“The Black Cauldron”: The North American 70mm Engagements | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 11.10.2020 |
 The following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter engagements of “The Black Cauldron” in the United States and Canada. These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.“The Black Cauldron” was among twenty-three confirmed first-run films released in 1985 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. Approximately seventy-five 70mm prints were struck for distribution in North America and represented about five percent of the film’s total initial print run. The Walt Disney production and Buena Vista release — directed by Ted Berman and Richard Rich — opened July 24th. Pre-release screenings included an invitational preview held July 12th, 13th and 16th at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. As well, there were sneak preview screenings held in numerous locales July 19th. For the release of “The Black Cauldron,” Buena Vista 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 “The Black Cauldron” featured 2.20:1 full-frame imagery (sourced from Technirama Large Aperture Successive Exposure photography) and a dual inventory of magnetic Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded with a 5-screen/1-surround/no Baby Boom layout [Dolby processor setting “41”]) and magnetic Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format [Dolby processor setting “42”] with a Split Surround playback option [Dolby processor setting “43”]). These prints provided a superior projection and sound experience in comparison to the film’s 35mm prints. Note that some cinemas may have screened a 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo print utilizing Dolby-compatible equipment from another manufacturer (EPRAD, Smart, Ultra Stereo, etc.), and in some instances an exhibitor may have made a special request for a 70mm print that lacked Dolby Noise Reduction so that it could be played on a cinema’s older, pre-Dolby-era sound system. The presentations of “The Black Cauldron” included the Donald Duck & Chip ‘N’ Dale animated short “Chips Ahoy.” Buena Vista circulated 70mm trailers for “The Journey of Natty Gann, “My Science Project” and “One Magic Christmas” during the release of “The Black Cauldron” As well, other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period. Ultimately, the 70mm trailers, if any, seen during the 70mm presentations of “The Black Cauldron” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. *Included 70mm sneak preview screening on July 19th ALBERTA Calgary — Famous Players’ Palliser Square Twin (7) Calgary — Famous Players’ Sunridge 5* (11) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Londonderry Twin* (5) Edmonton — Famous Players’ West Mall 5 (7) ARIZONA Mesa — Mann’s Superstition 5* (5) BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver — Famous Players’ Capitol 6 (3) Vancouver — Famous Players’ Denman Place [July 19th sneak preview only] CALIFORNIA Corte Madera — Blumenfeld’s Cinema* (3) Costa Mesa — Edwards’ Town Center 4* (3) Irvine — Edwards’ University 5 (3) Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4* (5) Los Angeles — Mann’s Chinese Triplex* (2) [THX] Los Angeles — Mann’s National* (1) [THX] Newark — Syufy’s Cinedome West 7 (9) Oakland — Foster’s Piedmont* (3) Orange — Syufy’s Cinedome 6* (7) Palo Alto — Renaissance Rialto’s Stanford* (3) Pasadena — Pacific’s Hastings* (5) Sacramento — Syufy’s Century 6* (8) Sacramento — Syufy’s Cinedome 5 (5) San Diego — Mann’s Loma [July 19th sneak preview only] San Diego — Mann’s Valley Circle (3) San Francisco — Blumenfeld’s Regency II* (2) San Jose — Syufy’s Century 23 Twin [July 19th sneak preview only] San Jose — Syufy’s Town & Country (3) South San Francisco — Syufy’s Century Plaza 8 (5) COLORADO Aurora — Commonwealth’s Cooper 5 [July 19th sneak preview only] Denver — Mann’s Century 21 (3) [THX] DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — GCC’s Jenifer Twin* (5) FLORIDA Orlando — Plitt’s Plaza Twin [July 19th sneak preview only] GEORGIA Morrow — GTC’s Southlake 8* (3) Tucker — AMC’s Northlake Festival 8* (2) ILLINOIS Chicago — GCC’s Ford City 5* (2) Homewood — Plitt’s Diana 4* (2) Milan — Redstone’s