Regal Closing Once-Busy Union Square Movie Theater In NYC as Bankruptcy Proceeds https://t.co/pxj1s2Fw4x
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 19, 2023
Per Business Insider, who first reported on the closures:
Cineworld filed for bankruptcy at a time when the larger theatrical industry is struggling to fully rebound from the pandemic. The North American box office hit $7.4 billion in 2022, according to Comscore, down from over $11 billion in 2019 and 2018.
And...
Cineworld detailed the plan to reject the leases starting February 15 in a new bankruptcy filing on Tuesday. Regal is the second-largest cinema chain in the US, behind AMC, with over 500 theaters. The company's plan to close locations during its bankruptcy is fairly routine. The Chapter 11 process makes it easier for companies to walk away from leases without incurring major penalties and to press landlords for better terms.
Regal's multiplex at Essex Crossing on Delancey and Essex was not listed among the 39 set for closure.
Regal Union Square, with 17 screens, underwent a multi-million-dollar refurbishment in early 2020.
This does not surprise me movie theaters are becoming obsolete due to live streaming on Hulu and Amazon prime and other streaming services. I see people on the subway on their way to working watching newly released movies on their cell phones. How are movie theaters that charge close to $20 a movie going to compete with that? Movie theaters will end up being something that we will just see in history books.
ReplyDeleteWhat was here before the theater?
ReplyDeleteThere was a bunch of Army Navy type stores selling everything from military surplus to samurai swords!! Keep in mind Union Square was kind of a mess back then!!
DeleteIt was also the location of the Village Voice offices...
DeleteIt was awesome back then. I miss the funk
DeleteA Virgin Megastore, notable for its offer of curated music and a service oriented shopping experience. Listening posts added.
DeleteWOW! I just visited last month in mid-December to watch, 'She Said.' There were only three other people present during the late afternoon. I hadn't visited this location since the pandemic begun. Major renovations had been completed including a new cafe downstairs along with huge chairs comfy enough to recline in and to put your things. I think so many of us are so accustomed now to streaming content on our screens at home. I have seen many wonderful films here since my arrival to NYC in 2000. This is sad. And the end of another era for the EV :(
ReplyDeleteThe only things still drawing crowds is spandex adventures like the insufferable MCU. Plus it always reeks of rancid butter. Good riddance.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I like (some of) the MCU movies, this made me laugh out loud.
DeleteI always liked this theater & it was my preferred place to see a movie, but since the pandemic, I haven't felt comfortable being in a movie theater, given that I don't know how many people will be around me (and knowing pretty certainly they won't be wearing masks) for those several hours I'm in there.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, people TALK during movies as if they're in their own living room. And the cost of the ticket + any snack is high.
Will miss knowing this place exists, as IMO it's leagues above the AMC at 11th and 3rd Ave.
It’s hard to imagine what this could be besides a movie theater. Maybe another company will buy and resurrect it. How about that 4D theater?!
ReplyDeleteAny idea when this is closing? I can't find much information.
ReplyDeleteThe published reports just say they'll stop paying rent on Feb. 15...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/RegalUnlimited/comments/10euw62/ch_11_update_11723_new_potential_closures_by_21523/
ReplyDeleteAccording to this, it is just 1 of 39 locations that could potentially close by Feb 15. They are still under bankrupt lease negotiation with landlords. So it might or might not happen depending on the negotiation.
I also remembered that the Regal in Times Sq was supposed to closed but it haven't.
I went to a movie here recently. Was one of two people in the theater. The movie never started. Had to traipse around to find someone leaning on one of those broom/dustbin combo stick things to help find someone else to start the projector. Felt like the entire experience was an afterthought, that the act of being there was a real time witnessing of the final breath of big cinema theater.
ReplyDeleteI remember when it opened, it was like the 8th wonder of the world...
ReplyDeleteAnd no, Union Square wasn't a mess around that time. It was a beautiful place, that felt like a European Square, with pretty young things crossing its paths and chilling on the grass. Felt very different than today's mass aimless gatherings.
Rejecting a lease in bankruptcy is a negotiation move rather than a commitment to closing. Not saying it absolutely won't close, but the media seems to have bungled coverage here pretty badly.
ReplyDeleteThe offices of The Village Voice were here before the block was demolished.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's what I said back on January 19, 2023 at 8:50 PM.
ReplyDeleteGod damn it. This is terrible news. It isn't my favorite theater but being a densely populated area it has been great in the past to have a few theater options. I feel like now all the Blockbusters will only play nearby at the AMC. Which is a terrific theater, don't get me wrong, (those seats are gold) but shit will sell out much faster now.
ReplyDeleteI stream lots of movies now & my kid has so much screen time - when I go out it’s for live music. And when I my kid does it’s for an activity.
ReplyDeleteThis occurrence isn't unique or new. Live theater, movie palaces, vaudeville houses and the like have been part and parcel of the East Village for over one hundred years. In the past these places morphed into music venues and huge discos/clubs clubs only to be demolished and rebuilt as apartment complexes.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this time, I haven't a clue as to what will be the next communal theater experience. A TikTok, HULU or YouTube multi mega-screen virtual theater?
