RKO National Twin
1500 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1500 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 111 comments
It’ll be amazing if they had the chance to bring back the original RKO National Twin look, but it’s only if it comes back as a movie theater. But I’m afraid that’s not going to happen, because Midtown already has their own set of movie theaters such as the 25-screen AMC and the 13-screen Regal.
It would be great to be a theater again.
Are you sure? I don’t know if that is going to happen Mark.
HowardBHass, make it a movie theatre again.
Today is last day of ABC TV show “Good Morning America” as they are moving “downtown.” What happens to this space now?
Seating Capacity as a Twin:
Theatre 1 512
Theate 2 969
The first theater I visited after moving to NYC in 1980. FADE TO BLACK was the film.
Please add in previous chains, Cinema 5, they had control from 1979 to 1982 when it sold to RKO Century Theatres.
When it open as a twin in 1982, RKO Century Warner were the new owners, followed by Cineplex Odeon
“Alice in Wonderland” (1976) was NOT a hardcore release. Hardcore scenes by the stars in other films were later inserted for subrun play in porn houses.
Hello-
to Al A.- thanks again for your font of knowledge. is it possible AIW was shot as an actual porn film and then edited to get an official X rating so it could play regular movie theaters? in the late 70s I distinctly remember there was a fairy tale based film that was shot as an actual porn
film but edited to get the official X rating. since you said AIW was shot as a soft-core film what film might I being thinking about?
“Alice In Wonderland” was shot as a hardcore feature but was released softcore. When the DVD was released the theatrical and restored hardcore version were featured. Here is a history of the production.
https://www.therialtoreport.com/2015/03/22/alice-in-wonderland-1976-what-really-happened/
It was actually a soft core musical with excellent production values even though Alice kept sitting on mushrooms. There was also a similar “CINDERELLA” production.
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to markp- thanks for your reply. I could swear AIW was an actual porn film. I might be confusing it with a similar fairy tale based porn film.
bigjoe59 AIW was a soft core X.
Hello-
I’m sure at one time or another all the 1st run theaters in the Times Square area showed what were known as exploitation films. but I never remembered this theater showing actual porn. in the photo section is an ad for Alice in Wonderland which was am actual porn film. or though it had an X rating was it a cleaned up version?
Please update, became a twin on March 19, 1982, grand opening ad posted and article from Boxoffice to.
Newspaper ad added to photos
1980 photo added courtesy of Al Ponte’s Time Machine – New York Facebook page.
I saw FIREFOX, OCTOPUSSY and SPIES LIKE US here in 70MM after it was twinned. The twin was fine but I’m sorry I didn’t make it here when it was a single screen theatre.
I only saw The Black Hole here. Was disappointed in the screen size for such a large theater.
When SOM made its big return in 73 it played here and I was hoping it would return to the Rivoli as it had such a long initial engagement there and held the world premiere. I was too young to see it there its first go round. And as it was one of my favorite movie theaters it would have been great.
I was twelve when my dad took me to see “Spies Like Us” at this theater. The movie was very funny, and still is to this day. I remember it played in the upstairs cinema that, I think, used to be the balcony before it was twinned. I didn’t see many films in Times Square as a kid because it wasn’t the cleanest or safest neighborhood, particularly at night. This was a fun theater to visit though. I also saw “Jo Jo Dancer: Your Life is Calling” and “Judgment Night” here.
Built and operated by National General Theatres approx. 1972.
If you look very closely, you can spot the marquee in the 1996 film “Joe’s Apartment”. I couldn’t make out either title on the marquee but one side was red and the other was black and blue (it could have been Bad Boys and Casper, but I don’t know).
Say what you will about him, but Cineplex Odeon founder and theater-builder Garth Drabinsky was an old-school showman and kept his houses (for the most part) in tip-top shape.