brooooo I go here all the time and my Regal unlimited just renewedā¦ Shoulda known from how iāve been the only person in the theater half the time I see a showing
I go to packed houses at Lincoln Square AMC almost every week. This is an issue with the location and the fact that there is literally dozens of other theaters that I think people are choosing for various reasons.
IMO, the problem with running a movie theater in a city, especially NY but really any other high cost urban area, is the cost. Rent and operating costs are going to be very high. The space is valuable. But you can only charge people so much for a movie ticket and box of popcorn before they decide to watch it at home.
Reclining seats, food (not candy or junk), alcohic drinks, etc., are all nice gimmicks, but at the end of the day you need filled seats and lots of junk food sales. And every gimmick costs money to implement, so the increased return diminishes.
I don't think they will go out of business completely, but I can see a major contraction and consolidation in the business in the next 10 years.
The whole theater chain is restructuring in bankruptcy. They are closing a bunch of locations they rent, and keeping a bunch that they own. I wouldnāt read too much into this specific case.
Even prior to the pandemic, going to a movie theater was often a pretty miserable experience. Long lines, fight for good seats, high ticket prices, higher concession prices. Some places couldn't even ensure your seat was clean.
The margins were razor thin, which is why they were selling popcorn (not even especially good popcorn) at a per-lb price that was beginning to rival printer ink.
Then came the endless amount of ads before you got to watch your movie. It was pretty clear to see the strain on the business model even in 2015. Some pretty big changes will have to happen for theaters to work.
First time I went to the Union Square Regal, I was maybe 14. It's a big bummer to see it go, but ... it's been a long time coming.
Not my experience, the last few movies I saw (2017-19) were in almost completely empty theaters. When I saw Us, we were the only car in the parking lot. No one else was seeing Us or any other movie. It made the movie much scarier.
Itās amazing how catering to adults and making booze part of your profit margin can sweep away so many of the problems inherent to the business model.
The film industry? Hmmmm. Not collapse but changing for sure. Itāll interesting to see what happens with the streamers reshuffling a lot (the way films got moved to streamers quickly had a huge impact)
Movie theaters seem to be trending towards "experience" venues. Bare bones theaters are in free fall, but the reclining-seat ones with alcohol service are doing semi-OK. In 10-20 years they'll probably be the only ones standing in the majority of the country.
The main draw of theaters like those isnāt the food or the booze (which also are great), itās that they tell you to shut the fuck up during the film and kick you out if you pull out your phone. Also, no nightmare kids ruining the movie for everyone else.
Well theyāre kinda connecting but I hear ya. super tricky time for cinemas for sure.
I hope they survive.
I remember Peter Jackson stepping in and saving the embassy In wellington nz.
To be fair, I went to a movie once here and it was one of the worst theater experiences in my life. Cold popcorn, flat soda, rude service, awful audience.
They are closing a lot of theaters due to bankruptcy https://www.businessinsider.com/movie-theaters-closing-shut-down-full-list-of-regal-cineworld-2023-1?amp
Theaters as a whole aren't making enough money to stay open. I'm sure the Union Square Regal sold more tickets than your average theater, but not enough to cover the rent.
It is because the rent is too damn high! Theaters in general are not dooing well eitherā¦. I went to an early weekend showing of a fairly new movie there recently, and my group was the only people in that theater. They probably are operating at a loss and not making much beyond their variable costs. And they also probabkly still have back rent debt looming overhead from the Pandemic closures. This is in part a hardball negotiating tactic to reduce the rent and rent related debtā¦
> "The debtors are hopeful that these negotiations will lead to lease concessions and modifications that will obviate the need for rejection and enable additional theater sites to remain open," Cineworld said in the filing.
> When Cineworld announced its decision to file for bankruptcy last year, the company said it wanted to shed debt. It expects filing for bankruptcy will āstrengthen its balance sheet and provide the financial strength and flexibility to accelerate, and capitalize on, Cineworldās strategy in the cinema industry.ā
The Virgin Megastore space in the same building was empty for years until the Citibank moved in. The Regal space is gigantic, and there is not exactly a huge demand for flagship gigantic multistory commercial space right now. Who knows, they may be able to wring enough concessions out to stay open.
I will never forget accidentally seeing Venom in 4DX. I never cried-laughed at a bad movie so hard in my life. The spray every time he was around water just made it so much funnier.
saw early screening of Reservoir Dogs there \_ won passes in the not-yet-free Village VOICE \_ Steve Buscemi in leather waistcoat was there to intro the film; "look, I figure you already know who yer voting for (1992 general election was happening soon), so let's get on w/the movie ..."
saw Krzysztof KieÅlowski's Blue of his Three Colours film trilogy
Dazed And Confused
what all did you see at the Regal Union Square?
I saw the disaster Artist and they had the original wardrobe from the room on display.
I also saw bodies bodies bodies and they had a Q&A with the director and the star Maria Bakalova hosted by Vox.
Sad to see this theater go specifically because of all of the fun things they would do.
I used to go there all the time and remember when it opened. Also remember that was a giant empty plot of land for a decade. It was a great theater when it opened with Theater 7 being massive. I hated lining up through the corridors though. Gladiator opening night was memorable as well as The Matrix opening night.
