY think that was a bad idea, and didn't ANY customers run out of the theater screaming in horror at what had been done to them??

It looks like Sacramento's 22 dome was only 5 years old when it was split, and the 23 in San Jose about the same. Glad I never went to that one when I was a kid, just have fond memories of the 21 and 22- including being afraid I'd float to the high ceiling and then drop back down! [Razz] Kids going to theaters nowadays probably feel more claustrophobic than anything else. If you can see the side walls from the center seat, your theater is too small!
 
Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-10-2014, 07:54 PM:
 
quote: Robert E. Allen
Those theatres were there when I lived there back in the 70s. They were a novelty then and I believe the novelty aspect has worn off. I personally don't see anything attractive about a humungous screen with a sound system that makes your seat rattle. I don't think they'll be missed.
This is sarcasm, right? Like when Joe posts something... right?
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-10-2014, 08:25 PM:
 
The domes were quite good for their time. Stadium seating and great sight lines. They had the best Ampex/Altec sound systems available and JJ's for projectors.

Syufy tended to lock up the biggest "Tentpole" films although no one was using that term back then. Some of these were run more or less like road show houses.

The film "Hello Dolly" ended that model as moviegoers stayed away in droves. This directly led to cutting these domes into halves and a couple of time into thirds as the game had changed.

Truly hideous as cut up domes but the customers still came as Syufy still managed to get the best titles.

Jesse referred to bad employee morale and I can certainly attest to that. Came right from the top as Ray Syufy was busy pursuing litigation right and left.

He actually made the cover of "Time" as the most hated man in Hollywood.

All history now.
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 03-11-2014, 12:07 AM:
 
So does anyone know whether the earlier notice means the last showing at the Century 21 will be on March 30 or March 31?
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-13-2014, 07:45 PM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
He actually made the cover of "Time" as the most hated man in Hollywood.
Interesting- just did a search on that and didn't find anything.

Anyone know the story of how and why union projectionists were booted out and film duties turned over to managers who didn't know what they were doing? The name "Syufy" became synonymous by those in the know with bad projection and trashed prints, one reason they later changed their company name to "Century Theatres". I went to the San Jose domes before all that happened though and will still miss them if they go. Sad that such a bad person managed to open such great theaters and subsequently ruin many of them.

Come to think of it, I may have seen the two "Syufy Brothers" (Ray's sons) come for an inspection once at the Sacramento 22- everyone was making a big deal of it though they didn't say their names. I checked them in as I was working door that day, and saw them go into the half-dome theaters (one with a screen that literally had CRACKS all down the middle and sound with dialogue coming mostly out of the right, not that you could really tell with those crappy acoustics) and come out with huge grins on their faces. I wanted to punch them.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-13-2014, 09:22 PM:
 
In reply about Syufy booting the operators and replacing them with kids;

UA and Syufy working together as a bargaining unit at the end of a labor contract around 1978 used all sorts of tactics to not renew the contract. They prevailed. Earlier that year there was a nationwide strike/lockout and for some reason the IATSE called off the action some weeks into the dispute and I was one of many who had to come back and work with the very people who had replaced/scabbed on the union guys. Not very pleasant to say the least.

Management took the position that the cinemas were automated and did not need skilled or experienced help. Simple as that. They figured the audience would always come if they had an exclusive and they were right. I walked picket lines and had neighbors and so-called friends who would greet me and apologize but were afraid to spoil the wife's plans so in they went.

I took a service job with RCA and worked in the same exact cinemas who shunned us a operators and techs, installing new Dolby Stereo and 70mm sound systems and got noticed by Dolby so for me it was a happy ending.

Maybe I've got the wrong magazine, but I remember the cover art and article. Keep looking.
 
Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 03-13-2014, 11:16 PM:
 
Boy Sam, I remember the lockout! I was with ALTEC (later ASC) then and I was in a couple locations where I was going to have to cross the picket lines to do service for UA (I never serviced any of the Syufy Cine-dumps) I remember calling Les MacMillan the BA for local 252 who got me the job at Altec, he said: "Kid, you don't have to cross the lines if you don't want to" So I chose to not go in...I ended up on the lines with Guy Eriksen in front of the UA Sunrise for approx 12 weeks, meanwhile, the east coast went back in! We never did get the Syufy / Naify jobs back again! Oh well,I do remember replacing a lot of scorched lenses and cooked reflectors a year or so after the IA finally gave up on them though!
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-13-2014, 11:39 PM:
 
Funny thing was RCA, ie, me, replaced Warren Blessing of ASC on that route.

I don't believe UA east coast was ever struck due to some side deal by UA and local 306.

Not pretty.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-15-2014, 02:03 PM:
 
I've heard March 30th (a Sunday) will be the very last day. There's a movement to at least keep some of them from being torn down but the city doesn't seem to think they're "viable" anymore. Moviegoing is dead as far as I'm concerned, I'm gonna be one of those old curmudgeons who only watches old movies at home. The digital standard (with letterboxed scope) is just plain stupid.
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-15-2014, 10:01 PM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
Syufy tended to lock up the biggest "Tentpole" films although no one was using that term back then. Some of these were run more or less like road show houses. The film "Hello Dolly" ended that model as moviegoers stayed away in droves. This directly led to cutting these domes into halves and a couple of time into thirds as the game had changed.
Was "Hello, Dolly!" really the reason for the plexing of the Domes? In checking my roadshow data, the San Jose engagement, at the Century 24, ran 28 weeks, one of the longest runs in the history of the Century Domes. I'd think a run of that length would cause a rethink of the film's reputation as a flop. Unless, of course, a 28-week engagement was the "minimum run" agreement and it played the whole time to an empty house.

Another alleged flop released around the same time as "Hello, Dolly!" and often attributed as the cause of the demise of the roadshow was "Paint Your Wagon." The San Jose run, at the Century 23, ran 56 weeks, the longest run in the country.

The Century Domes also had the longest roadshow runs in the United States of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (Century 21, 87 weeks) and "Patton" (Century 22, 59 weeks), with both playing around the same approximate timeframe as the two titles mentioned in the previous paragraph. I can see a lengthy run tying up a screen and being a motivator in an exhibitor wanting more screens (whether via addition or division), but as long as a lengthy run brought in substantial or steady box-office revenue, then I don't see the problem. I guess my point is I tend to think the roadshow exhibition model has been unfairly blamed for the changes that took place in the film industry during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-16-2014, 12:48 AM:
 
Perhaps it was mere coincidence that the road show model ended around the same time as "Hello Dolly" but Syufy did have this film heavily booked all over the circuit and it bombed leaving a lot of empty seats. I'm sure if you dig out the records of lesser locations my memory will be confirmed. 28 weeks was a short run for SJ domes back then.

