“Ghostbusters”: The North American 70mm Engagements | Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 26.07.2016 |
 7OMM Frame from "Ghostbusters".The following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter engagements of “Ghostbusters” in the United States and Canada. These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture. “Ghostbusters” was among sixteen confirmed first-run films released in 1984 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. Fifty 70mm prints were reportedly struck for distribution in North America and represented about four percent of the film’s total initial print run. The Columbia release — directed by Ivan Reitman (“Stripes,” “Twins”) and starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis — opened June 8th. Pre-release screenings included a premiere on June 7th at the Avco Center in Los Angeles. For the release of “Ghostbusters,” Columbia 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 “Ghostbusters” featured magnetic Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format [Dolby processor setting “42”]) and 2.20 full-frame imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm* 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. *The film’s visual effects were photographed in 65mm, but conflicting details exist as to whether these sequences were printed entirely through a 65/70mm workflow and combined in the 65mm inter-negative stage with enlarged principal photography footage or if they were reduced to 35mm and blown back up to 70mm along with the 35mm-originated principal photography sequences. Columbia circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “The Karate Kid” and “Sheena” during the release of “Ghostbusters.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “Ghostbusters” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. ALABAMA Huntsville — United Amusement’s Madison Twin (26) ARIZONA Tucson — Plitt’s Foothills 4 (27) ARKANSAS Little Rock — UA’s Heights (17) BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver — Odeon’s Park* (15) CALIFORNIA Burlingame — Syufy’s Hyatt Triplex (24) [70mm from Week 3] Cerritos — UA’s Cerritos Mall Twin (17) Los Angeles — GCC’s Avco Center Triplex (18) [THX] Los Angeles — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (16) Los Angeles — Mann’s Valley West 6 (16) Los Angeles — Pacific’s Northridge 6 (16) [70mm from Week 4] Marina del Rey — UA’s Marina Marketplace 6 (16) Oakland — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake Twin (19) Orange — Syufy’s Cinedome 6 (19) Pleasant Hill — Syufy’s Century 5 (27) Riverside — UA’s Park Sierra 6 (19) Sacramento — Syufy’s Century 6 (26) San Francisco — Plitt’s Northpoint (19) San Jose — Syufy’s Town & Country (26) Westminster — UA’s Westminster Mall Twin (17) COLORADO Littleton — Commonwealth’s Cooper 7 (28) [HPS-4000] DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Circle’s Uptown (17) FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale — GCC’s Galleria 4 (15) [opened June 13th] HAWAII Honolulu — Consolidated’s Waikiki Twin (17) [HPS-4000] ILLINOIS Calumet City — Plitt’s River Oaks 6 (17) Niles — Essaness’ Golf Mill Triplex (10) Norridge — M&R’s Norridge 4 (10) Schaumburg — Plitt’s Woodfield 4 (17) KANSAS Overland Park — Commonwealth’s Ranch Mart 4 (26) [70mm from Week 12] KENTUCKY Louisville — Redstone’s Showcase 9 (28) MANITOBA Winnipeg — Odeon’s Garrick 4* (20) MARYLAND Catonsville — Westview 6** (23) [70mm from Week 2] MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Sack’s Cheri Triplex (16) West Springfield — Redstone’s Showcase 10 (20) MICHIGAN Ann Arbor — UA’s Fox Village 4 (27) [70mm from Week 12] Troy — UA’s The Movies at Oakland 5 (20) MISSOURI Independence — Mid-America’s Blue Ridge East 5 (17) Sunset Hills — Mann’s Mark Twain (17) NEW JERSEY Paramus — RKO Century’s Route Four 10 (20) NEW YORK DeWitt — Carrols’ Shoppingtown Twin*** (19) New York (Brooklyn) — RKO Century’s Kingsway 5 (16) New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ New York Twin (16) New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ State Twin (15) OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City — Commonwealth’s Quail Twin (19) ONTARIO Hamilton — Odeon’s Centre Twin* (18) Ottawa — Odeon’s St. Laurent Twin* (18) Toronto — Odeon’s York Twin* (19) OREGON Beaverton — LT’s Westgate Triplex (19) PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia — Sameric’s Eric’s Place (20) QUEBEC Montreal — Odeon’s Place du Canada* (27) TEXAS Addison — UA’s Prestonwood Creek 5 (19) [THX] [70mm from Week 12] UTAH Taylorsville — Plitt’s Midvalley 6 (20) WASHINGTON Bellevue — SRO’s Factoria 5 (19) [70mm from Week 3] Lynnwood — SRO’s Grand Alderwood 5 (19) Tacoma — SRO’s Tacoma South 5 (20) Tukwila — SRO’s Lewis & Clark 7 (28) [70mm from Week 3] *During the course of engagement the cinema ownership changed from Odeon to Cineplex Odeon via the merger of the Cineplex and Canadian Odeon chains. **During the course of engagement the cinema was renovated from six to eight screens. ***During the course of engagement the cinema ownership changed from Carrols to Cinema National. 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 |
SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS | |
