posted 10-07-2019 01:42 PM                    

quote: Michael Coate/In70mm.com

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“The Right Stuff”: The North American 70mm Engagements

Compiled by Michael Coate

“How the future began.”

The following is a reference / historical listing of the 70-millimeter engagements of “The Right Stuff” in the United States and Canada. These were the best cinemas in which to experience this motion picture.

“The Right Stuff” was among thirteen confirmed first-run films released in 1983 with 70mm prints for selected engagements. Approximately sixty 70mm prints were struck for distribution in North America and represented about twenty-five percent of the film’s total initial bookings. The Ladd Company (through Warner Bros.) release — directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Charles Frank, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Lance Henriksen, Scott Paulen, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepherd, Fred Ward, Kim Stanley, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright and Pamela Reed — opened October 21st.

Pre-release screenings included sneak preview screenings in numerous locales October 15th; the world premiere October 16th at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; the southern premiere October 17th at the Fox in Atlanta; and the west coast premiere October 20th at the Samuel Goldwyn in Beverly Hills.

The 70mm prints of “The Right Stuff” featured pillarboxed imagery (approximately 1.85:1) blown up from spherical 35mm and Six-Track Dolby Stereo (“A” encoded “baby boom” format).

Seventy-millimeter trailers for Warner Bros.’ “Deal of the Century,” “Gremlins,” “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan,” “Lassiter,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” “Police Academy,” “Star 80,” “Sudden Impact” and “Swing Shift” circulated during the release of “The Right Stuff” 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 “The Right Stuff” 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 non-70mm-equipped auditorium within a multiplex or due to print damage and the distributor’s unwillingness to supply an expensive 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 has been included in the duration figure.

ALBERTA
Calgary — Famous Players’ Palace (7)
Edmonton — Famous Players’ Londonderry Twin (7)
Edmonton — Famous Players’ Westmount Twin (7)

ARIZONA
Phoenix — Mann’s Chris-Town 5-plex (8)
Tucson — Plitt’s El Dorado Twin (13)

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Burnaby — Famous Players’ Lougheed Mall Triplex (7)
Vancouver — Famous Players’ Vancouver Centre Twin (22)

CALIFORNIA
Berkeley — Cinerama’s California Triplex (10)
La Mesa — Pacific’s Cinema Grossmont (7)
Lakewood — Pacific’s Lakewood Center 4-plex (8)
Los Angeles (Century City) — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (#1: 8)
Los Angeles (Century City) — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (#2: 2)
Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (8)
Oakland — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake Twin (12)
Palm Springs — Metropolitan’s Camelot Triplex (3)
Pasadena — SRO’s Hastings (7)
San Francisco — Plitt’s Northpoint (7)

COLORADO
Denver — Mann’s Century 21 (4+)

DELAWARE
Claymont — Sameric’s Eric Tri-State Mall 5-plex (8)

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington — Circle’s Uptown (7)

ILLINOIS
Calumet City — Plitt’s River Oaks 8-plex (7)
Chicago — Essaness’ Plaza Triplex (8)
Chicago — GCC’s Ford City Triplex (7)
Chicago — Plitt’s Esquire (7)
Forest Park — Essaness’ Forest Park Triplex (8)
Niles — Essaness’ Golf Mill Triplex (8)
Norridge — M&R’s Norridge 5-plex (7)
Northbrook — Center’s Edens Twin (8)
Schaumburg — Plitt’s Woodfield 4-plex (7)
Tinley Park — Essaness’ Bremen 4-plex (8)

KANSAS
Overland Park — Dickinson’s Glenwood Twin (8)

KENTUCKY
Louisville — Redstone’s Showcase 9-plex (7)

MANITOBA
Winnipeg — Famous Players’ Metropolitan (7)

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston — Sack’s Cheri Triplex (17)
Brookline — Redstone’s Showcase Circle Triplex (8)

MINNESOTA
Brooklyn Center — Plitt’s Brookdale (7)

MISSOURI
Independence — Mid-America’s Blue Ridge East 5-plex (8)
Richmond Heights — Mid-America’s Esquire 4-plex (11)

NEW JERSEY
Moorestown — Sameric’s Eric Plaza Twin (8)
Paramus — RKO Century’s Route Four 7-plex (7)
Sayreville — Redstone’s Amboy 10-plex (7)
Totowa — UA’s Cinema 46 Triplex (17)

NEW YORK
Hicksville — RKO Century’s Mid-Island Plaza Twin (7)
New York (Manhattan) — Cinema 5’s Beekman (14)
New York (Manhattan) — Reade’s Bay (8)
New York (Manhattan) — RKO Century’s Warner Twin (7)
Valley Stream — Redstone’s Sunrise 11-plex (7)

OHIO
Cincinnati — Mid States’ Carousel Twin (22)
Dayton — Chakeres’ Dayton Mall 8-plex (9)