Century 21 and to a slightly lesser extent, 22(s) in SJ were destination theatres and drew audiences from all over the Bay Area. The other domes around Northern CA did well but never developed the same iconic reputation.

Sand Pebbles, Grand Prix, Dr. Zhivago, etc. all had very long runs in San Jose. It was part of the plan. If the show you wanted to watch was sold out, you went to the next dome. These were big houses and pretty spectacular presentations compared to the tired road show cinemas in SF back then and a good business model as long as it lasted.

Any way you slice it, the trend to chopping domes into halves began for real in that time frame, almost like the company lost its soul.
 
Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 03-16-2014, 10:08 AM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
Century 21 and to a slightly lesser extent, 22(s) in SJ were destination theatres and drew audiences from all over the Bay Area.
When I lived in Northern Marin, I made the trip down a couple of times. I saw Titanic in 70MM there. (One of the ~16 prints in existence). The Century 21 was a fantastic theater. Because of Bay area traffic, the trip down and back would take several days.

It's a shame there isn't anyone in the Bay area who would like to preserve the theater the way Paul Allen has taken care of the Seattle Cinerama. Do Larry or Sergey ever read Film-Tech?
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-16-2014, 01:56 PM:
 
quote: Geoff Jones
It's a shame there isn't anyone in the Bay area who would like to preserve the theater the way Paul Allen has taken care of the Seattle Cinerama.
Give me the money and I'll do it! [Smile]

To those who know more about these than I do, what was the public's initial reaction to the domes being cut in half? I hadn't seen a divided dome until "Top Gun" in 1986- I remember walking in expecting to see the big theater and then running smack into the wall- it looked like they had just set it up that way temporarily blocking off the other half for maintenance or something. I've been tempted to go there now and pay just for half the ticket price, since I'm only getting half the theater. Again, it's a damn shame the unruined San Jose domes are closing while the cut-up Sacramento ones remain in business, with people apparently still going to them.

Just had another flashback from my time working there BTW- a number of times I saw the half-dome theaters sold out, such as opening night of "A Few Good Men", where many people left because they couldn't find seats where they could see the screen, and "Aladdin" where I once took my lunch break and chuckled at some woman coming in late with her kids and looking for seats in the lopsided theater. They could've easily sold at least the majority of the seats in the full theater if they had kept it that way. The 21 dome, which is separate from the other 12 screens, often shows the SAME movie in both halves!
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-16-2014, 03:41 PM:
 
quote: Jesse Skeen
To those who know more about these than I do, what was the public's initial reaction to the domes being cut in half?
They lined up like a flock of sheep. Syufy always got the hot films back then except for certain studios, Disney I think. So, if you wanted to see a WB or most other big title, Century 23A or B or the like was often your only option. Brings up the question of how sophisticated the audience was or is.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-17-2014, 12:50 PM:
 
Given the fact that the demolition permits have been filed and the fact that Mayor Chuck Reed went on record this morning stating he doesn't see a reason for preserving them, I think it will be a long shot to get 21 Landmark status. Even if 21 is preserved I do not see it ever being operated as a cinema again. I'm going to make an attempt to attend the city council meeting tomorrow night where the fate of the domes will be determined.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-17-2014, 01:15 PM:
 
My favorite dome and I did a lot of work on the audio there but it does not lend itself to any other purpose so it sure does not seem likely to get saved.
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-17-2014, 03:47 PM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
...Syufy did have ["Hello, Dolly!"] heavily booked all over the circuit and it bombed leaving a lot of empty seats. I'm sure if you dig out the records of lesser locations my memory will be confirmed.
How are you defining "bombed" and "lesser locations"?

In checking my roadshow research, I show when HELLO, DOLLY! opened as a roadshow in December 1969 it played only four Syufy venues: the Cinema 21 in San Francisco, the Century 21 in Oakland, the Century 21 in Sacramento, and the Century 21 in San Jose. Several months into release, in spring '70, the film opened with a roadshow policy in two more Syufy houses: the Century 21 in Reno and the Cinedome 21 in Orange. All of the runs, except for Reno, played in the five-to-seven-month range, which was similar to the nationwide average for that film. (I have no data for any general-release bookings that came after the roadshow release.)

quote: Sam D. Chavez
28 weeks was a short run for SJ domes back then.
Let's put that to the test...

I’ve gone through my roadshow data and have put together a longest-run breakdown for Syufy’s Century Domes. This is for the period of 1964, when the first dome opened, through 1973. Turns out I have no details for the final two roadshow releases, MAN OF LA MANCHA and LAST TANGO IN PARIS, so they’re not included. As well, a few roadshow films have been excluded (THE LION IN WINTER, HAWAII, THE BLUE MAX, etc.) because they played San Jose at a non-Syufy-operated theater (Town & Country, etc.) or because they played San Jose only as a general release.

It should also be noted in some cases, even though I accounted for the entire uninterrupted engagement, that the roadshow policy was relaxed or dropped altogether during the latter weeks of an engagement.

Hopefully, those of you who have lived or worked in the Bay Area will appreciate this information and that it won’t get dismissed as worthless trivia or minutiae.

CENTURY 21
87 weeks … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
58 weeks … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
43 weeks … GRAND PRIX
36 weeks … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
33 weeks … MY FAIR LADY
26 weeks … RYAN’S DAUGHTER
19 weeks … IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
17 weeks … SONG OF NORWAY
15 weeks … THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (+ 10-week m/o to Century 22)
14 weeks … THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
11 weeks … ICE STATION ZEBRA
09 weeks … BATTLE OF THE BULGE

CENTURY 22
67 weeks … THE SOUND OF MUSIC
59 weeks … PATTON
47 weeks … FUNNY GIRL
28 weeks … DOCTOR DOLITTLE
23 weeks … THE BIBLE
22 weeks … THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN
10 weeks … THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (m/o from Century 21)
09 weeks … FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
08 weeks … THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY
05 weeks … STAR!

