For 62 years could literally see everything at New York’s Cinema 1, 2, 3 on the Upper East Side.
Nestled on Third Avenue near the Coronet and Baronet Theaters, Cinema 1, 2, 3 was a hot spot for moviegoers.
But after “You Can See Everything” ends tonight at midnight, the shows will over. The theater will be joining the Baronet, Coronet, Beekman, 68th St Playhouse and other Upper East Side venues that have long been gone.
The owner of the building is selling it off, probably to build another obnoxious, unneeded tower of overpriced condos in the shadow of Bloomingdale’s. Reading International, the East Village-based entertainment and real estate company that owns the site, is looking to sell the property for $50 million.
Cinema 1, 2, 3 won’t be alone. Soon enough, the AMC Kips Bay movie complex on 2nd Avenue and 33rd St. will close as well thanks to NYU Langone Hospital.
We’ve already lost the famed Ziegfeld Theater. The city is being reduced to rubble for movie theaters. The new generation of audience wants to order in at night and watch movies on streaming. It’s disturbing, but c’est la vie. Unlike the renewed popularity of vinyl LPs, when all the theaters are gone they won’t be coming back.
I spent a good part of my life at Cinema 1, 2, 3 (which had a 4th theater in it). So many screenings and premieres, followed or preceded by meals at Yellowfingers, on the corner of 60th St. (They’re long gone, too.) Or even Serendipity. Even on regular nights, you’d run into famous people who lived nearby who’d run in it see a hot new film.
Adding to this misery is the loss of Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on Broadway and 62nd St. The horrible landlord has never filled the space after killing that community.
And so it goes. Future generations won’t know what they’re missing, but I guess the same could be said of the current one, which never knew the Baronet, Coronet, or Beekman. Believe it or not, people used to line up around the block to see new movies from Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese or highly touted foreign films. It was a badge of honor to see them right away. Now the badge goes to getting Door Dash fast.
Well, we still have the Paris, across from the Plaza, thanks to Netflix. Cross fingers that continues.
