“The Right Stuff”: The North American 70mm
Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 26.10.2019 |
 The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
engagements of “The Right Stuff” in the United States and Canada. These were
the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.“The Right Stuff” was among thirteen confirmed first-run films released in 1983 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. Approximately sixty 70mm prints were struck for distribution in North America and represented about twenty-five percent of the film’s total initial bookings. The Ladd Company release (through Warner Bros.) — directed by Philip Kaufman (“Invasion of the Body Snatchers”) and starring Charles Frank, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Scott Paulen, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepherd, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright and Pamela Reed — opened October 21st. Pre-release screenings included sneak preview screenings in numerous locales October 15th; the world premiere October 16th at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; the southern premiere October 17th at the Fox in Atlanta; and the west coast premiere October 20th at the Samuel Goldwyn in Beverly Hills. The 70mm prints of “The Right Stuff” featured Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format) and pillarboxed imagery (approximately 1.85:1) blown up from spherical 35mm. (Note that some venues screened 70mm-Dolby prints utilizing Dolby-compatible equipment from another manufacturer [Eprad, Smart, Ultra Stereo, etc.] and in some instances an exhibitor made a special request for a 70mm print that lacked Baby Boom and Dolby Noise Reduction so that it could be played on a cinema’s older, pre-Dolby-era sound system.) Warner Bros. circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Deal of the Century,” “Gremlins,” “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan,” “Lassiter,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Police Academy,” “Star 80,” “Sudden Impact” and “Swing Shift” during the release of “The Right Stuff.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “The Right Stuff” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. ALBERTA Calgary — Famous Players’ Palace (7) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Londonderry Twin (7) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Westmount Twin (7) ARIZONA Phoenix — Mann’s Chris-Town 5 (8) Tucson — Plitt’s El Dorado Twin (13) BRITISH COLUMBIA Burnaby — Famous Players’ Lougheed Mall Triplex (7) Vancouver — Famous Players’ Vancouver Centre Twin (22) CALIFORNIA Berkeley — Cinerama’s California Triplex (10) La Mesa — Pacific’s Cinema Grossmont (7) Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4 (8) Los Angeles (Century City) — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (#1: 8) Los Angeles (Century City) — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (#2: 2) Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (8) Oakland — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake Twin (12) Palm Springs — Metropolitan’s Camelot Triplex (3) Pasadena — SRO’s Hastings (7) San Francisco — Plitt’s Northpoint (7) COLORADO Denver — Mann’s Century 21 (1+) DELAWARE Claymont — Sameric’s Eric Tri-State Mall 5 (8) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Circle’s Uptown (7) ILLINOIS Calumet City — Plitt’s River Oaks 8 (7) Chicago — Essaness’ Plaza Triplex (8) Chicago — GCC’s Ford City Triplex (7) Chicago — Plitt’s Esquire (7) Forest Park — Essaness’ Forest Park Triplex (8) Niles — Essaness’ Golf Mill Triplex (8) Norridge — M&R’s Norridge 5 (7) Northbrook — Center’s Edens Twin (8) Schaumburg — Plitt’s Woodfield 4 (7) Tinley Park — Essaness’ Bremen 4 (8) KANSAS Overland Park — Dickinson’s Glenwood Twin (8) KENTUCKY Louisville — Redstone’s Showcase 9 (7) MANITOBA Winnipeg — Famous Players’ Metropolitan (7) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Sack’s Cheri Triplex (17) Brookline — Redstone’s Showcase Circle Triplex (8) MINNESOTA Brooklyn Center — Plitt’s Brookdale (7) MISSOURI Independence — Mid-America’s Blue Ridge East 5 (8) Richmond Heights — Mid-America’s Esquire 4 (11) NEW JERSEY Moorestown — Sameric’s Eric Plaza Twin (8) Paramus — RKO Century’s Route Four 7 (7) Sayreville — Redstone’s Amboy 10 (7) Totowa — UA’s Cinema 46 Triplex (17) NEW YORK Hicksville — RKO Century’s Mid-Island Plaza Twin (7) New York (Manhattan) — Cinema 5’s Beekman (14) New York (Manhattan) — Reade’s