As weird as that sounds, it could very well materialize in the near future.
Apparently this millennial is the only one that still lives going to the movies. This wasn’t my go-to theater but I certainly caught a movie here several times a year. I really hope this doesn’t happen, I mourn the loss of every theater.
ReplyDeleteOne of my first jobs as teen was at this place. I was a part of the people who set this place up for opening day. Helped put in the popcorn machines, was shown how to use them & handle the orange hydrogenated palm oil butter. Fond memories of working there.
ReplyDeleteMovies have actually been one of my pandemic "treats," since now that there are reserved seats, you can check up on how many people are going to be in the theater with you, right up to the last minute. I still can't believe they did such massive renovations here without putting in recliners, though! Single most important innovation in movie-watching comfort since the introduction of popcorn.
ReplyDeleteThis was not the prior site of the Virgin Megastore. The VM was on the corner of 14 St/ Broadway.
ReplyDeleteAlso doubt very much that Cineworld is using bankruptcy as a ploy for a better rent deal. Firstly kids are into streaming and my guess is a lot of adults will continue to shy away from enclosed spaces for the foreseeable future. Given that, and the possibly of another plague in 2 or 3 years, it doesn't make sense to sign a long term lease.
This sucks for our community. Sadly, movie theaters at some point in the near future will become relics of the past.
ReplyDeleteI have no opinion on the closing but I will say that it still burns my ass that Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare In Love at the Oscars.
ReplyDelete"doubt very much that Cineworld is using bankruptcy as a ploy for a better rent deal"
ReplyDeleteIt's a *very* standard business tactic for chains to reject leases in bankruptcy in hopes of getting the landlord to renegotiate the rent. Also note that the E-walk at 42nd was on an earlier list and hasn't closed.
Sad, but not really a surprise. I stopped going to movies before the pandemic because they became too expensive and the experience of having noisy obnoxious people all around just became too much.
ReplyDeleteI think we're seeing a culture shift in real time. When you look back at photos of all the vaudeville theaters that used to be here and wonder what happened, this is probably similar. People are accessing entertainment in a different way.
I rally miss those listening booths at Virgin. That was a fun way to sample new albums before buying.
11:52- Yes, I understood what you said the first time, however I think it's a moot point. My guess is they ain't never coming back.
ReplyDeleteThey won't close on February 15. Maybe they will eventually, but, like I said, E-walk (and some of the other locations in other parts of the country in prior waves of rejections, which have been going on since late-ish fall) didn't.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't care much for this location (the gimmicky screens are silly and no recliners in the regular theaters is a bad call, plus they have those two really weird theaters with the ~12 seats you always have to make sure you're not in); I just think people are being misled by the media into thinking this is a done deal when it's really not.
So what does one do with a shuttered movie theater? Doesn’t seem like the space could be easily converted into another use.
ReplyDeleteAll they have to do is TRY showing GOOD FILMS.
ReplyDeleteInstead, all they have showed is current CRAP. Whenever I checked out their mini theaters inside, I'd see 2-5 people AT MOST. I always asked HOW they could be making ANY money showing CRAPPY films?
On the other hand, the theater at 12th and Second Ave did two showings of TAXI DRIVER (1976) on a Wednesday night (7:30pm + 9:00pm) and the place was PACKED!!!!! And the audience was mostly younger people not born until 10+ years after that film was made.
Same with the Sunshine Theater [RIP] - their midnight movies (remember those?) showed great older films and they were PACKED as well.
The point here is that a SMART multiplex theater would use each mini-theater they have to show a different type of film from the past. One could be a musical, another a comedy, a silent film with piano accompaniment, a film noir, a foreign film, a western, a mystery, and so on.
When I was a kid, films were made for adults. Even "films for children" had adult references. Those adult films talked UP to us, not DOWN to us. I got it and I appreciated them all. Now films are made for five year olds as part of OPERATION DUMB DOWN that appeals to the Lowest Common Denominator.
Theaters that insist on projecting the mindless CRAP that have NO plot, NO engaging characters and NO acting ability, that rely on animated and computer-generated effects, as they raise ticket prices to historically psychotic ever higher levels, DESERVE to fail.
NYC used to have many retro theaters with GREAT films that could turn on new generations. It is way past time for them to return.
--Chris Flash
I have a rather embarrassing memory to share. I went to see Eat, Pray, Love in 2010 with my ex boyfriend at this theater. We consumed soda, nachos and popcorn. During the film I was suddenly met with severe stomach pains and excused myself to the bathroom where I spent the next twenty minutes afflicted with utter agony in a tiny stall only to discover there was no toilet paper nor was I able to flush nor was there hot running water at the sink. I wanted to die. I walked in shame back to my seat for the remainder of the film hoping no one would know the carnage which just launched in that toilet. I thought it was food poisoning but my ex bf was fine. I didn't return to this spot until five years later with a new boyfriend on another movie date. Oh the memories. RIP Regal.
ReplyDeleteHopefully someday the nostalgia will come back much like drive-ins did for a little while.
ReplyDelete