Iconic downtown Seattle movie theater to reopen next month with new name (Shoreline: sale)

[homesinseattle]

Article link here: https://komonews.com/amp/news/local/...n-andrew-lewis

“Formerly known as the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, the SIFF Cinema Downtown will open its doors on Dec. 14 with a showing of Wonka. Tickets will go on sale soon, according to the theater, which is located at 2100 Fourth Avenue. The theater said it will feature a mix of blockbuster studio films and specialty festivals and events, including first-run arthouse cinema. It’s one of only two operating cinemas worldwide capable of screening three-strip Cinerama films on its 97-foot curved screen consisting of 2,000 vertical strips, the theater wrote online.

The Seattle International Film Festival announced its acquisition of the theater from the estate of Paul G. Allen on May 11.

SIFF said the theater's concessions include local craft beer and the chocolate popcorn "you know and love." Reserved seating is available. The theater is located at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street”.

[Ruth4Truth]

Are there any other theaters still functioning in Seattle, that run independent and foreign films? There used to be one or two in the U District. Good to know that there will be this one downtown. I hope the SIFF will be able to pay the property taxes and other expenses. If they're a non-profit, do they still have to pay property taxes?

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Are there any other theaters still functioning in Seattle, that run independent and foreign films? There used to be one or two in the U District. Good to know that there will be this one downtown. I hope the SIFF will be able to pay the property taxes and other expenses. If they're a non-profit, do they still have to pay property taxes?

Ruth, thankfully Landmark Crest in Shoreline is still going strong. Really cool spot if you haven’t been, built in 1949 and kept original, even the bathrooms. The pièce de résistance is the old school bin candy . They have a mix of foreign films, art house and current releases.

[jabogitlu]

Any of the SIFF locations- Egyptian, Uptown. Beacon Cinema. Central Cinema. Grand Illusion Cinema. Northwest Film Forum.

Ark Lodge Cinema in Columbia City also shows a mix of first run and other stuff.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

Any of the SIFF locations- Egyptian, Uptown. Beacon Cinema. Central Cinema. Grand Illusion Cinema. Northwest Film Forum.

Ark Lodge Cinema in Columbia City also shows a mix of first run and other stuff.

Thanks. I was a fan of the Grand Illusion in the U District. Some of the others mentioned would have been beyond my range, due to limited bus schedules at night. But the one in Shoreline would be worth checking out on my next visit, now that I have wheels. The Egyptian rings a bell, too. Does anyone here remember the Harvard Exit? That was my all-out fave!

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Are there any other theaters still functioning in Seattle, that run independent and foreign films? There used to be one or two in the U District.

The Varsity Theater used to show foreign films - Divorce Italian Style, for instance - in the mid- to late-60s, along with other features, but is now showing first-run "Hollywood" features (similar to the Majestic Bay Theater in Ballard). I saw The Red Shoes at the Neptune Theater in the mid-60s - it is now a live music venue.

The Movie House, which later became the Grand Illusion Cinema, was founded by Randy Finley in 1970, which is still showing independent and international ("foreign") films, but:

"This year, the Grand Illusion Cinema found out its building is up for sale. Volunteer organizers with the nonprofit movie theater say they are uncertain what the future holds, but know the show will go on." - https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/it...for-filmmakers

Later, Finley founded The Seven Gables Theater in 1976, which closed in 2017, and burned down in December of 2020.

The University Theater, which was founded in 1971, showed "art films" in the 1970s (I think I saw a Bunuel film there) - it hosted Jet City Improv from 2005 to 2022, but burned down in July 2023:

"The University Theater always struggled financially and so the themes were shifted from art films to Hollywood heyday movies to sub-run of recent releases or cult films and off beat movies. The University Theater was finally closed in 1986 because there was simply an insufficient audience to keep the doors open." - https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/56824