Ever head to "2nd hand" cinemas ($1-4/movie)? (1 Viewer)

[JediFonger]

just discovered a local cinema here that plays movies that have been released 2.5 months ago! it's a great way to catchup on what i missed and/or see those indies much later when i have time. the price is $2.5/movie or you can roam around and the teenage "manager" doesn't even care (he explicitly told me to stay as long as you want).

i didn't but i checked out how many people were in each (8 total playing various older releases) and there were under 10 people in each cinema. so, no crying babies, no foul-mouthed teens, just people who missed it the 1st time and need to catchup. granted it's pretty much all mono or stereo, taht's why i watched thank you for smoking. but there is one auditorium with dts in it =). that just can't be beat for $2.5 =).

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

There was a great theatre in NYC that I used to always go to that played second run. But unlike most second run theatres, this one actually had a nice sized screen and great sound. Tickets were $3 and concessions were reasonable. It was always packed though but I usually went there for something I missed, or if I wanted to catch a movie for the 2nd or 3rd time before it left theatres for good.

I don't know of any around here though like that. The only 2nd run spots I know of are of pretty poor quality. Heck, if a movie has been out for more than 2 weeks I usually say forget it and wait for DVD because by then they are moved to the smaller screens in the multiplexes anyways. I'm not paying $10 for a crappy presentation.

 

[Seth=L]

Oh it gets better, Here in Fort Wayne, IN we have a Starplex Cinemas 13 theater. It has better sound than the regular theaters in my home town Kokomo , IN. Get this it is only a $1 for matinees, $1.50 late shows, and they have a 50 cent Tuesday. It does't get much sweeter than that, except for my home theater it's pretty sweet too.

Seth=L

 

[Elizabeth S]

There's a 8(?)-screen place here that has $1.00 movies everyday, all day long. I used to frequent it when it was an arthouse theatre and got exclusive bookings, but they didn't make enough money from the concessions. I've never returned since the change to 2nd run films, as I imagine it full of ill-behaved families with children running around. Even for $1.00, I don't want to deal with that!

 

[Seth=L]

The Starplex was the same way a dollar no matter what but they changed, sigh.

Seth=L

 

[RyanAn]

When our new (current) 16 screen theatre opened in 1998, our six or seven year old 6-screen in mall theatre became a second run theatre - still the same great little theatre, but cheaper. I found myself seeing a movie in stadium seating for $5.00 at the new theatre and then a few months later watching it again for a buck. Totally worth it.

It also helped when they seemingly got movies I missed due to a lack of cash flow.

I'm a big theatre connoisseur and love seeing theatres, even if they are a little past their prime.

I've found that these types of theatres have a more laid-back atsmosphere and are definately a positive expierence.

Oh, and did I mention I worked at both?

ry

 

[BrettGallman]

I just recently went to a theater where it cost me $4.50 to catch a matinee showing of Miami Vice. I had no clue it was that cheap, as the theater is not that old. It only has 8 screens and has been kind of left behind as all the bigger multiplexes have come into the area. They still (obviously) show movies in their first run, and I was pleasantly surprised that the theater was in excellent shape. No stadium seating, but that doesn't bother me during a matinee when no one else is there hardly. The screen and projection were of good quality, as was the audio. Definately worth $4.50.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Love second-run theaters. I wouldn't be able to go as much as I do without them. Proctor's (old vaudville/movie house converted to mainstream theater) still shows movies in the summer for $3. One huge theater restored to its original appearance with one large screen. I saw "Mrs. Henderson Presents" there; considering the subject matter I couldn't think of a more emersive experience for that film. It was like watching it INSIDE the Windmill.

 

[Steve_Knutzen]

I LOVED the 12-screen second-run theater that we used to have in the area. I saw everything from The Big Lebowski, to the re-release of Grease, to There's Something About Mary there. The employees were a little strange but I really wish it was still around.

 

[Stephen Orr]

My backyard bumps up to the parking lot of a shopping center that has a Cinema Cafe, that shows stuff a couple of months old on four screens. Cost is $1.50 - 3.50 a movie. I also live a couple of miles from a military base with a .99 theater, that shows stuff only a month old - Superman Returns will be there this weekend. I also see free sneaks out there sometimes (including SR and World Trade Center). Slowest consession stand in the world, though, so a lot of people sneak their own food in!

 

[John Mansor]

Anyone know of a 2nd hand theater near Philadelphia? Thanks.

