“Starman”: 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
large-format engagements of John Carpenter’s “Starman” in the United States and
Canada. These were the best cinemas in which to experience this motion picture.
“Starman” was among sixteen confirmed first-run films released in 1984 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. Approximately sixty 70mm prints were struck for distribution in North America and represented about five percent of the film’s total initial print run. The Columbia release — directed by John Carpenter and starring Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen — opened December 14th. Pre-release screenings included an invitational preview November 30th at Samuel Goldwyn in Beverly Hills, a sneak preview in numerous locales December 1st, and the film’s world premiere December 11th at the Chinese in Los Angeles. For the release of “Starman,” 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 “Starman” featured full-frame imagery blown up from anamorphic 35mm and Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded “baby boom” format). Seventy-millimeter trailers for Columbia’s “Fast Forward,” “Just One of the Guys,” “A Passage to India,” “Perfect,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Silverado” and “The Slugger’s Wife” circulated during the release of “Starman” and which the distributor recommended be screened with the presentation. Additional 70mm trailers from other studios circulated during this period as well. Which trailers, if any, seen during the presentations of “Starman” varied by venue and screening. The duration of the engagements (measured in weeks) has been included in parenthesis following the applicable cinema name. Note that some of the presentations included in this listing may have been presented in 35mm during the latter week(s) of engagement because the booking was moved to a smaller, non-70mm-equipped auditorium within a multiplex or due to print damage and the distributor’s unwillingness to supply a 70mm replacement print. 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 audio auditorium) has been included in the duration figure. ALBERTA Calgary — Cineplex Odeon’s North Hill (9) Edmonton — Cineplex Odeon’s Meadowlark (9) ARIZONA Tucson — Plitt’s Foothills 4-plex (9) [70mm from Week 6] ARKANSAS Little Rock — UA’s Cinema 150 (8) BRITISH COLUMBIA Vancouver — Cineplex Odeon’s Vogue (9) CALIFORNIA Costa Mesa — Edwards’ South Coast Plaza Triplex (8) Daly City — Plitt’s Plaza Twin (7) Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (5) [THX] Los Angeles (Tarzana) — Mann’s Valley West 6-plex (7) Los Angeles (Westwood Village) — Mann’s National (Dec. 1st sneak preview only) Los Angeles (Westwood Village) — Mann’s Plaza (5) Oakland — Cinerama’s Piedmont (5) Orange — Syufy’s Cinedome 6-plex (8) Sacramento — Syufy’s Century 6-plex (12) Sacramento — Syufy’s Cinedome 5-plex (9) San Francisco — Plitt’s Northpoint (8) San Jose — Syufy’s Century 24 Twin (8) San Rafael — Marin’s Regency 6-plex (8) COLORADO Colorado Springs — Commonwealth’s Mall of the Bluffs Twin (9) Denver — Commonwealth’s Continental (4+) DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington — Circle’s MacArthur Triplex (4+) GEORGIA Atlanta — Plitt’s Phipps Plaza Triplex (5) Union City — GTC’s Shannon 8-plex (10) [opened Dec. 21st] HAWAII Honolulu — Consolidated’s Waikiki Twin (5) [HPS-4000] ILLINOIS Chicago — Plitt’s Esquire (4) Skokie — M&R’s Old Orchard 4-plex (8) Schaumburg — Plitt’s Woodfield 4-plex (4) LOUISIANA Metairie — GCC’s Lakeside 5-plex (4) MANITOBA Winnipeg — Towne 8-plex (14) [ownership change to Cineplex Odeon during run] MARYLAND Baltimore — Durkee’s Senator (8) MASSACHUSETTS Boston — Sack’s Cheri Triplex (8) MISSOURI Independence — Mid-America’s Blue Ridge East 5-plex (6) Kansas City — Commonwealth’s Bannister Mall 5-plex (4) Shrewsbury — Wehrenberg’s Kenrick 8-plex (8) NEVADA Las Vegas — Syufy’s Red Rock 11-plex (14) NEW JERSEY Cedar Grove — UA’s Cinema 23 (6) Paramus — RKO Century’s Route Four 10-plex (9) NEW YORK East Meadow — UA’s Meadowbrook 4-plex (5) Hicksville — Town & Country’s Mid-Plaza 6-plex (6) New York (Brooklyn) — RKO Century’s Kingsway 5-plex (7) New York (Manhattan) — Reade’s 23rd Street West Triplex (8) New York (Manhattan) — Reade’s Bay (9) New York (Manhattan) — Reade’s Coronet (6) New York (Manhattan) — UA’s United Artists Twin (5) [HPS-4000] Niskayuna — Cinema National’s Mohawk Mall Triplex (5) OHIO Springdale — Mid States’ Tri-County 7-plex (15) ONTARIO Ottawa — Famous Players’ Rideau Centre Triplex (14) Toronto — Famous Players’ Uptown 5-plex (14) PENNSYLVANIA King of Prussia — Sameric’s Eric King Twin (6) Philadelphia — Sameric’s Sam’s Place Twin (8) Pittsburgh — Cinemette’s North Hills (7) Upper Darby — Sameric’s Eric Pilgrim Gardens (8) QUEBEC Montreal — United’s York (14) TENNESSEE Knoxville — UA’s East Towne 7-plex (7) TEXAS Addison — UA’s Prestonwood Creek 5-plex (4+) [THX] Austin — Mann’s Fox Triplex (8) Austin — Presidio’s Southpark Triplex (9) Dallas — UA’s Cine Twin (4+) Houston — Cineplex’s Windsor Twin (7) Houston — Plitt’s Cinema 5-plex (6) San Antonio — Santikos’ Westlakes 9-plex (4+) WASHINGTON Bellevue — SRO’s Factoria 5-plex (4+) Lynnwood — SRO’s Grand Alderwood 5-plex (4+) Seattle — GCC’s King (4+) Tukwila — SRO’s Lewis & Clark 7-plex (4+) SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS 1985-01-18 … Irvine, CA — Edwards’ University 6-plex (4) 1985-01-18 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Guild’s Embassy 1 (6) 1985-01-25 … Escondido, CA — AIT’s Carousel 6-plex (3) [w/ “2010”] 2002-01-30 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — American Cinematheque’s Egyptian [John Carpenter fest] 2004-09-?? … Boston, MA — Sheraton Hotel [World Sci-Fi / Noreascon 4] 2007-09-24 … San Francisco, CA — Castro [70mm fest; w/ “Brainstorm”] 2012-09-09 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — American Cinematheque’s Egyptian [70mm fest] 2016-03-04 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm fest] 2016-03-06 … Chicago, IL — Music Box [70mm fest] 2016-09-13 … Seattle, WA — Cinerama [70mm fest] 2018-09-20 … Somerville, MA — Somerville (postponed) [70mm & Widescreen fest] 2018-09-27 … Somerville, MA — Somerville [70mm & Widescreen fest] 2019-05-24 … Santa Monica, CA — American Cinematheque’s Aero [John Carpenter double feature w/ “The Thing”] The information included in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to Bill Kretzel, Kenneth Mitchell and Scott Norwood, 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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