Report: The Film Forum adding new screen; upgrading auditoriums

Of possible interest outside the neighborhood ... not too far away.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the Film Forum at 209 W. Houston St. will add a fourth screen and upgrade its three existing auditoriums next year.

Per the Times:

The new screen will be built using space next to Film Forum and allow for more flexibility in its programming schedule. The updates will also involve a full renovation of the theater’s other three screens, including new seats, more leg room and a more dramatic slope (with stadium seating in the rear rows) to improve sightlines.

These will probably be welcome changes for theater patrons who were surveyed in 2016 and offered feedback (including complaints) about the current setup. But they do come at a price: The improvements are expected to cost the nonprofit cinema about $5 million, though more than half of that budget has already been raised. The Thompson Family Foundation will make a gift to name the fourth screen. And a capital campaign is underway to raise the remaining money and lift the endowment.

Film Forum director Karen Cooper had this to say in a news release about the expansion:

Too often, New York landmarks disappear, only to be replaced by nail salons and chain drug stores. Happily, New Yorkers are committed to seeing films that take risks and break the mold, as well as discovering movie history.

The repertory movie house expects to close in May, with renovations complete in July.

The Film Forum has been in its Houston Street space between Sixth Avenue and Varick since 1990. It was established in 1970.

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