You build a Mainstream movie theatre in CC and it will look kike Riverview or the Bridge in about 6 months. Franklin Mills in the NE also has problems and it easy to get to by 5 bus lines...

Manayunk...it's a pain to get to by bus...hece why it lacks the issues places like the Roosevelt Mall Orleans has or the Cheltenham Mall theatre

There's too much trash than can get to these theatres...mass transit enables them and they come.

Oh...the bridge has had a couple shooting and several fights. The Riverview regularly has fights and discontent during major openings.

Never had a shooting in Cherry Hill

So I'm not just "generalizing"....our population and layout is why we DON'T have a theatre that shows regular movies..in CC. The Bridge attempted to price 'em out.


Why do you think the Ritz "selects" what they show...

You guys don't even realize that the Ritz knows the problems and makes sure they aren't showing movies that could bring out certain crowds..

(obnoxious teens...of all colors but usually of the same low class)

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Let's not get racist! By the logic of the prior post, there wouldn't be a relatively new dowtown megaplex in Washington, D.C. but there is! There's megaplexes in & near downtown New York City, Boston, and elsewhere.

Developers HAVE been trying to build a Center City megaplex, especially at Penn's Landing until that project fell thru, and at 8th & Market Street.

There's more to argue with in the prior post, but frankly, I'm too disgusted by it to even try here.

But, I will say now: nobody is "trash."

I usually go out to the Bridge. The crowd there can be good or bad, depending on the time. Saw an early-evening screening of Superman this past weekend, and it was terrible. The people behind us brought an infant (not yet even old enough to form words) to the movie. The kid cried the whole time, until, 3/4 of the way through the movie, someone called the attendant to speak to the parents. Obviously, there will be kids at a movie like Superman, but I'd prefer hearing 8 year olds exclaim "wow" rather than 8 month olds just scream. At one point in the movie (where a bullet bounces off of Superman's eye), the mother herself screamed "Get the f*** out!" The adults laughed at/with her, but the kids don't need to hear that.

Back to the main point, I think a mainstream movie theater could do well in CC. The trick would be to avoid movies most likely to bring out the bad element. Like the new bowling alley above West Elm, it would also probably need a dress code. You wouldn't think NIMBY's would want a bowling alley in the neighborhood (did anyone actually oppose it?) but the new bowling alley looks like it draws a pretty nice crowd and is an asset to the neighborhood. Of course, a CC mainstream movie theater would also probably want to be a bit more expensive.

In Boston, Lowes opened up a large mainstream movie theater (as part of a Ritz Carlton development) right off of Boston Common, pretty much the equivalent of Rittenhouse Sq. There was no parking, a careful selection of mainstream movies, and slightly higher prices. It generally draws an upscale crowd of pedestrians from the Beacon Hill/Back Bay/South End neighborhoods, students taking the subway in from Kenmore, or tourists, and I was happy to live a short walk from it.

Joe

There's also the Roxy at 20th and Sansom. It is quite small (only 2 screens I think) and it shows some mainstream and some independent films.
http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/u...er.html?id=699

Also, if you happen to like foreign or classic films, check out International House at 37th and Chestnut. It does screenings that only cost $3 to attend. Their calender is here: http://www.ihousephilly.org/programs...-july-2006.htm.

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Thank you, Howard.

Yeah...sure there isn't trash.

Let's go to Pirates next weekend at Riverview on Friday.

Then we'll drive out to Cherry Hill.

and then you can act all righteous and call me a racist again...

I've had just as many problems with the white trash punks in Franklin Mills as I did with the punk ass black west philly kids in the Bridge.

Funny...becuase both were wearing the same style of clothing...trashwear.

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zur's a classic. Surely he doesn't give a damn if he offends, obviously. I don't have a problem with it. I see where he's coming from. But I wonder what he'd think of me if he ever met met me.

Anyways back to subject, I remember the first-run theaters across Center City when I was younger. I remember seeing Ghostbusters II at the AMC Midtown (now Prince Music Theater) and seeing Sneakers at the UA Rittenhouse (now a weed-strewn lot).

