“The Hunt for Red October”: The North American
70mm Engagements |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter |
| Compiled by: Michael Coate | Date: 26.02.2020 |
 The
following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter
engagements of “The Hunt for Red October” in the United States and Canada.
These were the cinemas worth seeking out to experience this motion picture.“The Hunt for Red October” was among twenty confirmed first-run films released in 1990 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. The Paramount release — directed by John McTiernan (“Predator,” “Die Hard”) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin — opened March 2nd. Pre-release screenings included an invitational preview held February 22nd at the National in Los Angeles and the world premiere held February 27th at the Uptown in Washington, DC. For the release of “The Hunt for Red October,” Paramount 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 Hunt for Red October” featured magnetic Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded Baby Boom format with a split surround playback option) and 2.20:1 full-frame imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm. 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. Paramount circulated 70mm Six-Track Dolby coming-attraction trailers for “Another 48 HRS.,” “Crazy People,” “Days of Thunder,” “Flight of the Intruder,” “Ghost,” and “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” during the release of “The Hunt for Red October.” Other studios circulated 70mm trailers during this period, as well. Ultimately, any 70mm trailers screened during 70mm presentations of “The Hunt for Red October” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) is included in parenthesis following the cinema name. ALBERTA Calgary — Famous Players’ Palliser Square Twin (15) Edmonton — Famous Players’ Paramount (13) [THX] BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver — Famous Players’ Stanley (17) [THX] CALIFORNIA La Mesa — Pacific’s Cinema Grossmont (14) Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4 (10) Los Angeles — Mann’s National (17) [THX] Los Angeles — Pacific’s Cinerama Dome (11) Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Triplex (11) Orange — Syufy’s Century Cinedome 8 (17) San Francisco — Blumenfeld’s Regency I (15) San Jose — Syufy’s Century 22 Triplex (12) Universal City — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18 (11) [THX] COLORADO Denver — Mann’s Century 21 (17) [THX] DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — K-B’s Cinema (14) ILLINOIS Chicago — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex (17) [THX] NEW YORK New York — Loews’ 19th Street East 6 (14) New York — Loews’ 34th Street Showplace Triplex (6) New York — Loews’ 84th Street 6 (12) New York — Loews’ Astor Plaza (9) New York — Loews’ New York Twin (10) ONTARIO Ottawa — Famous Players’ Elgin Twin (15) Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (13) [THX] QUEBEC Montreal — Famous Players’ Imperial (13) [THX] TEXAS Dallas — UA’s The United Artists 8 (18) [THX] WASHINGTON Seattle — Cineplex Odeon’s Cinerama (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 1990-05-04 … New York, NY — Guild’s Embassy Triplex (7) 1990-05-11 … San Antonio, TX — Rivercenter IMAX (19) 1990-05-16 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (5) [THX] 1990-05-18 … Tukwila, WA — Cineplex Odeon’s Lewis & Clark 7 (6) 1990-06-01 … San Jose, CA — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (2) 1990-06-15 … Cleveland, OH — Colony (3) 1990-06-22 … Los Angeles, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Fairfax Triplex (2) 1990-06-27 … Seattle, WA — Landmark’s Crest 4 (6) 1990-06-29 … Downers Grove, IL — Classic Cinemas’ Tivoli (3) 1990-06-29 … Los Angeles, CA — Cineplex Odeon’s Century Plaza 4 (2) [HPS-4000] 1990-07-25 … Norfolk, VA — Naro (2 days) 1990-08-16 … Atlanta, GA — Fox [13th Annual Summer Film Festival] 1990-08-29 … Hartford, CT — Trinity College’s Cinestudio (4 days) 1990-10-19 … Cleveland, OH — Strosacker [CWRU Film Society series] 1991-02-06 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm festival] 1991-02-08 … San Antonio, TX — Rivercenter IMAX (2) [Action Film Festival] 1991-09-06 … Madison, WI — Marcus’ Eastgate 10 (1) [70mm festival] 1992-03-23 … Vancouver, BC — CN IMAX at Canada Place (4 days) [70mm festival] 1992-11-19 … Atlanta, GA — AMC’s Phipps Plaza 12 [Pre-Grand Opening festival] 1994-05-07 … Calgary, AB — Famous Players’ Palliser Square Twin [midnight] 1995-12-09 … Montreal, QC — Famous Players’ Imperial [THX] 1996-07-26 … Dallas, TX — GCC’s Northpark West Twin [Fri-Sat lateshow] (THX) 1997-01-31 … Chicago, IL — Cineplex Odeon’s Navy Pier IMAX [late night series] 1997-05-30 … Los Angeles, CA — Mann’s Plaza [Fri-Sat-Sun midnight] 1999-12-10 … Addison, TX — Granada Prestonwood 5 [Fri-Sat-Sun midnight] 2000-07-19 … Austin, TX — Paramount [70mm festival] 2000-09-21 … Columbia Heights, MN — Heights (2) [70mm festival] 2008-12-23 … Los Angeles, CA — Laemmle’s Royal [Laemmle 70th; w/ “2001”] 2025-06-28 … Somerville, MA — Somerville [70mm & widescreen festival] 2025-12-21 … Beverly Hills, CA — Fine Arts [70mm Sundays 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 David Ayers, Neil S. Bulk, Bill Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Eric Lichtenfeld and Brad Miller. International 70mm engagements of this title have not been accounted for in this work. If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please consider emailing the author or editor. |
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