was inaugurated on 3. 12. 1907, this year it celebrates 108 years of its existence and is one of the oldest cinema halls still in operation across Europe and the world. During this incredibly long time, tens of thousands of movie titles were shown on the cinema screen of this prestigious cinema, which is an integral part and decoration of the Lucerna Palace, millions of viewers sat in the seats and hundreds of movie stars stood on the stage at grand premieres of their films.
Currently the cinema hall has 453 seats, it is equipped with cutting-edge 4K digital technology also enabling 3D projection, with Dolby Surround 7.1 sound system and it is the most visited classic cinema in the Czech Republic.
Second cinema hall in Lucerna cinema (with photo of the small auditorium)–
welcomed its first audience at the end of 2013. The premises in which it was created have a very interesting history – more than seventy years ago, there used to be a private screening room of the co-owner of the Lucerna Palace and the founder of the Barrandov studios Miloš Havel (the uncle of President Václav Havel and his brother, a scientist, Ivan M. Havel). The hall had served primarily for private previews of films produced under brand of the production company Lucernafilm, or for private screenings accessible only to the closest friends of the owner. As far as we know, there had never been screenings organized for the general public. After the nationalization the hall was closed and the premises were structurally divided into several smaller rooms.
We are honored that in these historic premises we can currently operate a small cinema with a capacity of 51 seats, with unconventional decoration with portraits of leading Czechoslovak, European and international filmmakers and actors, including the portrait of Miloš Havel at the seat of honor in the middle of the first row. The hall is equipped with 2K digital projector with 3D projection and Dolby Surround 7.1 sound system.
Go back to Nov 30, 2016 post to read re eventual loss of this theater. Nobody has posted yet any timetable or closing date. Often people do post in this site as to NYC theater closures before they happen which is helpful so people can visit a last time as I did with the Ziegfeld, Astor Plaza, Beekman, and Tower East, among my favorites. As to the Sunshine, please post on that theater’s page.
Since corporate report last year from its owner mentioned redevelopment of this site. That’s going to happen- like it did with the nearby Coronet & Baronet.
The AFI Silver aud # 1 is more than 40 feet wide for ‘scope so it a nice size. I haven’t seen a movie in awhile here but my impression from last time at the large auditorium at City Cinemas 1,2,3, was screen was very large, maybe 50 feet wide for a 'scope film. Also, there are 70mm “flat” (1.85 dimension) films. Now, though it is true Wonder Woman was not actually filmed with 65mm cameras…..the large auditorium of the City Cinemas 1,2,3, is a historic, showplace and people ought to be happy it survives for the moment, since the last word was that the site is going to be redeveloped at some point
Big Walt, hello, I’ve led “Friends of the Boyd” we didn’t save the Boyd but we still document its history. You managed the Boyd (Sameric) from 1977 to 1987? do you have photos? any world premieres other than Rocky III during that time? any celebrities attend then? in the downstairs lounge there were 2 beautiful mirrors on closet doors then but later, they weren’t there, any idea what happened to them?
This is heritage listed as Ken’s Intro states: “In March 2015, the Regent Street Cinema was designated a Grade II Listed building.” It also deserves more than 5 comments. On vacation from Philadelphia, enjoyed 2 movies here in 2015 including a screening of “Reds” with the screenwriter on stage, and 3 in 2016 including “S is for Stanley” (with special guests -the co-author & the Archivist of Kubrick’s papers on stage), the “Knack…and how to get it” (with special guests including the author of a book on that period of films on stage), and on Halloween, a screening of Halloween. The historic character of this movie theater is wonderful! There are great history panels in the concessions/bar foyer. It really is neat to have a historic movie theater in the central, commercial shopping district, just as there used to be.
Philadelphia Inquirer reports today the Strand was gutted to be a pizza place. Marquee refaced. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/Jersey-Shore-Manco-boardwalk-pizza-prison-Ocean-City.html
Suffolk University’s C. Walsh Theatre – a short history
The C. Walsh Theatre closed in May 2016. Located at 55 Temple Street on Beacon Hill, the theatre was Suffolk University’s primary performance and presentation venue.
Suffolk University founder Gleason Archer built the theatre in the early 1920s to accommodate large gatherings of Suffolk Law School students. Revenues from its daytime use as a movie theatre financed Law School operations. The building’s marquee boasted of having the “largest pipe organ in New England.”
In its most recent renovation in 2006-2007, the theatre’s color and design elements reflected the warm intimacy of the original venue, location in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and the youthful energy of the University and its students.
