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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Century 21-22-23 (San Jose, CA) lease ending in 2012??? (Page 1)

 
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Author Topic: Century 21-22-23 (San Jose, CA) lease ending in 2012???
Mike Croaro
Master Film Handler

Posts: 394
From: Millbrae, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 05-08-2011 11:28 AM      Profile for Mike Croaro   Email Mike Croaro   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Folks:

Read on "Yelp" that the ground lease for the Century/Winchester 21-22-23 is ending next year.

Any confirmation or denial?

Mike

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Sean Weitzel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 619
From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall)
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-08-2011 01:33 PM      Profile for Sean Weitzel   Email Sean Weitzel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The Winchester Mystery House next door owns the land the cinemas sit upon. I will ask my contact at WMH what the scoop is the next time I talk to him.

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Jason Whyte
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 132
From: Victoria, BC, Canada
Registered: Sep 2002


 - posted 05-09-2011 11:04 PM      Profile for Jason Whyte   Author's Homepage   Email Jason Whyte   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I just read this too. I will make a trip down to visit these theaters if they are to close. I really hope this doesn't happen as they are very unique and there aren't many of them left.

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Sean Weitzel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 619
From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall)
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-09-2011 11:07 PM      Profile for Sean Weitzel   Email Sean Weitzel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My contact does not have any information on the matter. I guess we will have to wait and see. It would be a real shame to lose those domes.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-10-2011 06:40 AM      Profile for Frank Angel   Author's Homepage   Email Frank Angel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Question is, which will end first in 2012 -- the Century 21-22-23 or the world. [Eek!]

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Eric Hooper
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 532
From: Fort Worth, TX, USA
Registered: May 2003


 - posted 05-14-2011 02:11 AM      Profile for Eric Hooper   Email Eric Hooper   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No wonder they never upgraded to digital projection...

Unfortunatley the Century 24 down the street operated by Cinemark did and they did it wrong and screwed it all up... [Frown]

I will surely miss these theatres when they close, if they close. You know, the auditoriums are big enough to even convert them to IMAX or XD screens.....They could be money makers, if they wanted them to be.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 05-14-2011 12:44 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Sean Weitzel
It would be a real shame to lose those domes.
Really? I only ever got to visit a couple of dome theaters (maybe not these specific domes), but I was simply not impressed once I entered the auditorium. The domes crippled the screen sizes and the one that I saw which was split in half was awful. The sound was also pretty lackluster.

Maybe I just caught a couple of auditoriums that weren't operating at their peak and possibly a movie with a poor sound mix, but I wasn't impressed. They are really cool from the outside though.

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Mike Croaro
Master Film Handler

Posts: 394
From: Millbrae, CA
Registered: Apr 2005


 - posted 05-14-2011 12:52 PM      Profile for Mike Croaro   Email Mike Croaro   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
QUOTE: BRAD MILLER
"....I was simply not impressed once I entered the auditorium. The domes crippled the screen sizes......"

MIKE CROARO RESPONDS:
Brad...how so?

Mike C.

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Geoff Jones
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 579
From: Broomfield, CO, USA
Registered: Feb 2006


 - posted 05-14-2011 01:48 PM      Profile for Geoff Jones   Author's Homepage   Email Geoff Jones   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
When I lived in the Bay area, I thought those were among the best theatres around. They were 1.5+ hours drive, but I made a few trips down, including Titanic in 70MM.

There are 4 auditoriums between the two buildings. Two have big screens, two are medium.

There was also a dome theatre in Walnut Creek or Pleasant Hill that seemed incapable of properly showing a movie.

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Edward Havens
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 614
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Mar 2008


 - posted 05-14-2011 04:57 PM      Profile for Edward Havens   Email Edward Havens   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Of all the years I ever lived in the Bay Area, from Santa Cruz to Walnut Creek, I only ever went to the Century 21 once, for the 50th Anniversary of Fantasia. Granted, it wasn't as big as the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, but I was still mighty impressed with the presentation.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004


 - posted 05-14-2011 05:44 PM      Profile for Monte L Fullmer   Email Monte L Fullmer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Mike Croaro was the last to post
domes crippled the screen sizes...
..since they didn't have a flat back wall, it prob made the screens having to come forward, or get reduced in height due to the ceiling curve reducing the screen height.

the Century 21 and 22 complex in SLC was a great cinema to attend and yet even though it had big screens, I did notice that the screens were almost in your face when you sat up close due to them being brought forward away from the decending curve of the ceiling.

Later on when one house was split and later on when presentation factors horribly decayed, this is where I do agree with Brad on sound quality (must have used SMART systems, or similar..) to follow with the presentations.

Eventually, the domes came down for the Century 16 that was built on the same lot.

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001


 - posted 05-17-2011 11:45 AM      Profile for Michael Coate   Email Michael Coate   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
 -
The (San Jose) Mercury News, November 22, 1964

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Sean Weitzel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 619
From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall)
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-17-2011 12:11 PM      Profile for Sean Weitzel   Email Sean Weitzel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Century 21 was designed to be a three strip Cinerama theater but was only equipped with a single projector. The original screen was a strip screen, and the Able and Charlie booths exist but were always vacant.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000


 - posted 05-17-2011 12:47 PM      Profile for Adam Martin   Author's Homepage   Email Adam Martin       Edit/Delete Post 
This photo from the Century 21 in 1964 does not show a strip screen, but there are indeed three booths.

 -

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Sean Weitzel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 619
From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall)
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 05-17-2011 01:34 PM      Profile for Sean Weitzel   Email Sean Weitzel   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I've been looking for an old scanned article about 21 that I had at one point and had a close up detail of the strip screen. If it had one, I agree it did not have one for very long.

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