Showcase 8* (2) Skokie — M&R’s Old Orchard 4* (2) INDIANA Indianapolis — Loews’ College Park 6* (2) KENTUCKY Louisville — Redstone’s Showcase 9* (10) LOUISIANA New Orleans — Golden Crest’s Kenilworth [July 19th sneak preview only] MANITOBA Winnipeg — Famous Players’ Northstar Twin* (5) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Sack’s Cheri Triplex* (3) MICHIGAN Flint — Butterfield’s Flint* (3) Sterling Heights — Redstone’s Showcase 11* (3)* MINNESOTA St. Louis Park — Plitt’s Knollwood 4* (7) MISSOURI Chesterfield — Wehrenberg’s Clarkson 6* (5) Kansas City — AMC’s Bannister Square 6* (3) Shrewsbury — Wehrenberg’s Kenrick 8* (8) NEBRASKA Omaha — Commonwealth’s Orchard 4* (3) NEVADA Las Vegas — Syufy’s Red Rock 11 (10) NEW JERSEY Moorestown — Sameric’s Eric Plaza Twin* (3) Paramus — RKO Century’s Route 17 Triplex (6) [opened July 26th] Secaucus — Loews’ Meadow 6 (2) [opened July 26th] Totowa — UA’s Cinema 46 Triplex (4) [opened July 26th] NEW YORK Nanuet — UA’s Route 59 (3) [opened July 26th] New York — Rockefeller’s Radio City Music Hall (5) [opened July 26th] Valley Stream — Redstone’s Sunrise 11 (8) [opened July 26th] Woodbury — UA’s Cinema 150 (2) [opened July 26th] NORTH CAROLINA Charlotte — Plitt’s Park Terrace Triplex* (6) OHIO Mentor — NTC’s Great Lakes Mall 5* (3) Parma — GCC’s Parmatown 5* (3) Springdale — Redstone’s Showcase 8* (4) ONTARIO Mississauga — Famous Players’ Square One 4 (7) Newmarket — Famous Players’ Glenway 5 (6) Ottawa — Famous Players’ Nelson (7) Ottawa — Famous Players’ Rideau Centre Triplex [July 19th sneak preview only] Scarborough — Famous Players’ Cedarbrae 6 (7) Toronto — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4 (5) [La Reserve] Toronto — Famous Players’ Hollywood Twin* (6) Toronto — Famous Players’ Palace Triplex (6) PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia — Sameric’s SamEric 4* (#1: 4) Philadelphia — Sameric’s SamEric 4 (#2: 1) QUEBEC Montreal — United’s Imperial* (7) [THX] Westmount — United’s Westmount Square (7) TEXAS Dallas — GCC’s Caruth Plaza Triplex [July 19th sneak preview only] Dallas — GCC’s Valley View Twin [July 19th sneak preview only] Fort Worth — GCC’s Opera House [July 19th sneak preview only] Houston — Cineplex’s Gaylynn Terrace* (4) Houston — Plitt’s Cinema 5* (7) UTAH Orem — SCERA (8) [70mm from Week 2] Salt Lake City — Plitt’s Centre [July 19th sneak preview only] Salt Lake City — Plitt’s Trolley Corners Triplex (9) WASHINGTON Bellevue — SRO’s John Danz (3) Lynnwood — SRO’s Grand Alderwood 5 [July 19th sneak preview only] Seattle — SRO’s Northgate (3) Seattle — SRO’s Uptown Triplex (3) Tukwila — SRO’s Lewis & Clark 7 [July 19th sneak preview only] Tukwila — SRO’s Southcenter (3) WISCONSIN Milwaukee — Capitol’s Loomis Road 4* (4) 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 AND SCREENINGS 1985-08-02 … Los Angeles, CA — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (2) 1985-08-09 … San Francisco, CA — Blumenfeld’s Regency III (3) 1985-08-16 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (6) 1985-08-16 … Vancouver, BC — Famous Players’ Vancouver Centre Twin (2) 1985-08-30 … Mesa, AZ — Mann’s Superstition 5 (3) [w/ “E.T.”] 1985-08-30 … New York, NY — Guild’s Embassy 1 (2) 1985-09-06 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Imperial 6 (1) 1985-09-13 … Carmel, IN — Heaston’s Woodland Twin (1) 1985-09-13 … Orange, CA — Syufy’s City Center 4 (2) 1985-09-20 … Wichita, KS — Dickinson’s Mall (1) 1985-10-12 … Norfolk, VA — Naro [Sat-Sun matinee] 1986-04-19 … Cleveland, OH — CWRU’s Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series] The information included in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to David Ayers, Don Beelik, Robert Endres, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Kenneth Mitchell and Monty Marin, and an extra special thank-you to all of the librarians who helped with this project. Any international 70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in this work. 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. | More in 70mm reading: History of Technirama Super Technirama 70 70mm Engagements 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo Internet link: |
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