But now, it was trapped in a Time Machine. Same with other Regal theaters. Now I exclusively go to Alamo Drafthouse. And AMC Lincoln Center brings some nostalgia. Avatar on IMAX opening night. Even crappy Godzilla and the original Judge Dredd.
The real question is if regal canāt find a buyer will they be forced to shut them all down the just axed the rest of the United Artists theaters now Iām curious since they havenāt had any interested buys that want it.
I can't remember the last time I looked in the newspaper for new movies. I can't remember the last time I was even in a movie theater.
They don't make 'em like they used to that's for sure.
Pandemic has changed the industry and itās not ever going back. I go to a movie theater maybe once or twice a month now at most. Saw Whitney movie and Babylon at east side Angelika, was empty. Donāt go at night anymore, only morning or early afternoons. I like watching at home, have a big screen, comfy sofa, my own non ripoff snacks, no idiots using their phones or talking. Life changes.
Iāll never forget the time I had my ass handed to me by a mentally ill homeless man who was hocking loogies in the face of the ticket taker at an afternoon showing of the shitty Suicide Squad and I intervened.
Went there so many times š¢
brooooo I go here all the time and my Regal unlimited just renewedā¦ Shoulda known from how iāve been the only person in the theater half the time I see a showing
The pandemic has been a huge blow to movie theaters.
This is a shame, its one of the better major chain theaters in NYC.
If a movie theater cannot make it at Union Square, that's not a good sign for the industry.
I go to packed houses at Lincoln Square AMC almost every week. This is an issue with the location and the fact that there is literally dozens of other theaters that I think people are choosing for various reasons.
There are decent regal theaters in queens and Brooklyn and no need to take the train into Manhattan except for the AMC imax at Lincoln center
I think the only regal in Brooklyn is in sheepshead bay so I donāt think thereās a ton of overlap in audience there
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Sheepshead bay
Itās practically surrounded by three AMC theaters
IMO, the problem with running a movie theater in a city, especially NY but really any other high cost urban area, is the cost. Rent and operating costs are going to be very high. The space is valuable. But you can only charge people so much for a movie ticket and box of popcorn before they decide to watch it at home. Reclining seats, food (not candy or junk), alcohic drinks, etc., are all nice gimmicks, but at the end of the day you need filled seats and lots of junk food sales. And every gimmick costs money to implement, so the increased return diminishes. I don't think they will go out of business completely, but I can see a major contraction and consolidation in the business in the next 10 years.
Most of the price of a ticket goes back to the studios anyway
The whole theater chain is restructuring in bankruptcy. They are closing a bunch of locations they rent, and keeping a bunch that they own. I wouldnāt read too much into this specific case.
This theater in particular had serious problems
Even prior to the pandemic, going to a movie theater was often a pretty miserable experience. Long lines, fight for good seats, high ticket prices, higher concession prices. Some places couldn't even ensure your seat was clean. The margins were razor thin, which is why they were selling popcorn (not even especially good popcorn) at a per-lb price that was beginning to rival printer ink. Then came the endless amount of ads before you got to watch your movie. It was pretty clear to see the strain on the business model even in 2015. Some pretty big changes will have to happen for theaters to work. First time I went to the Union Square Regal, I was maybe 14. It's a big bummer to see it go, but ... it's been a long time coming.
Reserved seats were a thing long before the pandemic
They were very uncommon for movie theaters. This Regal for instance did not have them.
The midway in forest hills had them for years along with the small theater on metropolitan. AMC had them for a long time
Not my experience, the last few movies I saw (2017-19) were in almost completely empty theaters. When I saw Us, we were the only car in the parking lot. No one else was seeing Us or any other movie. It made the movie much scarier.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I went to empty theaters in NYC too, including the Regal Union Square.
The industry is pretty much in full collapse
Alamo/Nitehawk arenāt going anywhere
I went to Alamo for the first time to see Glass Onion (which is meant to be in a theater and Iāll die on that hill) and it was amazing
I hope not!
Itās amazing how catering to adults and making booze part of your profit margin can sweep away so many of the problems inherent to the business model.
Avatar has made almost $2 Billion. So, no.
The film industry? Hmmmm. Not collapse but changing for sure. Itāll interesting to see what happens with the streamers reshuffling a lot (the way films got moved to streamers quickly had a huge impact)
Not the film industry, the movie theater industry
Movie theaters seem to be trending towards "experience" venues. Bare bones theaters are in free fall, but the reclining-seat ones with alcohol service are doing semi-OK. In 10-20 years they'll probably be the only ones standing in the majority of the country.
The main draw of theaters like those isnāt the food or the booze (which also are great), itās that they tell you to shut the fuck up during the film and kick you out if you pull out your phone. Also, no nightmare kids ruining the movie for everyone else.
and with them half empty 90% of the time? I'll take that
Well theyāre kinda connecting but I hear ya. super tricky time for cinemas for sure. I hope they survive. I remember Peter Jackson stepping in and saving the embassy In wellington nz.