Many esteemed guests appeared at the C. Walsh Theatre during its 90+ year history, including:
Nobel Prize winners Shirin Ebadi (Peace) and Derek Walcott (Poetry)
Congressional candidate John F. Kennedy
Supreme Court Chief Justices William O. Douglas and Clarence Thomas
Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute
Robert Brustein, scholar, playwright, and founder of the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard
Human rights activists Coretta Scott King and Samantha Power
National Book Critic’s Circle Award winner Maxine Hong-Kingston
Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison, pianists Russell Sherman and Robert Levin, and opera director Sarah Caldwell
Academy Award winning actor Jane Wyman and nominees Greer Garson and Felicity Huffman; novelist and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Irving; actors Ed Begley, Jr., Christopher McCann, Jennifer Westfeldt, and Paul Guilfoyle; and filmmakers Frederick Wiseman and Tamara Jenkins
Tony Award winning composers William Finn and Jeanine Tesori
The C. Walsh Theatre has hosted visiting professional performing artists and arts organizations, including:
Hagoromo – “The Feather Robe” – presented by the Kanze School of Noh Theatre, Japan
Classical ensemble Emmanuel Music presenting the work of Franz Schubert
Me Am I – presented by the Milwaukee Dance Theatre
Requiem for Srebrenica, a production of the French director Olivier Py and Centre Dramatique National
Moll presented by OPENINGS Theatre Company of Dublin
Collage New Music’s presentation of cutting-edge modern classical music
United States premiere presentation of the Daita International Nagauta Music Ensemble of Tokyo
The American Repertory Theatre’s Obie-award winning production of The Cryptogram
Someone needs to scan the photos. If you don’t have a photo scanner, find a friend who does? or maybe Staples? once on your computer or device, easy to upload here via the photo function.
I linked your article to Friends of the Boyd page at Facebook. Not sure that Stanley Warner is part of Time Warner. The studio production facilities, ok, but the historic theaters I think went in another direction to other entities over time.
Big plans for an 11-acre parcel on the Schuylkill River in Bala Cynwyd
Quote from Philadelphia Business Journal-April 14, 2017-
Sean McCloskey’s Penn Real Estate Group………. recently bought the United Artists movie theater and its associated shopping center from Bart Blatstein’s Tower Investments for $5.6 million. It was one of Blatstein’s first projects and was built more than 20 years ago. “Time to transition it,” Blatstein said about the sale.
The theater will get more than $1 million in renovations. New plush seating will halve its 1,500 seats and new food and beverage offerings will be provided.
from Philly, I’m not about to attend evening screenings but I’d seriously consider a weekend matinee here of a film, regardless of whether or not it starts half hour late. Kudos to the Kings for honoring their movie palace existence with such events!
I just googled & found that Barry Lyndon (2 k) was screened with live music. I only found it at this theater. http://www.kingstheatre.com/shows/stanley-kubrick’s-barry-lyndon-live-orchestra-performance
Thanks Ron for the description. As to theatrefan’s point, though at least sometimes simply in the main lobby, some regular mainstream multiplexes like AMC also have bars now, not only the movie theater chains that began with bars.
JodarMovieFan, A friend told me. I have many friends in the film community. And, from those friends, I know how expensive digital projectors are to acquire, to replace, and how impossible it can be to repair them, whereas it was easier to repair 35mm projectors. Movie theater operators, whether indie or chain, didn’t cry out that they needed digital projectors or couldn’t afford projectionists & shipping costs of film. Hollywood studios decided it would be easier to provide films on digital format. However, classic films don’t look the same on DCP as they do on 35mm or 70mm, the formats they were meant to be seen! (and that’s also why in recent years, we’ve got a few more new 70mm films) And all classic films aren’t available on DCP. This year, I saw more Oscar nominated films before the Oscars were announced than I normally see even afterwards. Of all Best Picture, Director, and acting nominations, I saw all films but Nocturnal Affairs (which now I would like to see). My favorites that were nominated are Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, Hidden Figures, and Lion.
from the Lucerna’s website
Lucerna cinema
was inaugurated on 3. 12. 1907, this year it celebrates 108 years of its existence and is one of the oldest cinema halls still in operation across Europe and the world. During this incredibly long time, tens of thousands of movie titles were shown on the cinema screen of this prestigious cinema, which is an integral part and decoration of the Lucerna Palace, millions of viewers sat in the seats and hundreds of movie stars stood on the stage at grand premieres of their films.
