Manor owner weighs idea of opening theater Downtown (Pittsburgh, Duquesne: section 8, to buy)

[CaptainPittsburgh]

Originally Posted by GeneW

Personally I'd love to have a movie theater at 6th. Since the Garden (sadly) isn't going to be a theater again, it would be the closest thing to having a movie theater on the North Side.

100% agree. Fingers crossed that this happens.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by that412

I can't answer that, but I'm assuming this new place would be similar to the Manor in that it would show a curated selection of first-run films. The Harris is run by Filmmakers and as such is pretty much confined to local/independent/arthouse/documentary kind of stuff, so I wouldn't say the general "movie-goer" Downtown is even being catered to at the moment.

But I wonder if it will fall into the same trap as shopping downtown has. People aren't going to make a special trip into the Cultural District to see a movie they can see closer to home and have to worry about parking, etc. Even city dwellers may choose to hit up a suburban multiplex rather than go downtown. I want to believe, but I worry.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

But I wonder if it will fall into the same trap as shopping downtown has. People aren't going to make a special trip into the Cultural District to see a movie they can see closer to home and have to worry about parking, etc. Even city dwellers may choose to hit up a suburban multiplex rather than go downtown.

I think you underestimate how many people stay downtown after work these days, or come downtown specifically for certain restaurants. The past two years I have found myself down here quite a bit for Il Pizzaiolo, Nicky's Thai, etc. Destination restaurants. Put a movie theater down here and these things start to snowball together into longer stays.

[steindle]

But I wonder if it will fall into the same trap as shopping downtown has. People aren't going to make a special trip into the Cultural District to see a movie they can see closer to home and have to worry about parking, etc. Even city dwellers may choose to hit up a suburban multiplex rather than go downtown.

Those concerns seem exactly the same as those someone would have about the Southside Works theater, and that is (presumably) succeeding. Plus Downtown has massively better public transit access, a reliable base of ~150k workers, and would be closer than anything else to people in the Northside and "near" East End (Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, etc.).

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by steindle

Those concerns seem exactly the same as those someone would have about the Southside Works theater, and that is (presumably) succeeding. Plus Downtown has massively better public transit access, a reliable base of ~150k workers, and would be closer than anything else to people in the Northside and "near" East End (Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, etc.).

As a guy living in friendship, I'd jump on the east busway to downtown any day over driving to the SouthSide Works for a movie.

[SteelCityRising]

We live in Polish Hill and would much prefer to head Downtown for dinner/movie than to the Waterfront.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

People aren't going to make a special trip into the Cultural District... to see a movie they can see closer to home and have to worry about parking, etc. Even city dwellers may choose to hit up a suburban multiplex rather than go downtown.

oooh...i totally disagree.

there are many college students living in downtown and at cricklewood hill apartments.

i think its understood that the population of downtown is at an all-time high post-1930s.

the nearby attractions make the area seem inviting - there is a dynamism that attracts people - sounds, smells, noise, other people...some people enjoy that.

im no expert, but somehow a place selling exclusively popcorn has somehow survived...a movie theater with no niche approach (a la the Harris, which is great, dont get me wrong) just sounds overdue, and elementary.

[wpipkins2]

Someone told me that the old Bally's was a former movie theater. If your familiar with the interior setup, it sure looks like it. My wife and I are attending a birthday party @ Perle in Market Square this weekend. A movie before or after would have been perfect. DCs china town theater is great. I would love something similar.

[slavicamerican]

Originally Posted by GeneW

I'm pretty sure that they're demolishing the auditorium area of the building to free up space for parking.

Oh no! And for parking!?!?!

I wish Pittsburgh would move away from being such a car-centric place.

[slavicamerican]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

But I wonder if it will fall into the same trap as shopping downtown has. People aren't going to make a special trip into the Cultural District to see a movie they can see closer to home and have to worry about parking, etc. Even city dwellers may choose to hit up a suburban multiplex rather than go downtown. I want to believe, but I worry.

I don't think it's wise to build a theater somewhere and hope they will come. Rather, in DC, they are building theaters in areas where density has reached a critical mass and is growing. The trick seems to be to make an area desirable and then add more and more amenities to keep increasing its desirability, drawing in more people.

I don't understand why Liberty Ave (and I was there last week) still seems so dead. Why aren't people living in those buildings? And why do so many of those buildings just seem empty?