CENTURY 23
56 weeks … PAINT YOUR WAGON
34 weeks … CAMELOT
34 weeks … OLIVER!
34 weeks … THE SAND PEBBLES
29 weeks … THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE
17 weeks … FINIAN’S RAINBOW

CENTURY 24
44 weeks … GONE WITH THE WIND (1967 re-issue)
28 weeks … HELLO, DOLLY!
16 weeks … ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
11 weeks … CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
09 weeks … DARLING LILI
08 weeks … BEN-HUR (1969 re-issue)

CENTURY 25
23 weeks … TORA! TORA! TORA!
11 weeks … SWEET CHARITY
03 weeks … GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-17-2014, 07:03 PM:
 
In general I don't challenge the numbers. "Sand Pebbles" opened in Century 22 and I saw it there. I suppose I could be wrong as all domes look somewhat alike but don't think so. They did move films to lesser domes if there was a need to do so to make room so Michael's numbers may be shorter than the total run.

Hello Dolly played in Syufy Burlingame location as well. Even from Michael's data it played a lot their screens so I'm not off base here.

The length of a Dome run was governed back then in part on when the next big film was released. There was not nearly the quantity of films being released back then so there was not much choice. Thus, it was not unusual for a film to play long weeks with little attendance waiting for the next big title as Syufy tended not to play smaller or foreign/art film. These went mostly to Festival back then.

As to bombing, there is critical and financial failure. Both apply here. It's no "Star" or pick your stinker here but still a disapointment.

Mind you, I was a fan of the play, seeing it in the first week in SF (Curran or Geary) with Carol Channing and I believe the NYC road company.

Will we be debating about Cleopatra or Right Stuff next? One of these was a great film but both lost money, one more than the other of course.
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-18-2014, 01:10 AM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
"Sand Pebbles" opened in Century 22 and I saw it there. I suppose I could be wrong as all domes look somewhat alike but don't think so.
My research revealed "The Sand Pebbles" was the debut booking at the Century 23 when that theater opened in March 1967. ("The Sound of Music" was at the 22, playing there from July '66 through October '67 and being replaced with "The Bible.") Maybe there was a single test/trade/exhibitor/private screening held at the 22 at some point, and that's what you're recalling? Otherwise, all the published and documented data indicates the commercial run of "The Sand Pebbles" was at the 23.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
Hello Dolly played in Syufy Burlingame location as well.
True, but that run came much later as a general-release booking. One Syufy roadshow booking I did overlook in my previous comment was at the Century 21 in Salt Lake City.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
As to bombing, there is critical and financial failure. Both apply here.
"Hello, Dolly!" was a financial failure only in relation to its cost. As far as box-office gross is concerned, it was one of the highest-grossing movies of its year of release.

quote: Sam D. Chavez
Will we be debating about Cleopatra or Right Stuff next? One of these was a great film but both lost money, one more than the other of course
Like "Hello, Dolly!," "Cleopatra" was a failure only in relation to its cost. It was the highest-grossing film of its year of release. Eventually, with its sale to network TV, it broke even.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-18-2014, 01:41 AM:
 
quote: Michael Coate
"Hello, Dolly!" was a financial failure only in relation to its cost.
Other notable staements;

"The operation was a success but the patient died."

Henry Kissinger; the US did not lose the Vietnam war; it simply did not fulfill some of its goals.

This is great fun and I would never dispute Michael's stats as he's completely honest and a very good film scholar and I do admire what he does.

I do get a lot of people saw "Hello Dolly" but not nearly enough to make it a commercial success and nothing could make it a critical success.

There are a lot of very enjoyable and hilarious flops. "Paint Your Wagon" was one although the humor was at least partially unintentional. That is only my opinion of course.

Serious question, what caused Fox to to sell all that land n Century City? That used to be part of its back lot, no?
 
Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-18-2014, 10:43 AM:
 
-
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-18-2014, 11:04 AM:
 
Nice shot. I remember it like it was yesterday. Glory days for Syufy, the top notch projectionists who worked there and whose presentations had to be perfect or immediately apparent to all, and lucky moviegoers.

Hard to accept what later happened to Century 23.
 
Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 03-18-2014, 11:20 AM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
I do get a lot of people saw "Hello Dolly" but not nearly enough to make it a commercial success and nothing could make it a critical success.
No snark intended, but if Hello Dolly earned Fox $26m in rentals from theatrical exhibition on a $25m budget, doesn't that make it a "success?"

quote:
Serious question, what caused Fox to to sell all that land in Century City? That used to be part of its back lot, no?
The selling of the Fox backlot to finance the production of Cleopatra is immaterial to the discussion about how much money Cleopatra may or may not have lost for Fox once it was released, no? The two events are years apart.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-18-2014, 01:33 PM:
 
Since 21 has been nominated for Historical places landmark status and is on the City Council agenda for discussion tonight, I went into the agenda and pulled out all of the documents/paperwork related to 21-23. Its got some historical photos and documents attached. It also contains the poo poo letter from the current property owners. I put the PDF's here if anyone is interested: http://www.lffltd.dreamhosters.com/syufy
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-18-2014, 01:53 PM:
 
quote: Edward Havens
No snark intended, but if Hello Dolly earned Fox $26m in rentals from theatrical exhibition on a $25m budget, doesn't that make it a "success?"
No snark or disrespect intended here either but I am dubious of the 25M "budget" figure as it may not include distribution, advertising, etc., which typically doubles the actual production cost. If 25M is the cost and 26M was the take and the exhibitor took say 25 to 50% of this, where is the profit?.

My reference to "Cleopatra" was to have us remember that this was the era of bloated epics making it all but impossible for any of these films to to make any money for the studio. The sale of the Fox property was a direct result of this trend. I believe "Towering Inferno" was a co-op of a couple of studios to split the downside risk.

For me the overall context is the interesting part of this thread, otherwise it simply becomes a dry recitation of bookings and grosses and various and sometimes conflicting facts with nothing interesting to tie them together.
 
Posted by Rick Green (Member # 313) on 03-18-2014, 03:33 PM:
 
Hello all,
I'm one of the guys that hardly ever posts, although I check out FT daily! This thread sure touches a nerve with me- I worked "extra" at the 21 dome in Sacramento before they tore it up, from `76 until the walkout in`78. (mrmber of IATSE 252) I loved that booth, and I fell in love with the Century JJ-2's!