Bay (8) New York (Manhattan) — RKO Century’s Warner Twin (7) Valley Stream — Redstone’s Sunrise 11 (7) OHIO Cincinnati — Mid States’ Carousel Twin (22) Dayton — Chakeres’ Dayton Mall 8 (9) ONTARIO Scarborough — Famous Players’ Cedarbrae 6 (7) Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (7) Toronto — Famous Players’ Runnymede Twin (7) Toronto — Famous Players’ University (23) OREGON Beaverton — LT’s Westgate Triplex (8) Portland — LT’s Eastgate Triplex (7) PENNSYLVANIA King of Prussia — Sameric’s Eric King Twin (8) Philadelphia — Sameric’s SamEric Triplex (9) QUEBEC Montreal — United’s Imperial (7) [opened October 28th] UTAH Salt Lake City — Plitt’s Centre (24) WASHINGTON Bellevue — SRO’s Factoria 5 (22) [70mm from Week 12] WISCONSIN Fox Point — Capitol’s Brown Port (7) 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 1983-11-11 … Palm Desert, CA — Metropolitan’s Town Center 7 (5) 1983-12-09 … Bloomingdale, IL — Plitt’s Stratford Square 4 (1) 1983-12-09 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Carnegie (1) 1983-12-09 … Chula Vista, CA — UA’s Park Plaza 6 (15) [70mm from Week 6] 1983-12-09 … Montclair, CA — SRO’s Montclair Triplex (1) 1983-12-09 … New York (Brooklyn), NY — RKO Century’s Kingsway 4 (3) 1983-12-09 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Moss’ Criterion Center 6 (10) 1983-12-09 … Portland, OR — LT’s Hollywood Triplex (13) 1983-12-09 … Washington, DC — Circle’s MacArthur Triplex (11) 1983-12-09 … Winnipeg, MB — Towne 8 (2) 1983-12-16 … Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA — SRO’s Metro (15) 1983-12-16 … Monrovia, CA — Mann’s Huntington Oaks 6 (14) 1983-12-16 … Montreal, QC — United’s Palace 6 (13) 1983-12-16 … Scottsdale, AZ — Blair’s Kachina (5) 1983-12-16 … Seattle, WA — Seven Gables’ Guild 45th Twin (6) 1983-12-28 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (7) 1983-12-28 … San Francisco, CA — Plitt’s Northpoint (9) 1984-01-20 … Los Angeles (Tarzana), CA — Mann’s Valley West 6 (11) 1984-01-20 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Reade’s Bay (4) 1984-01-27 … Laguna Hills, CA — Edwards/Sanborn’s Laguna Hills Mall Triplex (8) 1984-02-03 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Carnegie (2) 1984-02-17 … Anchorage, AK — Wometco Lathrop’s Polar Triplex (8) 1984-02-17 … Augusta, GA — Plitt’s National Hills (5) 1984-02-17 … Baltimore, MD — Durkee’s Senator (4) 1984-02-17 … Calgary, AB — Odeon’s North Hill (4) [70mm during Week 4] 1984-02-17 … Champaign, IL — Kerasotes’ Virginia (7) 1984-02-17 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Esquire (3) 1984-02-17 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Vogue (3) 1984-02-17 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Moss’ Movieland (3) 1984-02-17 … Oakland, CA — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake Twin (3) 1984-02-17 … Richmond, VA — NTI’s Ridge 4 (3) 1984-02-17 … Seattle, WA — Seven Gables’ Crest 4 (12) 1984-02-17 … Tucson, AZ — Plitt’s Foothills 4 (4) 1984-03-23 … Vancouver, BC — Famous Players’ Stanley (1) 1984-03-30 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4 (8) 1984-04-04 … Los Angeles (West Los Angeles), CA — Pacific’s Picwood (1) 1984-04-06 … Colonie, NY — UA’s Center Twin (1) 1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Hollywood (1) 1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Tarzana), CA — Mann’s Valley West 6 (1) 1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA — Mann’s Plaza (1) 1984-04-20 … Monrovia, CA — Mann’s Huntington Oaks 6 (1) 1984-05-16 … Phoenix, AZ — Plitt’s Cine Capri (1) 1984-05-18 … Los Angeles (Century City), CA — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (2) 1984-05-18 … Norfolk, VA — Naro (2 days) 1984-09-14 … San Diego, CA — Pacific’s Cinerama (1) 1984-09-21 … Chicago, IL — Center’s McClurg Court (1) 1985-03-06 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm festival] 1985-05-27 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [SIFF 70mm marathon] 1986-03-07 … Lackawanna, NY — Key’s Towne (1) 1986-03-10 … Norfolk, VA — Naro 2016-12-27 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm festival] 2016-12-29 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm festival] 2017-12-26 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm festival] 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, Bill Kretzel, Tim McGlynn and Kenneth Mitchell. International engagements 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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