“The Abyss”: 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
presentations of “The Abyss” in North America. These were the cinemas worth
seeking out to experience this motion picture. “The Abyss” was among seventeen confirmed first-run films released in 1989 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Lightstorm production and 20th Century Fox release — directed by James Cameron (“Aliens,” “Terminator 2”) and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn — opened August 9th. Pre-release screenings included an invitational preview August 2nd at Avco Center in Los Angeles and world premiere August 8th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. For the release of “The Abyss,” Fox 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 Abyss” featured magnetic Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format [Dolby processor setting “42”]) and 2.20:1 full-frame imagery blown up from Super-35 and 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. Fox circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Die Hard 2,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “Worth Winning” during the release of “The Abyss.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “The Abyss” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. ARIZONA Phoenix — Harkins’ Cine Capri (10) BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver — Cineplex Odeon’s Granville 7 (7) [THX] CALIFORNIA Los Angeles (Beverly Grove) — Cineplex Odeon’s Beverly Center 13 (9) [THX] Los Angeles (Hollywood) — UA’s Egyptian Triplex (11) [THX] Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks) — GCC’s Sherman Oaks 5 (7) [THX] Los Angeles (West Hills) — GCC’s Fallbrook 7 (10) [THX] Los Angeles (Westwood) — GCC’s Avco Center Triplex (10) [THX] Mountain View — Syufy’s Century 10 (9) Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (6) Oakland — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake 4 (8) Orange — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 8 (10) Pleasant Hill — Syufy’s Century 5 (8) Redondo Beach — GCC’s Galleria South Bay 6 (10) [THX] Sacramento — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 8 (10) Sacramento — UA’s Arden Fair Mall 6 (13) San Diego — Mann’s Grove 9 (8) [THX] (70mm from Week 6) San Diego — UA’s Horton Plaza 7 (8) [THX] San Francisco — UA’s Galaxy 4 (#1: 11) [THX] San Francisco — UA’s Galaxy 4 (#2: 7) [THX] San Jose — Syufy’s Century 21 (8) San Jose — Syufy’s Century Berryessa 10 (13) [THX] Universal City — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18 (9) [THX] COLORADO Denver — UA’s Continental (11) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Cineplex Odeon’s Wisconsin Avenue 6 (6) [THX] Washington — K-B’s Fine Arts (5) GEORGIA Atlanta — UA’s Lenox Square 6 (7) ILLINOIS Chicago — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex (8) [THX] Skokie — M&R’s Old Orchard 4 (5) IOWA Des Moines — Excellence’s River Hills (10) KANSAS Overland Park — Dickinson’s Glenwood 4 (8) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Loews’ Cheri Triplex (5) MINNESOTA St. Louis Park — Cineplex Odeon’s Cooper Twin (8) NEW JERSEY Edison — GCC’s Menlo Park Twin (5) Paramus — Cineplex Odeon’s Route Four 10 (8) Secaucus — Loews’ Meadow 6 (6) West Orange — GCC’s Essex Green Triplex (6) [THX] NEW YORK Garden City — Loews’ Roosevelt Field 8 (5) New York (Brooklyn) — UA’s The Movies at Sheepshead Bay 9 (6) New York (Manhattan) — Cineplex Odeon’s Bay (5) New York (Manhattan) — Cineplex Odeon’s Ziegfeld (5) New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ Orpheum Twin (5) New York (Manhattan) — Trans-Lux’s Gotham (10) New York (Queens) — UA’s Continental Triplex (5) Syosset — UA’s Syosset Triplex (5) ONTARIO Ottawa — Cineplex Odeon’s Somerset (8) Toronto — Cineplex Odeon’s Hyland Twin (9) OREGON Portland — LT’s Lloyd 10 (8) [THX] PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia — Sameric’s Sam’s Place Twin (6) QUEBEC Montreal — Cineplex Odeon’s Place Alexis-Nihon Triplex (8) TEXAS Addison — UA’s Prestonwood Creek 5 (10) [THX] (70mm during Weeks 6-8) Austin — Presidio’s Arbor 4 (8) [THX] Dallas — GCC’s Northpark West Twin (5) [THX] Houston — Cineplex Odeon’s Spectrum 9 (9) [THX] WASHINGTON Tacoma — GCC’s Lincoln Plaza 8 (11) [THX] Tukwila — Cineplex Odeon’s Southcenter (6) 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. |
More in 70mm reading: in70mm.com's page about films blown up to 70mm 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Title Presented on the big screen in 7OMM The Alleged 70mm Releases 70mm Blow Ups Which Never Were |
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SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS 1989-09-15 … Evanston, IL — Loews/M&R’s Evanston 5 (2) 1989-09-15 … Nashville, TN — Carmike’s Belle Meade (1) 1989-09-22 … Tukwila, WA — Cineplex Odeon’s Lewis & Clark 7 (4) 1989-09-29 … Colma, CA — UA’s The Movies at Metro Center 6 (3) 1989-10-06 … Edmonton, AB — Cineplex Odeon’s Meadowlark (3) 1989-10-06 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (1) 1989-10-20 … Apple Valley, MN — GTI’s Apple Valley 6 (6) 1989-10-27 … Denver, CO — UA’s The United Artists Twin (2) 1989-11-24 … Seattle, WA — Landmark’s Crest 4 (3) # 1989-12-08 … Austin, TX — GCC’s Highland Mall Twin (2) 1989-12-10 … Ottawa, ON — ByTowne [70mm fest; w/ “Batman” & “Lawrence of Arabia”] 1989-12-15 … Hartford, CT — Trinity College’s Cinestudio (2 days) 1990-01-26 … San Antonio, TX — Rivercenter IMAX (14) 1990-03-07 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm festival] 1990-04-06 … Cleveland, OH — Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series] 1991-04-05 … San Antonio, TX — Rivercenter IMAX (2) [Action Film Festival] 1999-02-03 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Egyptian [Cameron series] 2004-09-?? … Boston, MA — Sheraton Hotel [Noreascon 4 / World Science Fiction Convention] 2008-12-20 … Los Angeles (West Los Angeles), CA — Laemmle’s Royal [w/ “Aliens” & “Titanic”] 2009-05-29 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [70mm series; w/ “Aliens”] 2018-06-26 … Los Angeles (Century City), CA — Zanuck [Fox Movie Night] 2025-07-09 … Los Angeles (Miracle Mile), CA — Academy Museum/Geffen [Branch Selects] The information included in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to Jerry Alexander, Raymond Caple, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Van Ling, Joe Odenthal, and an extra special thank-you to all of the librarians who helped with this project. 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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