Sam & John's memories of the projection walkout are spot-on. I was walking in front of the 21/22 in Sac during the first few weeks. A car rolled by me and the kids in it said "We're the new projectionists now!"

And, yeah, people would come out & tell us how screwed up it was inside, and their show was down, doesn't this stink, etc. And then they'd turn around & go back inside to watch a different show on a different screen. [Frown]

They truly were sheep...
 
Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 03-18-2014, 03:44 PM:
 
Sam, the $26m figure is the rentals paid to Fox, not the gross. And just as the production budget might not include additional costs like P&A, the rentals paid to Fox by exhibitors do not include additional revenue like television sales.

To me, a Flop is something like Heaven's Gate (less than $2m rentals on a $44m budget), Ross Hunter's musical remake of Lost Horizon ($3.8m rentals on a $12m budget) or The Fall of the Roman Empire ($3m rentals on a $20m budget). Movies that, at the end of their primary theatrical release, had absolutely no hope of ever making its budget back, regardless of any additional revenue stream that existed at the time or any future revenue stream that couldn't even be thought of at the time. But a movie like Hello, Dolly? That gets filed under Disappointment. Something that was expected to do better, but didn't really do all that bad.

As for Cleopatra, there was always a chance for it to make its bloated budget back, if it had turned out to be the next Gone With the Wind. Something that was a universal hit and played for years and years and years. (I remember reading in a James Agee book published around 1950 that GWTW had earned over $50m in rentals in the first ten years of its release, and was still regularly being booked by cinemas to that day.) But that is the gift of looking back at something with 50+ years of hindsight. We get to see with perfect clarity things Spyros Skouras and the heads of Fox could not have seen when they sold off that part of the Fox backlot to finance the film. Again, with perfect clarity, I see it differently. I see how wonderful it is that people are willing to bet the entire farm as it were (or most of the backlot, in this case) to knock one out of the park. The movie business would be boring if everyone played it safe and only made movies that were absolutely guaranteed to be successes. We need risktakers taking risks, and wonderfully failing from time to time, to keep things interesting.
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-18-2014, 05:35 PM:
 
QUOTE]The movie business would be boring if everyone played it safe and only made movies that were absolutely guaranteed to be successes.[/QUOTE]

Of course there's no guarantee any movie will be successful, big or small. That is what makes it fun. There's always a surprise breakthrough possible. Hollywood does indeed try to play it safe with copycat films every time there is a new breakthrough film. The possible breakthoughs are there too waiting to be seen.

So we come down to your disappointment being my flop. I probably come down more on the critical success or failure than the money as the creative accounting in Hollywood is beyond my pay grade.

Probably an apocryphal tale but Lew Wasserman at Universal supposedly had a sign behind his desk,
"We make the money, you find it"
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-18-2014, 07:47 PM:
 
quote: Sam D. Chavez
I believe "Towering Inferno" was a co-op of a couple of studios to split the downside risk.
Right, it was Fox and Warner Bros. One of them had U.S. distribution and the other had international. That was the first co-studio release as far as I know.
 
Posted by William Kucharski (Member # 7246) on 03-19-2014, 11:58 PM:
 
quote: Robert E. Allen
Those theatres were there when I lived there back in the 70s. They were a novelty then and I believe the novelty aspect has worn off. I personally don't see anything attractive about a humungous screen with a sound system that makes your seat rattle. I don't think they'll be missed.
That's the exact reason I love those theaters and will miss them.

They're among the last places in the world where you can see films in the environment they were meant to be seen in.

The Winchester Domes were notable when film was shown for actually taking care of their prints; if you went to an AMC on Saturday after opening Friday, the print always looked like it had been dragged behind a car, where you could go to the Century 21 weeks after a film opened and the print would be pristine.

I saw every movie I possibly could whenever I was in the area at the domes, including several I didn't care to, and it was always an experience, not just another churn-'em-through showing at the AMC 418.

If these go away, the only real theaters left will be venues like the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles. [Frown]
 
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 03-20-2014, 10:15 AM:
 
The domes were pretty well staffed by the best projectionists available. Management back then would not stand for any less and these jobs paid very well for their time and lots of hours available so one could make real money. I don't remember the exact wage but it was around $5.00/hr. Hard ticket engagements, ie., road shows were $45.00 a shift. With prep and cleanup the shift was anywhere from 3 hrs up, depending. Pretty good for "70's. The idea was you got a fresh operator less apt to make an on screen mistake.

I worked "Oliver" as a roadshow and also sometimes did a school show in the morning.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-27-2014, 03:49 AM:
 
Made the trip down to see my last movie at the 22 today. Cried through most of it at the thought of it being dark next week. There's really no reason to get rid of these theaters unless they start building new ones with screens as big as these. Must have been nice to have had FIVE of them at one time.
 
Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 03-29-2014, 01:15 AM:
 
To preserve for posterity. I hope to get better photos of it Sunday.

-
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-29-2014, 09:43 AM:
 
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is an ideal final show since I believe it's the record-holder for longest-running (general-release, non-roadshow) movie in the history of the Century Dome complex.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-29-2014, 09:46 PM:
 
I heard that was the last movie to play there for more than a year. Show has already sold out the 950-seat theater! Hopefully that'll count for something!
 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-29-2014, 10:14 PM:
 
I should clarify that "Raiders," played over a year if you count movement within the complex. I think "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Beverly Hills Cop," and "Back to the Future," all released after "Raiders," might've pushed a year, too. I'll add those to my "Need to Research" list. [Wink] The only other post-roadshow-era title I know for sure that ran a year-plus at the Century Dome complex was the original "Star Wars."

Anyway, if I did the math right, "Raiders" ran a total of 81 weeks, which breaks down to 25 weeks at the Century 21 followed by a 56-week move-over to the Century 25. Also, during its first few weeks of release it played concurrently at Century 21 & 23. A pretty amazing run, if you ask me.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-31-2014, 05:31 PM:
 
"Raiders" sold out the 950 seat theater (and one of the online quotes on-screen before the movie was from me!), attendance for the last shows at the Century 22 was pretty dismal however. Word is that the new leaseholders don't want to have theaters there anymore, even if that's what everyone else in the world wants.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 06-11-2014, 05:57 AM:
 
Theaters are still standing though screens, seats and equipment were removed. Some good news- tonight the San Jose city council granted the Century 21 historical status, which will at least make it harder to tear down. (Would post a link but I forget what the rules are for that and too lazy to look them up right now.)
 
