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“The Rocketeer”: The North American 70mm
Engagements |
Read more at
in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter
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Compiled by:
Michael Coate |
Date:
18.02.2021 |
The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
engagements of “The Rocketeer” in the United States and Canada. These were
the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.
“The Rocketeer” was among ten confirmed first-run films released in 1991
with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Walt Disney (Buena Vista)
release — directed by Joe Johnston (“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”) and starring
Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Paul Sorvino and Timothy Dalton — opened
June 21st.
For the release of “The Rocketeer,” Buena Vista employed the services of
Lucasfilm’s Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) to evaluate and approve the
cinemas selected to book a 70mm print.
Pre-release screenings included Sneak Preview & Rocketeer Party held June
17th (Embassy 1, New York), June 19th (El Capitan, Los Angeles and
Cinesphere, Toronto), and benefit screening June 22nd in lieu of an official
premiere (Walt Disney Studios).
The 70mm prints of “The Rocketeer” featured full-frame imagery blown up from
anamorphic 35mm and Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format
with a split-surround playback option).
Buena Vista circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for
“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Doctor,” “Ernest Scared Stupid,” “Paradise” and
“V.I. Warshawski” during the release of “The Rocketeer.” Other studios
circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm
trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “The Rocketeer” varied by
venue and screening.
Historical footnote: The engagement at El Capitan in Los Angeles was
intended to include the animated short “Mickey’s Gala Premier” (1933) which
had been blown up to 70mm and was to precede the feature presentation.
Ultimately, the 70mm short was screened only privately preceding the
premiere and a decision was made by Disney executives not to include it with
the public presentation.
The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in
parenthesis following the cinema name.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver — Famous Players’ Stanley (6) [THX]
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles — AMC’s Century 14 (7) [THX]
Los Angeles — Pacific’s Crest (5) [THX]
Los Angeles — Pacific’s El Capitan (6) [THX]
Mountain View — Syufy’s Century 10 (6)
Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (3)
Oakland — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake 4 (6)
San Diego — Mann’s Cinema 21 (5)
San Francisco — Blumenfeld’s Alhambra (5)
San Jose — Syufy’s Century 22 Triplex (6)
Santa Ana — AMC’s MainPlace 6 (6) [THX]
FLORIDA
Lake Buena Vista — AMC’s Pleasure Island 10 (5) [THX]
KANSAS
Overland Park — Dickinson’s Glenwood 4 (9)
MASSACHUSETS
Boston — Loews’ Charles Triplex (5)
NEW YORK
New York — Cineplex Odeon’s 23rd Street West Triplex (6)
New York — City Cinemas’ Murray Hill 4 (4)
New York — City Cinemas’ Sutton Twin (5)
New York — City Cinemas’ Village East 7 (5) [THX]
New York — Guild’s Embassy 1 (4)
New York — Loews’ 84th Street 6 (3)
ONTARIO
Ottawa — Famous Players’ Rideau Centre Triplex (5)
Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (5) [THX]
QUEBEC
Montreal — Famous Players’ Imperial (5) [THX]
TEXAS
Dallas — AMC’s Glen Lakes 8 (14)
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
1991-07-10 … Newport Beach, CA — Edwards’ Fashion Island 7 (2) [THX]
1991-07-25 … San Francisco, CA — Blumenfeld’s Regency II (1)
1992-03-18 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (3 days) [70mm festival]
1997-11-14 … Long Beach, CA — CSULB‘s Carpenter Center [Wide Screen
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 Theo Gluck,
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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More in 70mm reading:
Chronological premiere
list of major 70mm films
Month by month
premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films
70mm Engagements
70mm Blow Up List
Dolby Stereo
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