I had a little moment this week as another building containing an old cinema (The Cineplex then The Anvil) was being demolished in my hometown of Sheffield and it hit me that none of the cinemas I saw the OT are left where I live. How about you people out there? What are your memories of the cinemas and do any of you have anything like this: I almost certainly saw these showings. I also saw the triple bill showings of the OT, my dad brought sandwiches and a flask of Bovril to drink.
That's were I saw all three films and trailers in 1978, 1980 (Mark Hamill attended the premiere of ESB there, the SWFA fan club president and myself welcomed him, his wife and son at the airport) and 1983 - it's now a consumer electronics market and you can still find Star Wars there, but only the Special Editions... ...
The top picture is how The Odeon looked back in the 80's. In the early 90's they moved to a brand new multi screen venue a couple of miles away. But this original venue is still open, its not a cinema anymore and its back to being a theatre venue. But the interior of the main auditorium has not changed other than being restored to its former glory. The main room was screen one and they also had 2 much smaller screens in other rooms. But the main auditorium was a beautiful venue to see a film back in the day and indeed still is for plays and shows. I have fond memories of my dad taking me to my Empire and Jedi here. The image of the huge Empire poster dominated the interior of the foyer with Vader looming over everyone is imprinted on my mind. Seeing a film in the dark in the cinema was a new experience for me and it just added to the whole epxerience with that film.
I saw all three of the OT movies for the first time at the late, lamented Menlo Park Twin off of Rt. 1 in Edison, NJ. I saw the original on the last Friday of June, 1977; TESB on the first weekend after release, and ROTJ on opening day.
Let's see, I saw the OT in cinemas when they were re-released in 1997. At that time, I was not yet 12 1/2 years old and we had just moved into the Park Lane house, where we lived until we moved from Dallas, TX to Arlington, VA. We went to go see it at the Cinemark 17 all the way down on Webb Chapel Road. We also saw TPM there as well.
Now this is a trip down memory lane. I saw the OT for the Special Editions in '97 when I was 13 at the Showcase Cinemas East in Monroeville, PA right outside of Pittsburgh. Saw ANH and ESB on opening day and ROTJ on the opening Sunday. I saw TPM there too on opening night. That theater is long gone now. Probably the last theater too that I can remember going to that didn't have stadium seating. I think I pretty much saw 95% of my movies growing up there until about 2000 when a newer theater opened up closer to me. It's funny that a 17 year old theater is considered one of the older ones around me now.
So, I saw Star Wars on its day of release in Liverpool, here is a cutting from the Liverpool Daily Post on 30 January 1978, the day of the film’s premiere at the Odeon on London Road, Liverpool. I am in this picture somewhere in line
Here is a picture of that Odeon in Liverpool - I cant find a good image other than this old one (from the 50's I think). The building has been torn down now.
I didnt realize how old the Odeon theater brand was. The theater I originally saw ANH in 1977 was eventually turned into an adult-only theater, and shortly thereafter demolished.
Ha, you can add to the title of the thread "that have since been demolished". Certainly here in the US, unless its a classic cinema house or is a registered historic landmark, I'm guessing that most of the theaters that someone saw the OT in have seen been torn down. Even ones from 20 years for the Special Edition are probably gone.
The theater I saw ROTJ in as a kid is long gone, it was a theater in the mall which was way more common back then. The theater I saw the Special Edition movies was torn down and replaced with apartments a couple of years ago. Fortunately, the theater a lot of people in my hometown saw the original Star Wars in is still operating and is considered a historical landmark. It now shows older movies and independent films and is operated by volunteers. Edit: Ha Guidman pretty much made my post for me
You start thinking about it and its real similar to how professional sports arenas and stadiums from 20 years ago are now obsolete. Just look at Atlanta, they have two teams that had stadiums that barely made it to 25 years that are being replaced this year. First any theater without stadium seating went to the wayside. Now even if you do have stadium seating, you have to have reserved seating or reclining seats in your largest theaters. Not to mention, you have to have one screen that is large format or IMAX. Then you add in all the additional food options you have to have now. You have new creative ways to make additional revenue. Back to the original topic, it is funny to look at these pictures of old theaters. Much different movie going experience.
I was in the car at a drive-in, when my family first saw ANH in 1978. I was about a month or two old. I saw ROTJ for the first time at a drive-in, in Columbus Nebraska. The next time was at the Stockyards Cinema, in Omaha. I saw the SE's of ANH and ROTJ at Cinema III and TESB at King's 4, in Norfolk Nebraska.
Often I am quite thankful that I was able to see the OT in cinema's, as I was about 8 or 9 when the SE were released in the 90's. I remember seeing ANH in the Cineplex I still go to today, but my fondest memory was seeing back-to-back features of ESB and ROTJ in the drive-in with my parents and sister. Seeing those two movies with the feel of the drive in changed my life. I feel very privileged I got to see the OT on the big screen, even if it was the original and the pure feeling of the late 70's.
I saw them all in crappy little theaters, except for Star Wars (before the Ep IV thing), which I saw once on a huge, high quality screen. Still, super glad I saw them in the theaters that way.