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 06-11-2014, 06:01 PM:
 
quote: Jesse Skeen
attendance for the last shows at the Century 22 was pretty dismal however. Word is that the new leaseholders don't want to have theaters there anymore, even if that's what everyone else in the world wants.
Though, in their defense, one doesn't make money off something people would like to stick around that they don't go to.
 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 06-11-2014, 08:55 PM:
 
True, but I think being run poorly in their last years likely had a lot to do with lack of business. The last films they were running all had the tail ends chopped off AND labeled with masking tape, and let run out rather than properly having the automation end the show. The bulb in 22's big theater was ridiculously dim as well- if the theater hadn't been closing that week I would have asked for my money back and probably not gone back if they had continued to run it that way. These could still be incredible theaters in the right hands, and tearing them down would be a huge loss.

At last night's city council meeting I made a point that these theaters should be saved not for what they were, but what they still can be in the future. Most of the others spoke about their past experiences there however (Star Wars, etc) without any thought of current movies being shown.
 
Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 06-13-2014, 09:38 AM:
 
That's a good point, Jesse. When a theater is facing closure, the nostalgic arguments come out in force. While not insignificant, such emotional arguments don't hold much weight when faced with the cold hard reality of having a viable business/operation.

What really matters is that people with the control can see where it can go from here. The past doesn't matter much to someone who has to pay the bills on the place.

The good part about that nostalgia is that it can be used as a marketing tool. People with fond memories of a place will be more willing to support it.
 
Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 03-15-2017, 01:34 AM:
 

It has been 1005 days since the last post.


 
Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 03-15-2017, 01:34 AM:
 
Here's a little something to help remember the Domes....

Showcase Presentations in the Silicon Valley

quote: In70mm.com
Showcase Presentations in the Silicon Valley:

A History of Large Format and Roadshow Exhibition, 1964-Present

Compiled by Michael Coate

A work in progress….

Part 1: The Cinemas

CAMPBELL
Pruneyard

MILPITAS
Milpitas 10

MOUNTAIN VIEW
Century 10

PALO ALTO
Stanford

SAN JOSE
Berryessa 10
California
Century 21
Century 22
Century 23
Century 24
Century 25
Oakridge 20
Town & Country

SANTA CLARA
Cinema 150
Mercado 20

Part 2: The Engagements

The (majority of the) titles cited below were presented in 70-millimeter and with some flavor of six-track stereophonic sound. The Cinerama-branded 70mm presentations during the 1963-69 period are noted as [“Cinerama”]. Details pertaining to origination format (i.e. 65mm or 35mm blow-up) are not addressed since the listing is meant to be an exhibition-based chronology.

The “roadshows” have been listed with an asterisk. These were reserved-seat engagements with advanced pricing and limited, scheduled showtimes (typically ten-per-week or two-a-day). Souvenir programs were usually sold and often the presentations included an overture, intermission, entr’acte, and exit music. Many of the roadshows were actually screened in a 35mm presentation (rather than in 70mm) and effort has been made to identify these with a “35mm” notation or with a double asterisk whenever the projection process could not be determined or was vaguely or ambiguously addressed in promotional material.

The duration of the engagements, measured in weeks, is included in parenthesis for some of the entries.

IMAX and other special venue presentations have not been included.

m/o = a move-over engagement (i.e. a continuation of a booking from another theater)

1964-11-24 … IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD* … Century 21 (19 weeks) [“Cinerama”]

1965-04-06 … MY FAIR LADY* … Century 21 (33)
1965-11-24 … THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES* … Century 21 (15)

1966-03-08 … THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN…* … Century 22 m/o (10 [25])
1966-03-09 … THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD* … Century 21 (14) [“Cinerama”]
1966-05-17 … THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY* … Century 22 (8)
1966-06-15 … BATTLE OF THE BULGE* … Century 21 (9) [“Cinerama”]
1966-07-12 … THE SOUND OF MUSIC* … Century 22 (67)
1966-08-17 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO*/** … Century 21 (58)

1967-03-08 … HAWAII*/** … Town & Country (32)
1967-03-14 … THE SAND PEBBLES*/** … Century 23 (34)
1967-09-26 … GRAND PRIX* … Century 21 (43) [“Cinerama”]
1967-10-24 … THE BIBLE* … Century 22 (23)
1967-11-07 … THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE* … Century 23 (29) [35mm]

1968-04-02 … FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD* … Century 22 (9)
1968-05-28 … CAMELOT*/** … Century 23 (34)
1968-06-05 … DOCTOR DOLITTLE* … Century 22 (28)
1968-07-17 … GONE WITH THE WIND* … Century 24 (44)
1968-07-23 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY* … Century 21 (87) [“Cinerama”]
1968-12-17 … THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN*/** … Century 22 (22)

1969-01-21 … FINIAN’S RAINBOW*/** … Century 23 (17)
1969-05-20 … CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG*/** … Century 24 (11)
1969-05-20 … STAR!*/** … Century 22 (5)
1969-05-21 … DOCTOR ZHIVAGO*/** … Century 23 (4)
1969-06-17 … OLIVER!*/** … Century 23 (34)
1969-06-24 … FUNNY GIRL*/** … Century 22 (47)
1969-08-01 … KRAKATOA, EAST OF JAVA … Town & Country (9) [“Cinerama”]
1969-08-06 … ICE STATION ZEBRA* … Century 24 (11) [“Cinerama”]
1969-08-06 … SWEET CHARITY* … Century 25 (11)
1969-10-22 … BEN-HUR* … Century 24 (8)
1969-10-22 … ICE STATION ZEBRA* … Century 25 m/o (2) [“Cinerama”]
1969-12-17 … HELLO, DOLLY!*/** … Century 24 (28)

1970-02-10 … PAINT YOUR WAGON*/** … Century 23 (56)
1970-03-25 … ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS*/** … Century 21 (9)
1970-04-29 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY … Cinema 150 (4)
1970-05-19 … PATTON*/** … Century 22 (60)
1970-07-01 … DARLING LILI*/** … Century 24 (9)
1970-09-02 … ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER* … Century 24 (16) [35mm]
1970-10-21 … TORA! TORA! TORA!*/** … Century 25 (22)
1970-12-25 … LOVE STORY* … Century 24 (33) [35mm]
1970-12-25 … SONG OF NORWAY* … Century 21 (17)