 1984-09-21 … New York, NY — Guild’s Embassy I (5)1984-09-21 … Vancouver, BC — Cineplex Odeon’s Vogue (5) 1984-09-28 … Nashville, TN — Martin’s Belle Meade (2) 1984-09-28 … West Covina, CA — Sanborn’s Eastland 5 (3) 1984-10-05 … Bloomingdale, IL — Plitt’s Stratford Square 8 (3) 1984-10-12 … Los Angeles, CA — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (2) [HPS-4000] 1984-10-19 … Seattle, WA — Seven Gables’ Crest 4 (8) 1984-10-19 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4 (5) 1984-10-26 … Winnipeg, MB — Towne 8 (11) [70mm during Week 7] 1984-11-09 … Boise, ID — Plitt’s 8th Street Marketplace Twin (1) 1984-11-09 … Dothan, AL — Davis’ Northside Mall 7 (2) 1984-11-16 … Phoenix, AZ — Plitt’s Cine Capri (1) 1984-12-14 … Vancouver, BC — Cineplex Odeon’s Park (1) 1984-12-21 … Carmel, IN — Heaston’s Woodland Twin (5) 1984-12-21 … Norfolk, VA — Naro (1) 1984-12-26 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [Holiday Film Festival] 1984-12-28 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [Holiday Film Festival] 1984-12-28 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm festival] 1984-12-29 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [Holiday Film Festival] 1984-12-30 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [Holiday Film Festival] 1984-??-?? … London, ON — Famous Players’ Park (?) 1985-03-27 … Dallas, TX — Landmark’s Inwood Triplex [USA Film Festival w/ R. Edlund Q&A] 1985-08-23 … Edmonton, AB — Cineplex Odeon’s Plaza Twin (5) 1985-08-23 … New York, NY — Reade’s Ziegfeld (7) 1985-08-23 … Oklahoma City, OK — Commonwealth’s Quail Twin (3) 1985-08-30 … Vancouver, BC — Cineplex Odeon’s Park (2) 1985-09-27 … Edmonton, AB — Cineplex Odeon’s Meadowlark (1) 1985-11-01 … Dothan, AL — Davis’ Northside Mall 7 (2) 1985-11-22 … Cleveland, OH — CWRU’s Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series] 1986-01-29 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm festival] 1988-12-07 … Niagara Falls, ON — Niagara Falls IMAX (5 days) 1989-09-?? … Boston, MA — Sheraton Hotel [Noreascon 3 / World Sci Fi Convention] (?) 1993-10-29 … West Allis, WI — Paradise (2 days) 1994-02-25 … Vancouver, BC — Caprice [Fri-Sat midnight] 1996-09-13 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Plaza [Fri-Sat midnight] 1996-10-25 … Chicago, IL — Cineplex Odeon’s Navy Pier IMAX [Fri-Sat late night] 1997-10-31 … Baltimore, MD — Durkee’s Senator (2 days) 1998-10-26 … Indianapolis, IN — White River State Park IMAX (1) [70mm series] 1999-05-07 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Plaza [Fri-Sat-Sun midnight] 2000-10-06 … Columbia Heights, MN — Heights 2004-03-?? … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [sci-fi festival] 2004-09-04 … Boston, MA — Sheraton Hotel [Noreascon 4 / World Sci Fi Convention] 2005-08-07 … San Francisco, CA — Castro [70mm festival] 2005-10-18 … Chicago, IL — Music Box (1) 2006-06-30 … Santa Monica, CA — Aero [70mm festival] 2007-09-21 … San Francisco, CA — Castro [70mm festival; w/ “Lifeforce”] 2007-11-04 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2007-11-06 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2007-11-11 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2007-11-14 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2010-10-30 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian 2012-04-28 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [sci-fi fest] 2012-09-17 … Austin, TX — Alamo Drafthouse’s Ritz [70mm series] 2012-09-19 … Austin, TX — Alamo Drafthouse’s Ritz [70mm series] 2012-09-20 … Austin, TX — Alamo Drafthouse’s Ritz [70mm series] 2012-10-26 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian (2 days) 2013-10-31 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver [Halloween on Screen series] 2013-11-02 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver [Halloween on Screen series] 2013-11-03 … Silver Spring, MD — AFI Silver [Halloween on Screen series] 2015-10-30 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian 2016-02-19 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2016-02-21 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2016-02-25 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm festival] 2016-10-15 … Somerville, MA — Somerville [Terror-thon] 2016-11-10 … Tucson, AZ — The Loft 2017-04-02 … Winston-Salem, NC — UNCSA Main [RiverRun Film Festival] 2017-04-07 … Portland, OR — Hollywood [70mm series] 2017-05-26 … Coral Gables, FL — Coral Gables Art 2017-05-27 … Coral Gables, FL — Coral Gables Art 2017-08-27 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2018-09-?? … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm festival] 2018-09-08 … Austin, TX — Alamo Drafthouse’s Ritz (3 days) 2023-01-24 … Cleveland, OH — Strosacker [CWRU Sci-Fi Marathon] 2024-03-29 … Los Angeles, CA — Vista [midnight] 2024-03-29 … Los Angeles, CA — Vista [morning show + midnight] 2024-03-29 … Los Angeles, CA — Vista [morning show] 2025-07-26 … Los Angeles, CA — Egyptian [70mm festival] 2025-09-01 … 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 Ann at the USA Film Festival, Mary Dossinger (RiverRun International Film Festival), Ana Gomes, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Mark Lensenmayer, Victor Liorentas, Morgan Montague, Scott Norwood and an extra special thank-you to 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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