NYC, NY Ziegfeld Electric Goes Down

Due to some strange electronic malfunction, tonight's 10 p.m. show at the Ziegfeld was cancelled. Right after Anakin and Obi Wan had their argument over the mandate to protect Padme, the side emergency floodlights went on in the theater. Then the sound stopped, and the projector went dead. I went to the lobby to find out what was happening, and the scene wasn't pretty. The lights in the lobby were flickering, and there was a faint smell of something burning. It was obvious that this was something far more serious than a computer glitch.

Monique the manager did not have the situation under control; she was yelling at the concession stand people to give passes to future screenings and trying to track down the projectionist. In the meantime, people were still sitting in the auditorium, and had the Ziegfeld been on fire, nobody would have known the difference. After about five minutes, somebody came in to the auditorium with a flashlight and announced that the box office was closed, so people would have to take a pass or come back to the b.o. Saturday for a refund. Customers had to exit down the stairs in semi-darkness (as nobody thought to be stationed on the stairs to usher people out) As it stood when I left the theater, nobody had any information as to what was causing the electrical difficulties, and it was questionable as to whether things would be working in time for Saturday's screenings.

Of course, this would have to be the night where I'd schedule an impromptu trip to the Zieg with two friends who are huge "Star Wars" fans but had been out of town and unable to catch a digital screening elsewhere (and had never been to the Ziegfeld before). They were impressed with everything until the problems started.

That's what I get for not telling the usual suspects to show up for another Zieg screening! Far better for this to happen five weeks into its run, though, than on opening night. Could you imagine that scene?

And, for what it's worth, they had not changed the trailers.

 

I hope everythings ok.

 

do you think it had anything to do with that evil-looking water leak from the other night, steve? maybe we should've gotten monique to stick her big lobster-claw man hands into the light fixture wednesday night - then at least that problem (and ours ) could've been resolved by the weekend.

(and could this possibly be the chance you'd been waiting for, regarding everyone's favorite theatre manager? )

 

OMG.....thank god that everyone got out all rite and yes i mean EVERYONE...well i guess that 3:30 is out for me tomorrow b 4 the swrpg...oh well i think that having 15 under my belt is good for now....

 

James, you might still want to give it a try. It's possible that it was some problem they were able to rectify after everybody left. I certainly don't want to discourage people from going to see the film, especially when it's facing such stiff competition this weekend. But I would recommend calling before heading over to the Zieg, just in case.

 

It could always have just been a short.... and the burning smell was popcorn.

 

Oh. My. God.

 

I'm glad that everyne made it out ok & there was no serious injuries.

Hopfuly the problem will be/has been fixed.

 

well i tryed to c the 3:30 show and they didn't have it running for that show or the 12 something show....and not sure if they would b up and running by the 6:45 show.....

 

All showtimes on Moviefone.com are now down for the foreseeable future. I have a bad feeling about this.

 

Hi All,

I hope you don't mind the quick intro. I usually post in film forums. I'm in Astoria. Anybody else in Queens?

I stopped by the Ziegfeld today for a DLP screening, unbeknownst to me the troubles experienced Friday. I'm glad to know that no one was hurt. Notes on the doors still indicated that the DLP was down. They were, however, running a film print. There didn't seem to be anybody there that could answer any tech questions, so I left.

I hope they get the DLP backup. I saw it at AMC in both film and DLP, and both experiences were great. I'm a huge fan of the Ziegfeld, however (movies really seem more of a complete experience there) and I really would like to see it there (especially in DLP) before it goes away.

Has anybody here seen the DLP at AMC AND Ziegfeld? If so, how do they compare?

Best,

Tadji

 

Has anybody here seen the DLP at AMC AND Ziegfeld? If so, how do they compare?

I have and, in terms of image and sound quality, there isn't really a difference between the AMC and the Ziegfeld.

But... in terms of a movie-going experience, the Ziegfeld is still the place to be. Hopefully, they'll get the DLP back up; I want to see it again soon.

 

I was there on Friday night and it was indeed a bad scene....I took my friend there to have the Zieg experience after having seen the film print at AMC a few weeks ago....I was happy at least that I got two passes since I blew 8 bucks on snacks....as soon as we got outta the Zieg we took a transport down to the AMC and walked into into the 10:30 film print screening and didn't miss a beat (but we did unfortunately miss the zam chase scene)

 

Has anybody here seen the DLP at AMC AND Ziegfeld? If so, how do they compare?



Yep.. i didnt notice a difference... but the seats are more comfy

 

Yep.. i didnt notice a difference... but the seats are more comfy

Seats are more comfy... where? (I couldn't tell from the sentence)...

I've always thought that the Zieg had the most comfy non-stadium seating, and that the Sony IMAX had the most comfy stadium seating...

... until I saw Minority Report in Theater 7 (?) at the AMC. I mean DANG! That theater had like full-leather stadium seating. SO COMFY. Especially in the row behind the aisle so we could put our feet up on the bar in front of us... niiiiice...

 

Amcs seats are more comfy

 

not to be a flaming upstater here, but... guys, ALL the theatres in nyc have sweet seats! i grew up in the land of folding metal chairs bolted to the floor, so even the zieg still seems like it has pretty posh seating to me. (although the seats in the dlp screen at the AMC are too narrow for me to knit comfortably. ) i'm gradually growing less fond of stadium seating, though - not sure why that is, but it's happening.

btw, has anybody heard anything on the status of the zieg's dlp? i'd been thinking about heading up tonight or tomorrow, but if they're still running an analog copy, i'll save the subway fare and just go to frickin' union square.

 

I love the AMC Empire and would bear its children, if it were a person... well, maybe not. But I have loved that theatre ever since it opened. Saw Time Code there and totally took advantage of the empty theatre to put up the armrests and lay across the seats. Sw33t.

 

UPDATE:

The digital projector is still not working as of 3:30 p.m. Monday. They're hoping to have it up for Tuesday's shows. If you're planning to see it, you can call (212) 765-7601, which is the Ziegfeld's direct line, and ask whether the DLP is up and running.

 

So, i think the time has come to flood the THX line with calls, no?

Please call: 1-800-PHONE-THX (1-800-746-6384)
The number leads you through an automated system and does not ask for any personal info. They do not get back to you either. They just take note of the problem in order to make sure it gets fixed. It's very simple.

It can't possibly hurt to call. But it'll probably help.

 

I truly hope that everything is A.O.K. for next monday, or there'll be hell to pay!

 

The seats at the AMC were pretty comfy when I saw Minority Report there on Saturday (theater 18, I think), except for one thing that plagues practically every theater... The seats are too damn *tall*! Where's my lumbar support? I can forget about neck support--the chair's neck support is hovering somewhere above the crown of my head. Maybe we should let Japan design theater seats instead of Texas for once.

 

Claire and I are extremes with seats. lol

 

I'm with Claire on that one. hehe

 

Judging from the on again off again problems with both digital theaters in NJ and now the one frying itself at th Zieg it seems DLP is a less than perfect technology.