“Born on the Fourth of July”: The North American 70mm Engagements | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 05.06.2022 |
 The following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter presentations of “Born on the Fourth of July” in North America. These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture. “Born on the Fourth of July” was among seventeen confirmed first-run films released in 1989 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Universal release — directed by Oliver Stone (“Platoon,” “The Doors”) and starring Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick and Willem Dafoe — opened in exclusive 70mm limited release December 20th. For the release of “Born on the Fourth of July,” Universal 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 “Born on the Fourth of July” featured 2.20:1 imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm and a dual inventory of magnetic A- and SR-encoded Six-Track Dolby Stereo (Baby Boom format). 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. Universal circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Bird on a Wire,” “Coupe de Ville,” “Cry-Baby,” “The Guardian,” “Opportunity Knocks” and Tremors” during the release of “Born on the Fourth of July.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “Born on the Fourth of July” varied by venue and screening. Opening date YYYY-MM-DD … city — cinema (duration in weeks) [notes] 1989-12-20 … Chicago, IL — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex (10) [THX] 1989-12-20 … Los Angeles, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Century Plaza 4 (18) [THX] 1989-12-20 … New York, NY — Cineplex Odeon’s Ziegfeld (9) 1989-12-20 … Toronto, ON — Cineplex Odeon’s York Twin (11) [THX] 1989-12-25 … San Francisco, CA — AMC’s Kabuki 8 (19) [THX] 1989-12-27 … Newport Beach, CA — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (6) 1989-12-27 … Orange, CA — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 8 (11) 1989-12-27 … Universal City, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18 (10) [THX] 1990-01-05 … Dallas, TX — GCC’s Northpark West Twin (12) [THX] 1990-01-05 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Regent (5) 1990-01-05 … San Francisco, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Northpoint (9) [70mm during 9th week] 1990-01-05 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 22 Triplex (12) 1990-01-05 … Seattle, WA — Cineplex Odeon’s Cinerama (8) 1990-01-05 … Washington, DC — Cineplex Odeon’s Uptown (11) 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 1990-02-09 … Los Angeles, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Odeon (5) [THX] 1990-02-09 … Newport Beach, CA — Edwards’ Fashion Island 7 (4) [THX] 1990-02-23 … New York, NY — Cineplex Odeon’s National Twin (2) 1990-03-02 … Chicago, IL — Cineplex Odeon’s Biograph Triplex (1) 1990-03-16 … Carlsbad, CA — SoCal’s Plaza Camino Real 4 (2) [70mm during Week 1] 1990-03-16 … Edmonton, AB — Cineplex Odeon’s Meadowlark (4) 1990-03-30 … Dallas, TX — GCC’s Northpark East Twin (1) 1990-03-30 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (2) 1990-05-02 … Hartford, CT — Trinity College’s Cinestudio (4 days) 1990-05-04 … Casper, WY — Movie Palaces’ America (2) 2007-07-30 … Beverly Hills, CA — Goldwyn [Great to be Nominated series] (70mm?) The information included in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications, regional newspaper promotion, print enclosures, TAP records, Dolby records, etc. Special thanks to David Ayers, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel and Brad 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. | More in 70mm reading: 70mm Cinemas in North America in70mm.com's list of films blown up to 70mm 70mm Engagements by Title 35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year Large Format 7OMM Engagements Month by month premiere list of wide gauge and 3-strip films Chronological premiere list of major 70mm films 70mm Blow Up List Dolby Stereo |
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