 

[JediFonger]

it's funny because these cinemas used to be packed when the huge multiplex cinemas weren't around as much. i mean these mall-cinemas used to dominate the cinema scene... but with the huge multiplexes taking over, these cinemas became 2nd run =). it's good that there is still some around... though i just can't imagine how the owner can generate profit @$1-3 with such low volume attendance.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

Second-run theaters used to be lots of fun to visit, but the current movie environment makes them unattractive to me. The theater-to-DVD window has shrunk so much that by the time a movie gets to the second-run theaters, it will be on DVD in a week or two. I would much rather rent a DVD and have the luxuries of pause, subtitles, and bonus features than pay the same amount for a substandard presentation, the possibility of a rude audience, and the odd theater smells.

There are still circumstances where I will visit the second-run theaters, but I doubt I will go more than one or two times in the next year.

 

[JediFonger]

the 2nd theaters knows that, most films in my 2nd run is still at least 2 months away from DVD.

 

[Josh.C]

I like having 2nd run theaters around to watch all of those movies that you were on the fence about(and didn't wanna invest $8.00 on a whim), or that weren't going to have great audio anyway.

Great for Comedies, Drama's, etc... I will always go see the blockbuster's on a nice screen, but I'm glad there is another option for different types of films.

Great for cheap date movie's w/ the wife, able to splurge a bit more on food

JC

 

[Nathan V]

Anyone know of a 2nd hand theater near Hollywood? Thanks.

 

[Chris Atkins]

I remember fondly the days of the mall cinemas. I saw Raiders, ROTJ, Temple of Doom, and Karate Kid at the classic mall cinemas.

They are pretty much a way of the past now...though I was recently in Springfield, IL, and their mall had a *vintage* mall theater that looked like it hadn't changed at all since 1980. It was a nice trip to the past.

 

[ThomasC]

There's a second run in my neighborhood that's 50 cents all day Tuesday, $1.00 matinees, $1.50 evenings and $1.75 for Friday and Saturday evenings. I haven't been there in a while, but that's because I've been away at college for the past five years. I went once in a while during the summers, and I have never been disappointed in the projection and sound quality. I have never seen a bad print there. I can't say the same for a first run that used to run under the same theater company and which is only one of two multiplexes that I've sworn off for life, but it changed ownership a year ago. I've only had one bad experience at the second run, and that was because of some insane woman (sure seemed like it) who laughed at the most inappropriate times during A Beautiful Mind. Maybe that's how she "cries."

 

[BrettGallman]

There's still some first-run mall cinemas around. I saw Superman Returns for the second time in one. Also one city near me, the mall cinema must have some kind of deal with the new multiplex that just opened within walking distance. I say this because some weeks the multiplex gets the big release, while other weeks, this crappy mall cinema gets it. Needless to say, I end up going to a completely different city when the mall cinema gets it.

 

[Don Giro]

They built a "state-of-the-art" twelveplex in North Bergen, NJ (or is it Union City?) a few years ago: stadium seating, some rooms with THX certification, the works.

It opened as a first run multiplex around the time the film "The Gift" was released (which was the first time I visited), and I was awestruck by the dearth of moviegoers that Sunday evening.

Some time later (the day Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released for the PS2, if you're keeping score), my friend Erica and I went there to see "Barbershop" (it was the only thing starting around the time we got to the ticket window, and we had to meet up with someone in two hours, so "Barbershop" it was).

We arrived at the ticket window about five minutes after the scheduled showtime, but we had no worries, because we knew we wouldn't even miss the previews because of the length of the ubiquitous commercial reel. The ticket agent gave us our tickets already torn, which I thought a little strange, but then again, it WAS a Tuesday evening, so I figured the ticket taker/usher was off for the evening. We headed toward our screening room, five minutes late for the show, and were greeted by...an empty house. No previews running, no patrons, nothing. The projector started a few seconds after we sat down, and we were the only people in the theater for the entire show.

Upon our exit, it dawned on me that we had not seen any customers on the way into the theater. Now it was about 9 PM, and we didn't see anyone in the place who didn't obviously work there (which was the popcorn clerk and the gal in the ticket booth). I ducked into a couple of theaters, which were showing some heavy hitters at the time, and realized that Erica and I were the only customers in the ENTIRE multiplex!

A few months later, said multiplex became a 2nd-run theater. "Stadium Seating, All Seats $2.50," according to the banner. I understand they STILL have a hard time filling seats.