Currently the cinema hall has 453 seats, it is equipped with cutting-edge 4K digital technology also enabling 3D projection, with Dolby Surround 7.1 sound system and it is the most visited classic cinema in the Czech Republic.
Second cinema hall in Lucerna cinema (with photo of the small auditorium)–
welcomed its first audience at the end of 2013. The premises in which it was created have a very interesting history – more than seventy years ago, there used to be a private screening room of the co-owner of the Lucerna Palace and the founder of the Barrandov studios Miloš Havel (the uncle of President Václav Havel and his brother, a scientist, Ivan M. Havel). The hall had served primarily for private previews of films produced under brand of the production company Lucernafilm, or for private screenings accessible only to the closest friends of the owner. As far as we know, there had never been screenings organized for the general public. After the nationalization the hall was closed and the premises were structurally divided into several smaller rooms.
We are honored that in these historic premises we can currently operate a small cinema with a capacity of 51 seats, with unconventional decoration with portraits of leading Czechoslovak, European and international filmmakers and actors, including the portrait of Miloš Havel at the seat of honor in the middle of the first row. The hall is equipped with 2K digital projector with 3D projection and Dolby Surround 7.1 sound system.
Go back to Nov 30, 2016 post to read re eventual loss of this theater. Nobody has posted yet any timetable or closing date. Often people do post in this site as to NYC theater closures before they happen which is helpful so people can visit a last time as I did with the Ziegfeld, Astor Plaza, Beekman, and Tower East, among my favorites. As to the Sunshine, please post on that theater’s page.
Since corporate report last year from its owner mentioned redevelopment of this site. That’s going to happen- like it did with the nearby Coronet & Baronet.
Done regarding the seats. If you provide specific (technical) specs re projection or sound, or screens, we could add that.
The AFI Silver aud # 1 is more than 40 feet wide for ‘scope so it a nice size. I haven’t seen a movie in awhile here but my impression from last time at the large auditorium at City Cinemas 1,2,3, was screen was very large, maybe 50 feet wide for a 'scope film. Also, there are 70mm “flat” (1.85 dimension) films. Now, though it is true Wonder Woman was not actually filmed with 65mm cameras…..the large auditorium of the City Cinemas 1,2,3, is a historic, showplace and people ought to be happy it survives for the moment, since the last word was that the site is going to be redeveloped at some point
Big Walt, hello, I’ve led “Friends of the Boyd” we didn’t save the Boyd but we still document its history. You managed the Boyd (Sameric) from 1977 to 1987? do you have photos? any world premieres other than Rocky III during that time? any celebrities attend then? in the downstairs lounge there were 2 beautiful mirrors on closet doors then but later, they weren’t there, any idea what happened to them?
This is heritage listed as Ken’s Intro states: “In March 2015, the Regent Street Cinema was designated a Grade II Listed building.” It also deserves more than 5 comments. On vacation from Philadelphia, enjoyed 2 movies here in 2015 including a screening of “Reds” with the screenwriter on stage, and 3 in 2016 including “S is for Stanley” (with special guests -the co-author & the Archivist of Kubrick’s papers on stage), the “Knack…and how to get it” (with special guests including the author of a book on that period of films on stage), and on Halloween, a screening of Halloween. The historic character of this movie theater is wonderful! There are great history panels in the concessions/bar foyer. It really is neat to have a historic movie theater in the central, commercial shopping district, just as there used to be.
I appreciate your earlier comment because I also watch Gotham so I knew from your comment the auditorium that I was looking at was this theater.
I am curious. Did The Godfather & Part II screen in 35mm or DCP? what were the prices? how many attended?
