“The Doors”: The North American 70mm Engagements |
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| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 05.06.2022 |
 The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
engagements of “The Doors” in the United States and Canada. These were the
cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.“The Doors” was among ten confirmed first-run films released in 1991 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Carolco presentation and TriStar release — directed by Oliver Stone (“Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July”) and starring Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan— opened March 1st. For the release of “The Doors,” TriStar 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 Doors” featured 2.20:1 full-frame imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm and a dual inventory of A- and SR-encoded Six-Track Dolby Stereo (Baby Boom format with a Split Surround playback option). Historical footnote: Some of the 35mm prints of “The Doors” were in Cinema Digital Sound (CDS), which accelerated the trend of fewer titles released with 70mm 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. TriStar circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Hudson Hawk” and “Terminator 2” during the release of “The Doors.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “The Doors” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. CALIFORNIA La Mesa — Pacific’s Cinema Grossmont (8) [70mm from Week 6] Los Angeles — Cineplex Odeon’s Century Plaza 4 (10) [THX] Los Angeles — Pacific’s Cinerama Dome (8) San Jose — Syufy’s Century 21 (6) COLORADO Denver — UA’s Continental (9) HAWAII Honolulu — Consolidated’s Waikiki Twin (5) [HPS-4000] ILLINOIS Chicago — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex (9) [THX] Skokie — Loews’ Old Orchard 4 (5) LOUISIANA Metairie — Cobb’s Lakeside 4 (10) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Loews’ Cinema 57 Twin (8) NEW YORK New York — Cineplex Odeon’s Ziegfeld (8) ONTARIO Toronto — Famous Players’ Uptown 5 (8) QUEBEC Montreal — Famous Players’ Imperial (9) [THX] WASHINGTON Seattle — Seven Gables’ Egyptian (6) [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 1991-04-12 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 23 Twin (2) 1991-04-19 … Casper, WY — Movie Palaces’ America (2) 1991-05-03 … Montreal, QC — Famous Players’ Palace 6 (3) 1991-05-24 … San Antonio, TX — Rivercenter IMAX (5) 1991-08-30 … Hartford, CT— Trinity College’s Cinestudio (2 days) 1991-09-06 … DeWitt, NY— Loews’ Shoppingtown 4 (1) 1991-10-04 … Los Angeles, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Odeon [Fri-Sat lateshow] 1992-03-04 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (4 days) [70mm festival] 1993-07-31 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Uptown 5 [Saturday Latenite] 1993-11-20 … Vancouver, BC — Famous Players’ Capitol 6 [Saturday Latenite] 1996-01-13 … Montreal, QC — Imperial [70mm series; w/ “Star Trek VI”] (?) 1996-06-14 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Plaza [Fri-Sat lateshow] 1996-10-04 … San Francisco, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Northpoint (1) [70mm festival; w/ “Tommy”] 2001-10-13 … Columbia Heights, MN — Heights [lateshow] 2006-08-18 … San Francisco, CA — Castro [70mm festival] 2011-10-08 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [20th Anniversary screening + John Densmore Q&A] 2024-07-15 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [70mm festival] 2025-07-12 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian [Val Kilmer tribute and 70mm festival] 2025-09-06 … New York, NY — Paris [Big & Loud! 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 Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel and Cliff Stephenson. 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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