1971-04-21 … RYAN’S DAUGHTER*/** … Century 21 (27)
1971-07-14 … LE MANS* … Century 22 (14) [35mm]
1971-08-13 … CARNAL KNOWLEDGE* … Century 24 (11) [35mm]

1972-02-15 … FIDDLER ON THE ROOF*/** … Century 21 (56)
1972-03-01 … CABARET* … Century 25 (21) [35mm]
1972-12-14 … MAN OF LA MANCHA*/** … Century 24 (14)

1973-03-14 … THE SOUND OF MUSIC* … Century 21 (15)
1973-04-04 … LOST HORIZON** … Century 23 (14)
1973-05-16 … LAST TANGO IN PARIS* … Century 24 (26) [35mm]
1973-08-29 … THIS IS CINERAMA … Cinema 150 (4)

1974-08-21 … 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY … Century 22 (6)

1976-06-23 … LOGAN’S RUN … Century 21 (5)
1976-07-28 … LOGAN’S RUN / 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY … Century 21 (11)
1976-12-25 … A STAR IS BORN … Town & Country (25)

1977-05-25 … STAR WARS … Century 22 (60) [70mm from Week 27]
1977-12-14 … CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND … Cinema 150 (31)

1978-07-21 … SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND … Cinema 150 [70mm from Week 8]
1978-12-15 … SUPERMAN … Town & Country (25) [70mm from Week 7]

1979-05-25 … ALIEN … Century 22 (24)
1979-09-21 … APOCALYPSE NOW … Century 21 (12)
1979-11-08 … THE ROSE … Century 23
1979-11-09 … SLEEPING BEAUTY … Century 22
1979-12-14 … 1941 … Century 21 (25)
1979-12-14 … APOCALYPSE NOW … Century 24 m/o
1979-12-21 … THE BLACK HOLE … Century 22

1980-05-21 … THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK … Century 22 (43)
1980-09-26 … DIVINE MADNESS … Century 23

1981-01-16 … ALTERED STATES … Town & Country (sneak preview screening)
1981-01-23 … ALTERED STATES … Town & Country
1981-05-22 … OUTLAND … Town & Country
1981-06-12 … RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK … Century 21 (25)
1981-06-12 … RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK … Century 23 (10)
1981-06-19 … SUPERMAN II … Century 22 (#1)
1981-06-19 … SUPERMAN II … Century 22 (#2)
1981-10-09 … ZOOT SUIT … Century 22 (6) [print destroyed in theater fire]
1981-12-04 … RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK … Century 25 m/o (56 [81])

1982-03-05 … QUEST FOR FIRE … Cinema 150 (16)
1982-05-28 … ROCKY III … Century 22
1982-06-04 … POLTERGEIST … Century 24
1982-06-04 … STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN … Century 23 (#1)
1982-06-04 … STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN … Century 23 (#2)
1982-06-11 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 21 (1)
1982-06-11 … GREASE 2 … Century 22 (3)
1982-06-17 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 23 m/o (2 [3])
1982-06-18 … ANNIE … Century 21 (18)
1982-06-18 … FIREFOX … Town & Country
1982-06-25 … BLADE RUNNER … Century 22
1982-06-25 … STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN … Century 24 m/o
1982-07-02 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 22 m/o (3 [6])
1982-07-09 … TRON … Century 24 (11)
1982-07-23 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 23 m/o (43 [49])
1982-09-17 … PINK FLOYD: THE WALL … Century 22
1982-12-17 … THE DARK CRYSTAL … Century 22

1983-01-14 … GANDHI … Century 24
1983-02-11 … LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER … Century 21
1983-04-22 … RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK … Town & Country (3)
1983-05-13 … BLUE THUNDER … Town & Country (9)
1983-05-20 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 21 m/o (3 [52])
1983-05-25 … RETURN OF THE JEDI … Cinema 150 (29)
1983-05-25 … RETURN OF THE JEDI … Pruneyard (38)
1983-06-03 … WARGAMES … Century 24
1983-06-10 … OCTOPUSSY … Century 24
1983-06-17 … SUPERMAN III … Century 22
1983-07-15 … STAYING ALIVE … Town & Country
1983-07-29 … KRULL … Century 21
1983-09-30 … BRAINSTORM … Century 21
1983-10-21 … THE RIGHT STUFF … Century 22

1984-03-30 … GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN … Century 21 (10)
1984-05-23 … INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM … Century 22 (#1)
1984-05-23 … INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM … Century 22 (#2: 8)
1984-05-23 … INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM … Century 22 (#3: 2)
1984-06-01 … STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK … Century 23 (#1)
1984-06-01 … STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK … Century 23 (#2: 3)
1984-06-01 … STREETS OF FIRE … Century 24 (3)
1984-06-08 … GHOSTBUSTERS … Town & Country (26)
1984-06-08 … GREMLINS … Century 21
1984-07-13 … THE LAST STARFIGHTER … Century 23
1984-09-19 … AMADEUS … Cinema 150
1984-12-07 … 2010 … Century 21
1984-12-07 … CITY HEAT … Town & Country
1984-12-14 … DUNE … Century 22
1984-12-14 … STARMAN … Century 24

1985-03-29 … RETURN OF THE JEDI … Pruneyard
1985-05-22 … RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II … Town & Country
1985-06-07 … THE GOONIES … Century 22
1985-06-21 … COCOON … Cinema 150
1985-06-21 … LIFEFORCE … Century 22
1985-06-21 … RETURN TO OZ … Century 23
1985-06-21 … RETURN TO OZ … Stanford
1985-07-10 … MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME … Century 22
1985-07-10 … SILVERADO … Century 22
1985-07-19 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 22 (3)
1985-07-24 … THE BLACK CAULDRON … Stanford
1985-07-24 … THE BLACK CAULDRON … Town & Country
1985-08-09 … E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL … Century 24 m/o (1)
1985-11-08 … BRING ON THE NIGHT … Century 23
1985-11-27 … ROCKY IV … Century 10
1985-11-27 … ROCKY IV … Century 21
1985-11-27 … SANTA CLAUS … Century 22
1985-12-04 … YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES … Century 22
1985-12-06 … SPIES LIKE US … Century 23
1985-12-06 … WHITE NIGHTS … Century 24
1985-12-20 … A CHORUS LINE … Century 22
1985-12-20 … OUT OF AFRICA … Century 10
1985-12-20 … OUT OF AFRICA … Town & Country