I live in West Philly (the actual western end of the city) and though the closest theater to me is 69th Street I do all I can to avoid seeing a movie there (unless I'm seeing a comedy and am in the mood for audience commentary - Independence Day wouldn't have been the same at another theater almost anywhere else). The Bridge was a godsend but the bottom line is it's downright pitiful that Center City proper, which had four first-run theaters at the beginning of the 90's, now has exactly zero. I'm sure not everyone who lives downtown always feels like schlepping to Manayunk or Pennsport or hopping on The 21 if they want to catch a big release. Pavilion East, the latest Disneyhole project, was supposed to begin correcting that little issue. Is it that there's no room for a megaplex? Is there no cinema corporation willing to maybe look at a Google map and find an open patch or two on the east side of the Schuylkill big enough for one of the 15-screen parent-traps they seem enamored with? (Hell, I could give 'em two or three spots off of the top of my head).

Center City, as much as it has recovered from its doldrums, still lacks some of the simple things the average person would expect to find downtown and personally, I think it's long overdue for a place where people can sit an be entertained for a couple hours, maybe with the kids, maybe with a date, that doesn't involve inserting tokens, dancing or alcohol (though I have no problem with the drinky-drink).

Maybe this is me just venting but I've lived, played and worked in this city my entire life and I think that's one fact about our city that's pretty stupid and pretty easy to change. We can insert a carousel in a park even the homeless don't visit but nobody can seem to lure a movie theater.

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My Man! Pots N' Pans!

NYC has several megaplexes on Manhattan alone, with the bulk of them owned by AMC Theatres, through the merger with Loews Cineplex. Philadelphia's last major Center City theatre to open was back in December 1971, when the Sameric Theatre opened in the former Boyd Theatre building. (The RKO Stanley Warner's Boyd Theatre closed 6 weeks before), and before that was in 1968 when the Milgram Theatre opened in the former Stanley Theatre building (The RKO Stanley Warner's Stanton Theatre closed months before).

Center City Philadelphia, it the heydays of the 1930's to late 1960's, has had several major movie palaces, including:

• RKO Stanley Warner's Boyd Theatre (aka REG Sameric 4 Theatre)
• RKO Stanley Warner's Stanton Theatre (aka Milgram's Milgram Theatre and The Stanley Company of America's Stanley Theatre)
• RKO Stanley Warner's Stanley Theatre
• Stanley Warner's Mastbaum Memorial Theatre
• Milgram's Fox Theatre
• William Goldman's Midtown Theatre (aka AMC Midtown Twin Theatre)
• William Goldman's Goldman Theatre (aka Budco Goldman Twin Theatre)

Now, the so-called major Center City theatre is REG Riverview Stadium 17 Theatre, which is not in Center City proper.

Most of AMC Franklin Mills 14 problems can be traced back to when General Cinema, after opening the GCC Franklin Mills 14 (and closing the GCC Franklin Mills 10 Theatre, which was in operation for only 8 years) introduced the $4 Tuesday.

The Ritz East Twin Theatre wasn't built by Ritz Theatres. It originally was the Budco Olde City Twin Theatre, and then was the AMC Olde City Twin Theatre, before becoming the Ritz East Twin Theatre.

When the Ritz 5 (Opened as Ritz 3 Theatre) was built, Market and Chestnut Streets west of City Hall was Movie Theatre row, with on Market Street;

• Milgram's Fox Theatre
• Milgram's Milgram Theatre
• Eric Mark I Theatre

On Chestnut Street, there was:

• Budco Midtown Twin Theatre
• Budco Goldman Twin Theatre
• Eric's Place Theatre
• Budco Regency Twin Theatre
• Duke & Duchess Theatre
• Sam's Place Twin Theatre
• Sameric Theatre

On 16th Street you had Milgram's Stage Door Cinema, which was built into the former Stagehouse of Milgram's Fox Theatre. On Walnut Street, there was Eric Rittenhouse Square Twin Theatre.

The last movie theatre to close east of City Hall was RKO Stanley Warner's Palace Theatre, which was replaced by SEPTA's Headquarters.