Thursday, March 28, 2024

Death Knell for Movie Houses: NYC’s Chelsea Loses Main Multiplex, Cinepolis Theater, Today

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Is this the death knell for movie houses?

Today is the last day for the Cinepolis Theater on West 23rd St in Chelsea. For a long time the multiplex was a Cineplex Odeon establishment. Then eight years ago it was taken over by Cinepolis. Now it’s gone.

A post on the website reads: “Dear valued guests, We regret to inform you that Cinepolis Chelsea will be permanently closing on January 8, 2023. Tickets and gift cards may be subject to refunds. Please visit cinepolisusa.com/contact-us to submit a request for review. Our customer service team will reach out as soon as possible. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this has caused. Cinepolis has loved being part of the Chelsea community over the last 6 years, and we will miss sharing the big screen with you.”

There are a handful of multiplexes left in Manhattan, and now none in Chelsea or the West Side of Manhattan from 42nd St. down to Battery Park. We’ve lost so many theaters in the last five years thanks to streaming. Digital is doing to movies what it did to the music and book businesses. This is why New York is so quiet at night outside of Times Square. Why leave the house? Last night I walked by a formerly popular pizza palace and it was empty at 6:30pm. Where was everyone, I aske the owner? “Deliveries,” he answered, pointing to Door Dash carts.

Sad.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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