1986-01-24 … THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR … Century 22
1986-05-10 … TOP GUN … Town & Country (sneak preview screening)
1986-05-16 … TOP GUN … Town & Country (22)
1986-05-23 … COBRA … Century 21 (3)
1986-06-11 … COBRA … Century 22 m/o
1986-07-18 … ALIENS … Century 10
1986-07-18 … ALIENS … Cinema 150
1986-08-01 … HOWARD THE DUCK … Century 21 (3)
1986-10-17 … THE COLOR OF MONEY … Town & Country
1986-10-17 … TOP GUN … Century 22 m/o
1986-11-26 … STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME … Century 21
1986-11-26 … STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME … Century 22
1986-12-05 … TOP GUN … Century 25 m/o
1986-12-19 … LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS … Century 22
1986-12-25 … THE MISSION… Century 10
1986-12-25 … THE MISSION… Century 22

1987-03-06 … LETHAL WEAPON … Town & Country (13)
1987-06-03 … THE UNTOUCHABLES … Town & Country (9)
1987-06-12 … THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK … Century 22
1987-06-24 … SPACEBALLS … Century 21 (1)
1987-07-01 … ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING … Century 24
1987-07-01 … INNERSPACE … Century 10
1987-07-01 … INNERSPACE … Century 21 (4)
1987-07-01 … SPACEBALLS … Century 23 m/o
1987-07-31 … INNERSPACE … Century 23 m/o
1987-07-31 … THE LOST BOYS … Century 21
1987-08-05 … STAKEOUT … Town & Country
1987-08-05 … THE UNTOUCHABLES … Century 24 m/o
1987-08-28 … APOCALYPSE NOW … Century 24
1987-11-06 … CRY FREEDOM … Century 22
1987-11-25 … CRY FREEDOM … Century 23 m/o
1987-11-25 … THREE MEN AND A BABY … Town & Country
1987-12-11 … EMPIRE OF THE SUN … Century 10
1987-12-11 … EMPIRE OF THE SUN … Century 22

1988-01-15 … GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM … Century 21
1988-05-20 … WILLOW … Century 10
1988-05-20 … WILLOW … Town & Country (8)
1988-06-10 … THE PRESIDIO … Century 24
1988-06-22 … WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT … Century 22
1988-07-15 … DIE HARD … Town & Country
1988-07-15 … WILLOW … Century 25 m/o
1988-09-23 … GORILLAS IN THE MIST … Century 21 (7)
1988-11-23 … COCOON: THE RETURN … Century 10
1988-11-23 … COCOON: THE RETURN … Century 21

1989-03-17 … LAWRENCE OF ARABIA … Century 22
1989-06-23 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Berryessa [70mm from Week 5]
1989-05-24 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 10
1989-05-24 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 22 (#1: 5)
1989-05-24 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 22 (#2: 5)
1989-05-24 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 22 (#3: 3)
1989-06-09 … DEAD POETS SOCIETY … Century 23
1989-06-09 … STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER … Century 21 (2)
1989-06-09 … STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER … Century 23 (2)
1989-06-22 … BATMAN … Century 10
1989-06-22 … BATMAN … Century 21 (1)
1989-06-22 … BATMAN … Century 22
1989-06-22 … STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER … Century 24 m/o
1989-06-30 … BATMAN … Century 22 m/o
1989-06-30 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 21 m/o (2 [7])
1989-07-07 … LETHAL WEAPON 2 … Century 10
1989-07-07 … LETHAL WEAPON 2 … Town & Country
1989-07-14 … INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE … Century 22 m/o
1989-08-09 … THE ABYSS … Century 10
1989-08-09 … THE ABYSS … Century 21

1990-01-05 … BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY … Century 22
1990-01-12 … GLORY … Century 23
1990-03-02 … THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER … Century 22
1990-05-24 … BACK TO THE FUTURE PART I / II / III … Century 22 (triple feature screening)
1990-05-25 … BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III … Century 22
1990-06-01 … TOTAL RECALL … Century 21 (2)
1990-06-15 … DICK TRACY … Century 10
1990-06-15 … DICK TRACY … Century 22
1990-06-15 … DICK TRACY … Milpitas 10
1990-06-15 … DICK TRACY … Town & Country
1990-06-15 … GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH … Century 10
1990-06-15 … GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH … Century 21 (2)
1990-06-15 … GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH … Century 23
1990-06-27 … DAYS OF THUNDER … Century 10
1990-06-27 … DAYS OF THUNDER … Century 21
1990-07-03 … DIE HARD 2 … Century 10
1990-07-03 … DIE HARD 2 … Century 22
1990-07-03 … DIE HARD 2 … Century 23
1990-07-18 … ARACHNOPHOBIA … Century 10
1990-07-18 … ARACHNOPHOBIA … Century 22
1990-10-05 … FANTASIA … Century 10
1990-10-05 … FANTASIA … Century 22
1990-12-14 … EDWARD SCISSORHANDS … Century 22
1990-12-14 … HAVANA … Century 23
1990-12-25 … THE GODFATHER PART III … Century 21

1991-03-01 … THE DOORS … Century 21
1991-05-24 … BACKDRAFT … Century 22
1991-06-21 … THE ROCKETEER … Century 10
1991-06-21 … THE ROCKETEER … Century 22
1991-07-02 … TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY … Century 22
1991-11-22 … BEAUTY AND THE BEAST … Century 22
1991-12-06 … STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY … Century 21
1991-12-11 … HOOK … Century 10
1991-12-11 … HOOK … Century 22
1991-12-13 … THE LAST BOY SCOUT … Century 22

1992-05-15 … LETHAL WEAPON 3 … Century 21 (3)
1992-05-22 … FAR AND AWAY … Century 10
1992-05-22 … FAR AND AWAY … Century 22 (#1)
1992-05-22 … FAR AND AWAY … Century 22 (#2)
1992-06-05 … LETHAL WEAPON 3 … Century 23 m/o
1992-06-05 … PATRIOT GAMES … Century 10
1992-06-05 … PATRIOT GAMES … Century 21
1992-10-02 … 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE … Century 24
1992-12-25 … HOFFA … Town & Country