Philadelphia Inquirer reports today the Strand was gutted to be a pizza place. Marquee refaced. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/Jersey-Shore-Manco-boardwalk-pizza-prison-Ocean-City.html
for when this link breaks:
Suffolk University’s C. Walsh Theatre – a short history The C. Walsh Theatre closed in May 2016. Located at 55 Temple Street on Beacon Hill, the theatre was Suffolk University’s primary performance and presentation venue. Suffolk University founder Gleason Archer built the theatre in the early 1920s to accommodate large gatherings of Suffolk Law School students. Revenues from its daytime use as a movie theatre financed Law School operations. The building’s marquee boasted of having the “largest pipe organ in New England.” In its most recent renovation in 2006-2007, the theatre’s color and design elements reflected the warm intimacy of the original venue, location in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, and the youthful energy of the University and its students. Many esteemed guests appeared at the C. Walsh Theatre during its 90+ year history, including: Nobel Prize winners Shirin Ebadi (Peace) and Derek Walcott (Poetry) Congressional candidate John F. Kennedy Supreme Court Chief Justices William O. Douglas and Clarence Thomas Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute Robert Brustein, scholar, playwright, and founder of the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard Human rights activists Coretta Scott King and Samantha Power National Book Critic’s Circle Award winner Maxine Hong-Kingston Pulitzer Prize winning composer John Harbison, pianists Russell Sherman and Robert Levin, and opera director Sarah Caldwell Academy Award winning actor Jane Wyman and nominees Greer Garson and Felicity Huffman; novelist and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter John Irving; actors Ed Begley, Jr., Christopher McCann, Jennifer Westfeldt, and Paul Guilfoyle; and filmmakers Frederick Wiseman and Tamara Jenkins Tony Award winning composers William Finn and Jeanine Tesori The C. Walsh Theatre has hosted visiting professional performing artists and arts organizations, including: Hagoromo – “The Feather Robe” – presented by the Kanze School of Noh Theatre, Japan Classical ensemble Emmanuel Music presenting the work of Franz Schubert Me Am I – presented by the Milwaukee Dance Theatre Requiem for Srebrenica, a production of the French director Olivier Py and Centre Dramatique National Moll presented by OPENINGS Theatre Company of Dublin Collage New Music’s presentation of cutting-edge modern classical music United States premiere presentation of the Daita International Nagauta Music Ensemble of Tokyo The American Repertory Theatre’s Obie-award winning production of The Cryptogram
When I was there Sunday, a LCB (Liquor Control Board) notice was on the front door. An employee replied to me that yes, a bar will be installed.
Someone needs to scan the photos. If you don’t have a photo scanner, find a friend who does? or maybe Staples? once on your computer or device, easy to upload here via the photo function.
I linked your article to Friends of the Boyd page at Facebook. Not sure that Stanley Warner is part of Time Warner. The studio production facilities, ok, but the historic theaters I think went in another direction to other entities over time.
Big plans for an 11-acre parcel on the Schuylkill River in Bala Cynwyd
Quote from Philadelphia Business Journal-April 14, 2017- Sean McCloskey’s Penn Real Estate Group………. recently bought the United Artists movie theater and its associated shopping center from Bart Blatstein’s Tower Investments for $5.6 million. It was one of Blatstein’s first projects and was built more than 20 years ago. “Time to transition it,” Blatstein said about the sale.
The theater will get more than $1 million in renovations. New plush seating will halve its 1,500 seats and new food and beverage offerings will be provided.
from Philly, I’m not about to attend evening screenings but I’d seriously consider a weekend matinee here of a film, regardless of whether or not it starts half hour late. Kudos to the Kings for honoring their movie palace existence with such events!
I just googled & found that Barry Lyndon (2 k) was screened with live music. I only found it at this theater. http://www.kingstheatre.com/shows/stanley-kubrick’s-barry-lyndon-live-orchestra-performance
What new Landmark megaplex? are you referring to the 8 screener they announced? A megaplex meant many more screens.
We here at the site fixed the google street view which hadn’t shown downtown Boston. Thanks to Ken Roe for his diligence.
Thanks Ron for the description. As to theatrefan’s point, though at least sometimes simply in the main lobby, some regular mainstream multiplexes like AMC also have bars now, not only the movie theater chains that began with bars.
What was the Back Lot? I can’t find a reference even by googling.
JodarMovieFan, A friend told me. I have many friends in the film community. And, from those friends, I know how expensive digital projectors are to acquire, to replace, and how impossible it can be to repair them, whereas it was easier to repair 35mm projectors. Movie theater operators, whether indie or chain, didn’t cry out that they needed digital projectors or couldn’t afford projectionists & shipping costs of film. Hollywood studios decided it would be easier to provide films on digital format. However, classic films don’t look the same on DCP as they do on 35mm or 70mm, the formats they were meant to be seen! (and that’s also why in recent years, we’ve got a few more new 70mm films) And all classic films aren’t available on DCP. This year, I saw more Oscar nominated films before the Oscars were announced than I normally see even afterwards. Of all Best Picture, Director, and acting nominations, I saw all films but Nocturnal Affairs (which now I would like to see). My favorites that were nominated are Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, Hidden Figures, and Lion.
Thanks Michael Coate for that wonderful compilation!
The movie “Lion” opened late November at the Paris & is still being showcased here! Paris website lists a new movie opening April 7, “Their Finest”
by accident, unsubscribed so reversing that now.