“Last Action Hero”: The North American 70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 05.06.2022 |
 The following is a reference / historical
listing of the 70-millimeter presentations of “Last Action Hero” in North
America. These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion
picture. “Last Action Hero” was among eight confirmed first-run films released in 1993 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Columbia release — directed by John McTiernan (“Predator,” “Die Hard,” “The Hunt for Red October”) and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger — opened June 18th (with sneak preview screenings the night before in some locales). Pre-release screenings included the world premiere held June 16th at the Village in Los Angeles. For the release of “Last Action Hero,” Columbia employed the services of Lucasfilm’s Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) to evaluate and approve the cinemas selected to book a 70mm print. The 70mm prints of “Last Action Hero” featured full-frame imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm and a dual inventory of A- and SR-encoded Six-Track Dolby Stereo (Baby Boom format with a Split Surround playback option). Historical footnote: Some of this film’s 35mm prints were in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS), which accelerated an industry trend of fewer titles released with 70mm prints. Columbia circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “In the Line of Fire,” “Malice,” “Needful Things,” “Poetic Justice” and “Striking Distance” during the release of “Last Action Hero.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “Last Action Hero” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) has been included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. ARIZONA Phoenix — Harkins’ Cine Capri (3) CALIFORNIA Alhambra — Edwards’ Alhambra Place 5 (2) Anaheim — Edwards’ Festival 8 (5) Brea — UA’s Marketplace 8 (5) [70mm from Week 3] (THX) Chula Vista — UA’s Park Plaza 6 (5) Corte Madera — Pacific’s Cinema (3) Laguna Niguel — Edwards’ Rancho Niguel 8 (4) [THX] Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4 (4) Los Angeles (Beverly Grove) — GCC’s Beverly Connection 6 (4) [THX] Los Angeles (Granada Hills) — UA’s Movies 7 (4) [THX] Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) — UA’s Warner Center 6 (4) [THX] Marina del Rey — UA’s Movies 6 (4) Mountain View — Syufy’s Century 10 (4) Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (2) Orange — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 11 (5) Pasadena — Pacific’s Hastings 5 (4) Redwood City — Syufy’s Century Park 12 (4) [70mm from Week 2] Riverside — UA’s Park Sierra 6 (4) [70mm from Week 3] Sacramento — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 8 (4) San Diego — Mann’s Valley Circle (4) San Francisco — Cineplex Odeon’s Northpoint (3) San Jose — Syufy’s Century 22 Triplex (1) South San Francisco — Syufy’s Century Plaza 8 (5) [70mm from Week 3] Universal City — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18 (4) [THX] COLORADO Denver — UA’s Continental (1+) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Cineplex Odeon’s Wisconsin Avenue 6 (2) [THX] ILLINOIS Lansing — M&R’s River Run 8 (5) Lombard — GCC’s Yorktown 6 (5) [THX] KANSAS Overland Park — AMC’s Oak Park Plaza 8 (5) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Loews’ Cheri 4 (3) MINNESOTA Edina — GCC’s Centennial Lakes 8 (5) [THX] MISSOURI Shrewsbury — Wehrenberg’s Kenrick 8 (4) [THX] NEW JERSEY Paramus — Cineplex Odeon’s Route Four 10 (1+) |
More in 70mm reading: 70mm Cinemas in North America in70mm.com's list of films blown up to 70mm 70mm Engagements by Title 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year Large Format 7OMM Engagements Month by month premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films Chronological premiere list of major 70mm films 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo |
 NEW YORKNew York (Manhattan) — Cineplex Odeon’s Baronet (6) New York (Manhattan) — Cineplex Odeon’s Coronet (6) New York (Manhattan) — Cineplex Odeon’s National Twin (6) New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ 34th Street Showplace Triplex (5) New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ Orpheum 7 (5) [THX] New York (Queens) — UA’s Continental Triplex (4) Woodbury — UA’s The Syosset (4) PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia — UA’s SamEric 4 (5) ONTARIO Toronto — Cineplex Odeon’s Hyland Twin (3) TEXAS Dallas — UA’s The United Artists 8 (4) [THX] Houston — Cineplex Odeon’s Spectrum 9 (5) [THX] WASHINGTON Tukwila — Cineplex Odeon’s Lewis & Clark 7 (1+) Note that some of the presentations included in this listing may have been presented in 35mm during the latter week(s) of engagement due to contractual terms or print damage and the distributor’s unwillingness to supply a 70mm replacement print or because the booking was moved to a non-70mm-equipped auditorium within a multiplex. As well, the reverse may have been true in some cases whereas a booking began with a 35mm print because the lab was unable to complete the 70mm print order in time for an opening-day delivery or the exhibitor negotiated a mid-run switch to 70mm. In these cases, any 35mm portion of the engagement (or movement out of a branded auditorium) has been included in the duration figure. SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS 1993-06-25 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 21 (1) 1993-06-30 … Newport Beach, CA — Edwards’ Fashion Island 7 (1) [THX] 1993-06-30 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (2) 1993-07-09 … Los Angeles (Westwood), CA — UA’s Westwood Triplex (2) 1993-08-20 … Casper, WY — Movie Palaces’ America (3) 1993-11-05 … Cleveland, OH — CWRU’s Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series] 1994-03-16 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (3 days) [70mm festival] 2011-12-11 … Santa Monica, CA — American Cinematheque’s Aero [70mm fest; w/ “Cliffhanger”] 2012-08-23 … Austin, TX — Paramount [70mm festival] 2017-08-13 … Santa Monica, CA — American Cinematheque’s Aero [70mm series w/ “Streets of Fire”] 2018-02-10 … Austin, TX — Alamo Drafthouse’s Ritz [70mm festival] 2020-03-06 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2020-03-07 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2020-03-09 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2022-06-24 … Somerville, MA — Somerville [70mm festival; w/ “Streets of Fire”] The information included in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications, regional newspaper promotion, print enclosures, TAP records, and Dolby records. Special thanks to Bill Kallay and Bill Kretzel. International 70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in this article. If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please consider emailing the author or editor. |
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