1993-05-28 … CLIFFHANGER … Century 21
1993-06-17 … LAST ACTION HERO … Century 10
1993-06-17 … LAST ACTION HERO … Century 22
1993-07-09 … IN THE LINE OF FIRE … Century 21
1993-11-05 … THE REMAINS OF THE DAY … Century 25

1994-07-15 … TRUE LIES … Century 22

1997-12-19 … TITANIC … Century 22 (#1: 22)
1997-12-19 … TITANIC … Century 22 (#2: 18)

2009-07-31 … CLEOPATRA … California (2 days) [new print]
2009-??-?? … THE SOUND OF MUSIC … California [new print]
2009-??-?? … PLAYTIME … California [new print]
2009-??-?? … WEST SIDE STORY … California [new print]
2009-??-?? … LAWRENCE OF ARABIA … California [new print]

2015-12-25 … THE HATEFUL EIGHT … Mercado 20
2015-12-25 … THE HATEFUL EIGHT … Oakridge 20

Part 3: Which 70mm releases did not play in 70mm in San Jose?

Here is a listing of movies with a confirmed 70mm release in North America that played the San Jose market only in 35mm (or not at all). Titles marked with an asterisk played the San Jose area in 70mm only during a second run or revival booking. (The 1955-1963 70mm releases have been excluded since San Jose lacked any 70mm-equipped theaters during that period.)

1964
Cheyenne Autumn
Mediterranean Holiday

1965
The Great Race
The Hallelujah Trail
In Harm’s Way
Lord Jim

1966
Born Free
Is Paris Burning?
Khartoum
Russian Adventure

1967
The Dirty Dozen

1968
Around the World in Eighty Days (re-release)
Custer of the West
Dr. Coppelius
Half a Sixpence
War and Peace

1969
MacKenna’s Gold
Marooned
The Stewardesses
Where Eagles Dare
The Wild Bunch

1970
Airport
Anne of the Thousand Days
Brewster McCloud
Scrooge
Too Late the Hero

1971
House of Wax (re-release)
The Last Valley
Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)
Mary, Queen of Scots
My Fair Lady (re-release)
Waterloo

1972
The Concert for Bangladesh
The Cowboys
Deliverance
The Great Waltz
The Poseidon Adventure

1973
Tom Sawyer

1974
Jesus Christ Superstar (re-release)
One by One
Panorama Blue
That’s Entertainment!
The Towering Inferno
The Trial of Billy Jack

1975
The Jolson Story (re-release)
Lucky Lady
Paper Tiger
The Wind and the Lion

1976
The Return of a Man Called Horse
That’s Entertainment, Part 2

1977
Tommy (re-release)

1978
Capricorn One
Comes a Horseman
Crossed Swords
Days of Heaven
The Deer Hunter
Dersu Uzala
Grease
The Manitou
The Sound of Music (re-release)
Star Wars (re-release)

1979
The Exorcist (re-release)
Hanover Street
Hurricane
The Muppet Movie
Star Wars (re-release)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

1980
The Blue Lagoon
Can’t Stop the Music
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (“The Special Edition” re-release)
Fame
The Island
The Jazz Singer
The Ninth Configuration / Twinkle, Twinkle, “Killer” Kane
Raise the Titanic

1981
Dragonslayer
The Empire Strikes Back (re-release)
Heaven’s Gate
Sharky’s Machine
Star Wars (re-release)
Wolfen

1982
The Empire Strikes Back (re-release)
Napoleon (re-release)
One from the Heart
The Road Warrior
Star Wars (re-release)
Tempest
The Thing
Yes, Georgio

1983
Around the World in Eighty Days (re-release)
The Entity
Never Say Never Again
Oklahoma! (re-release)
The Star Chamber
Star Wars / The Empire Strikes Back (double feature re-release)

1984
The Bear
The Cotton Club
The Razor’s Edge
The River

1985
American Flyers
Back to the Future*
The Emerald Forest
Explorers
Ladyhawke
Revolution
Year of the Dragon

1986
Absolute Beginners
Big Trouble in Little China
Highlander
Manhunter
The Money Pit
Nutcracker
Sleeping Beauty (re-release)
Spacecamp
Tough Guys

1987
The Last Emperor
Over the Top
Predator
The Running Man
Who’s That Girl

1988
Alien Nation
Beaches
The Big Blue
The Last Temptation of Christ
Shoot to Kill
Tucker: The Man and his Dream

1989
Always
Back to the Future Part II*
The Bear
Black Rain
Casualties of War
In Country
The Little Mermaid
Tango & Cash
The Ten Commandments (re-release)
Valmont

1990
Air America
The Bonfire of the Vanities
Flatliners
Memphis Belle
Mountains of the Moon
Predator 2
The Rookie
The Sheltering Sky
The Sound of Music (re-release)
The Two Jakes

1991
For the Boys
Point Break
Spartacus (re-release)

1992
Alien 3
Howards End
The Last of the Mohicans
Malcolm X
Shining Through

1993
Baraka
Geronimo: An American Legend
Gettysburg
Short Cuts

1994
Little Buddha
My Fair Lady (re-release)

1995
The Wild Bunch (Director’s Cut re-release)

1996
Hamlet
Vertigo (re-release)

2001
2001: A Space Odyssey (re-release)

2002
Lawrence of Arabia (re-release)

2012
The Master

2014
Inherent Vice
Interstellar

2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

2017
Kong: Skull Island

References: Dolby sound system installation records, and various issues of Boxoffice, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and Variety.

Special Thanks: Mike Hensley, Robert Smith, Sean Weitzel.

 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 03-20-2017, 11:45 PM:
 
Of course by 1974 Century 23, 24 and 25 were cut in half. I visited the projection booths at 21, 22 and 23 the last night they were open; odd that 23 still had 70mm capability. The wall dividing the theater even went through the projection booth, so you had to go into the other side of the theater to enter the other side of the booth.

As of this posting 21, 22 and 23 are still standing, sitting empty for nearly three years. A shame that 22 couldn't at least have been re-opened for the new Star Wars movies. Meanwhile new theaters bearing the "Century" name have 1.85 screens with NO masking.
 




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