ONTARIO
Scarborough — Famous Players’ Cedarbrae 6-plex (7)
Toronto — Famous Players’ Eglinton (7)
Toronto — Famous Players’ Runnymede Twin (7)
Toronto — Famous Players’ University (23)

OREGON
Beaverton — LT’s Westgate Triplex (8)
Portland — LT’s Eastgate Triplex (7)

PENNSYLVANIA
King of Prussia — Sameric’s Eric King Twin (8)
Philadelphia — Sameric’s SamEric Triplex (9)

QUEBEC
Montreal — United’s Imperial (7) [opened October 28th]

UTAH
Salt Lake City — Plitt’s Centre (24)

WASHINGTON
Bellevue — SRO’s Factoria 5-plex (22) [70mm from Week 12]

WISCONSIN
Fox Point — Capitol’s Brown Port (7)

SUBSEQUENT 70MM ENGAGEMENTS & SCREENINGS

1983-11-11 … Palm Desert, CA — Metropolitan’s Town Center 7-plex (5)
1983-12-09 … Bloomingdale, IL — Plitt’s Stratford Square 4-plex (1)
1983-12-09 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Carnegie (1)
1983-12-09 … Chula Vista, CA — UA’s Park Plaza 6-plex (15) [70mm from Week 6]
1983-12-09 … Montclair, CA — SRO’s Montclair Triplex (1)
1983-12-09 … New York (Brooklyn), NY — RKO Century’s Kingsway 4-plex (3)
1983-12-09 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Moss’ Criterion Center 6-plex (10)
1983-12-09 … Portland, OR — LT’s Hollywood Triplex (13)
1983-12-09 … Washington, DC — Circle’s MacArthur Triplex (11)
1983-12-09 … Winnipeg, MB — Towne 8-plex (2)
1983-12-16 … Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA — SRO’s Metro (15)
1983-12-16 … Monrovia, CA — Mann’s Huntington Oaks 6-plex (14)
1983-12-16 … Montreal, QC — United’s Palace 6-plex (13)
1983-12-16 … Scottsdale, AZ — Blair’s Kachina (5)
1983-12-16 … Seattle, WA — Seven Gables’ Guild 45th Twin (6)
1983-12-28 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Chinese Triplex (7)
1983-12-28 … San Francisco, CA — Plitt’s Northpoint (9)

1984-01-20 … Los Angeles (Tarzana), CA — Mann’s Valley West 6-plex (11)
1984-01-20 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Reade’s Bay (4)
1984-01-27 … Laguna Hills, CA — Edwards/Sanborn’s Laguna Hills Mall Triplex (8)
1984-02-03 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Carnegie (2)
1984-02-17 … Baltimore, MD — Durkee’s Senator (4)
1984-02-17 … Calgary, AB — Odeon’s North Hill (4) [70mm during Week 4]
1984-02-17 … Chicago, IL — Plitt’s Esquire (3)
1984-02-17 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Vogue (3)
1984-02-17 … New York (Manhattan), NY — Moss’ Movieland (3)
1984-02-17 … Oakland, CA — Renaissance Rialto’s Grand Lake Twin (3)
1984-02-17 … Richmond, VA — NTI’s Ridge 4-plex (3)
1984-02-17 … Seattle, WA — Seven Gables’ Crest 4-plex (12)
1984-02-17 … Tucson, AZ — Plitt’s Foothills 4-plex (4)
1984-03-23 … Vancouver, BC — Famous Players’ Stanley (1)
1984-03-30 … Toronto, ON — Famous Players’ Cumberland 4-plex (8)
1984-04-04 … Los Angeles (West Los Angeles), CA — Pacific’s Picwood (1)
1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Hollywood), CA — Mann’s Hollywood (1)
1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Tarzana), CA — Mann’s Valley West 6-plex (1)
1984-04-20 … Los Angeles (Westwood Village), CA — Mann’s Plaza (1)
1984-04-20 … Monrovia, CA — Mann’s Huntington Oaks 6-plex (1)
1984-05-16 … Phoenix, AZ — Plitt’s Cine Capri (1)
1984-05-18 … Los Angeles (Century City), CA — Plitt’s Century Plaza Twin (2)
1984-09-14 … San Diego, CA — Pacific’s Cinerama (1)
1984-09-21 … Chicago, IL — Center’s McClurg Court (1)

1985-03-06 … Toronto, ON — Cinesphere (5 days) [70mm fest]

2016-12-27 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm fest]
2016-12-29 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm fest]

2017-12-26 … Toronto, ON — TIFF Bell Lightbox [70mm fest]

The information in this article was principally referenced from film industry trade publications and regional newspaper promotion, with thanks to Bill Kretzel and Kenneth Mitchell.

International engagements have not been accounted for in this article.

If you believe this article contains any errors or omissions, please consider contacting the author or editor [or post comments in this discussion thread].

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