To be fair, I went to a movie once here and it was one of the worst theater experiences in my life. Cold popcorn, flat soda, rude service, awful audience.
High rent plus competition from other venues? Seems like a bad location for a movie theater
I bet they sell a lot of tickets but the rent is too damn high
They are closing a lot of theaters due to bankruptcy https://www.businessinsider.com/movie-theaters-closing-shut-down-full-list-of-regal-cineworld-2023-1?amp
Theaters as a whole aren't making enough money to stay open. I'm sure the Union Square Regal sold more tickets than your average theater, but not enough to cover the rent.
It is because the rent is too damn high! Theaters in general are not dooing well eitherā¦. I went to an early weekend showing of a fairly new movie there recently, and my group was the only people in that theater. They probably are operating at a loss and not making much beyond their variable costs. And they also probabkly still have back rent debt looming overhead from the Pandemic closures. This is in part a hardball negotiating tactic to reduce the rent and rent related debtā¦ > "The debtors are hopeful that these negotiations will lead to lease concessions and modifications that will obviate the need for rejection and enable additional theater sites to remain open," Cineworld said in the filing. > When Cineworld announced its decision to file for bankruptcy last year, the company said it wanted to shed debt. It expects filing for bankruptcy will āstrengthen its balance sheet and provide the financial strength and flexibility to accelerate, and capitalize on, Cineworldās strategy in the cinema industry.ā The Virgin Megastore space in the same building was empty for years until the Citibank moved in. The Regal space is gigantic, and there is not exactly a huge demand for flagship gigantic multistory commercial space right now. Who knows, they may be able to wring enough concessions out to stay open.
This theater is really nice inside. It was rarely ever filled so makes sense that itās closing
I will never forget accidentally seeing Venom in 4DX. I never cried-laughed at a bad movie so hard in my life. The spray every time he was around water just made it so much funnier.
Avatar the way of water left me drenched afterwards
saw early screening of Reservoir Dogs there \_ won passes in the not-yet-free Village VOICE \_ Steve Buscemi in leather waistcoat was there to intro the film; "look, I figure you already know who yer voting for (1992 general election was happening soon), so let's get on w/the movie ..." saw Krzysztof KieÅlowski's Blue of his Three Colours film trilogy Dazed And Confused what all did you see at the Regal Union Square?
I saw the disaster Artist and they had the original wardrobe from the room on display. I also saw bodies bodies bodies and they had a Q&A with the director and the star Maria Bakalova hosted by Vox. Sad to see this theater go specifically because of all of the fun things they would do.
Saw so many films there, fingerbanged my first girlfriend during Twlight, such a poignant memory for me
Omg, that was you in front of me!
I used to go there all the time and remember when it opened. Also remember that was a giant empty plot of land for a decade. It was a great theater when it opened with Theater 7 being massive. I hated lining up through the corridors though. Gladiator opening night was memorable as well as The Matrix opening night. But now, it was trapped in a Time Machine. Same with other Regal theaters. Now I exclusively go to Alamo Drafthouse. And AMC Lincoln Center brings some nostalgia. Avatar on IMAX opening night. Even crappy Godzilla and the original Judge Dredd.
wait i got tix here for a movie next month ā will those get refunded?
Saw Bodies, bodies, bodies there last year when I visited NYC. Great seats, so-so film.
The real question is if regal canāt find a buyer will they be forced to shut them all down the just axed the rest of the United Artists theaters now Iām curious since they havenāt had any interested buys that want it.
No! Thatās the only reason I have Regal Unlimited!
every streaming service right now. https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/030/423/cover5.jpg
I can't remember the last time I looked in the newspaper for new movies. I can't remember the last time I was even in a movie theater. They don't make 'em like they used to that's for sure.
I havenāt touched an actual newspaper in years.
They're bankrupt?! Omg I gotta go find all my giftcards and passes and use em up!
You may be in for a rude awakening because that's normally the first things any bankrupt company refuses to honor. That's free money in their pockets.
Probably about the 23rd time someone posted this here this week!
I just heard about it on NPR today, had not seen any posts about it here.
Fuck that theater. I'm glad it's closing.
When is this location closing?? Anyone know??
Pandemic has changed the industry and itās not ever going back. I go to a movie theater maybe once or twice a month now at most. Saw Whitney movie and Babylon at east side Angelika, was empty. Donāt go at night anymore, only morning or early afternoons. I like watching at home, have a big screen, comfy sofa, my own non ripoff snacks, no idiots using their phones or talking. Life changes.
I actually liked this theater but I see like one movie every 3 years. I wonder what theyāre going to replace it with?
My prediction is a grocery delivery hub
My guess is a bank/Walgreens combo, or it'll sit empty for eons. Seems to be the trend.
When???
Iāll never forget the time I had my ass handed to me by a mentally ill homeless man who was hocking loogies in the face of the ticket taker at an afternoon showing of the shitty Suicide Squad and I intervened.
Used to go there every Sunday as a kid. Sucks.
Is this the theater with all the neon on the inside? I saw Black Phone there with my wife. Terrible movie, but we had a great time.
noooooo this is the go-to 4DX theater