“Willow”: The North American 70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 22.05.2022 |
 The following is a reference / historical
listing of the 70-millimeter large-format presentations of “Willow” in North
America. These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion
picture.“Willow” was among twelve confirmed first-run films released in 1988 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Lucasfilm Ltd. production in association with Imagine Entertainment and MGM release — directed by Ron Howard and starring Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Warwick Davis — opened May 20th. Pre-release screenings included an invitational preview held May 15th at the Village in Los Angeles. For the release of “Willow,” MGM 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 “Willow” 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). The THX Sound System “Cimarron” snipe was introduced with the release of “Willow.” MGM circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Child’s Play,” ”A Fish Called Wanda,” “Memories of Me” and “Poltergeist III” during the release of “Willow.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “Willow” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) has been included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. ALBERTA Calgary — Famous Players’ Palliser Square Twin (10) Calgary — Famous Players’ Southcentre 7 (14) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Londonderry Twin (10) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Paramount (10) [THX] ARIZONA Phoenix — Cinemark’s Cine Capri (8) ARKANSAS Little Rock — UA’s Cinema 150 (8) BRITISH COLUMBIA Burnaby — Famous Players’ Lougheed Mall Triplex (10) Vancouver — Famous Players’ Stanley (12) [THX] Victoria — Famous Players’ Coronet (9) CALIFORNIA Corte Madera — Cinerama’s Cinema (6) Costa Mesa — Edwards’ Town Center 4 (6) Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4 (10) Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (8) [THX] Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (1) [THX] (second print 5/25-6/2) Los Angeles (North Hollywood) — Syufy’s Century 7 (8) [THX] Los Angeles (Westwood Village) — Mann’s Village (6) [THX] Mountain View — Syufy’s Century 10 (8) Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Twin (5) Orange — Syufy’s Cinedome 8 (9) Sacramento — Syufy’s Cinedome 8 (9) [70mm from Week 5] San Diego — Mann’s Cinema 21 (5) San Francisco — Syufy’s Cinema 21 (11) [THX] San Francisco — Syufy’s Presidio (5) San Jose — Syufy’s Town & Country (8) Universal City — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18 (8) [THX] COLORADO Denver — Commonwealth’s Continental (1+) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Cineplex Odeon/Circle’s Uptown (5) FLORIDA Kendall — AMC’s Town & Country 10 North Miami Beach — Loews’ 167th Street Twin (10) GEORGIA Atlanta — Cineplex Odeon’s Phipps Plaza Triplex (9) ILLINOIS Chicago — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex (5) [THX] Evergreen Park — M&R’s Evergreen 4 (1) Lombard — GCC’s Yorktown 6 (5) Niles — Cineplex Odeon’s Golf Mill Triplex (4) Norridge — M&R’s Norridge 10 (4) [70mm from Week 2] Skokie — M&R’s Old Orchard 4 (5) IOWA Des Moines — Dubinsky-Fridley’s River Hills (9) [70mm from Week 6] KANSAS Overland Park — AMC’s Oak Park Plaza 6 (9) LOUISIANA New Orleans — GCC’s Robert E. Lee (9) MANITOBA Winnipeg — Famous Players’ Portage Place Triplex (14) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — USA’s Charles Triplex (9) MICHIGAN Dearborn — UA’s The Movies at Fairlane 10 (9) [70mm from Week 7] MINNESOTA Bloomington — GCC’s Southtown Twin (8) [70mm from Week 6] Roseville — UA’s The Movies at Pavilion Place 7 (9) St. Louis Park — Cineplex Odeon/Plitt’s Cooper Twin (5) MISSOURI Shrewsbury — Wehrenberg’s Kenrick 8 (7) [THX] NEW JERSEY Paramus — Cineplex Odeon’s Route Four 10 (6) Secaucus — Loews’ Meadow Plaza 8 (9) NEW YORK Hawthorne — National Amusements’ All Westchester Saw Mill 10 (7) [THX] Levittown — Loews’ Nassau Mall 6 (9) New York — Guild’s 50th Street (8) New York — Loews’ 34th Street Showplace Triplex (9) New York — Loews’ Paramount (8) New York — Loews’ Tower East (8) Valley Stream — National Amusements’ Sunrise 11 (11) Yonkers — GCC’s Central Plaza 4 (9) OHIO Cleveland — Colony (7) [70mm from Week 5] ONTARIO Mississauga — Famous Players’ Sussex Centre 4 (10) [THX] North York — Famous Players’ Towne & Countrye Twin (10) Ottawa — Famous Players’ Elgin Twin (10) Scarborough — Famous Players’ Cedarbrae 8 (10) Toronto — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4 (10) Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (12) [THX] OREGON Portland (?) PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia — Sameric’s Mark I (7) QUEBEC Dorval — Famous Players’ Dorval 4 (8) Montreal — Famous Players’ Imperial (12) [THX] TEXAS Austin — Presidio’s Lincoln Triplex (6) [THX] [70mm during Week 6] Dallas — GCC’s Northpark West Twin (7) [THX] Houston — GCC’s Galleria 4 (8) Houston — GCC’s Meyerland Plaza Triplex (9) [70mm from Week 6] UTAH Salt Lake City — Cineplex Odeon’s Centre (10) WASHINGTON Bellevue — Cineplex Odeon’s Factoria 5 (1+) Seattle — Cineplex Odeon’s Oak Tree 6 (1+) [THX] Seattle — Seven Gables’ Guild 45th Twin (1+) Tacoma — GCC’s Lincoln Plaza 8 (14) [THX] [70mm from Week 5]  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 1988-06-22 … Washington, DC — Cineplex Odeon/Circle’s Tenley Triplex (3) 1988-06-24 … Newmarket, ON — Famous Players’ Glenway 5 (5) 1988-06-29 … Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA — Mann’s Regent (2) 1988-07-13 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Vogue (2) 1988-07-15 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 23 Twin (1) 1988-07-22 … Downers Grove, IL — Classic Cinemas’ Tivoli (1) 1988-07-22 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 25 Twin (1+) 1988-08-12 … Vancouver, BC — Famous Players’ Denman Place (7) 1988-08-19 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Hollywood Twin (1) 1988-08-19 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Sheraton Centre Twin (1) 1989-03-20 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (8 days) [70mm festival] 1989-10-24 … Fremont, CA — GCC’s Fremont Hub 8 (3 days; w/ “Innerspace”) [THX] 2017-11-23 … Columbus, OH — Gateway 8 (4 days) [70mm series] 2018-10-21 … Santa Monica, CA — American Cinematheque’s Aero [Ron Howard series] 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 David Ayers, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel and W.R. Miller. 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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