Burning Questions Re: Ritz Theater Sale!
This one might have slipped under your radar, but believe it, people: The Ritz Theaters have been sold to the Landmark chain of theaters. Don’t freak out just yet, though: Landmark pretty much owns the whole art house thing nationwide, and are said to do a good job of it. But damn, we wanna know:
¬? What will happen to the beloved Ritz Filmbill? (Temporary answer: We just called the Filmbill’s offices, and they don’t know yet, either.)
¬? Will Landmark continue to hire the occasional white-hot art student that all of Center City can crush on?
¬? Will you be able to DRINK AT THE MOVIES?
¬? Can Landmark figure out a better way to get moviegoers to dispose of their trash than having dudes waiting outside the theater door holding open trash bags? This makes us want to start a bloody class war every time we encounter it.
¬? Please tell us the movies will be cheaper now. No? Well, it was worth a try.
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
i work at the ritz…and uh, management MAKES us hold the damn trash bags. do you think we LIKE doing this?? do you think this makes more people throw their trash away, instead of leaving it soiled/crumpled/spilled on the theater floor? i’ll give you one guess as to the answer. and the ritz theaters are the cheapest in the city! hello, 6 dollar wednesdays!
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Let them eat shortbread.
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:36 am
Landmark still gets movies from independent distributors, sort of like a mini Hollywood system, making it harder for folks just trying to book their movie to get a slot. I just mean to say that we shouldn’t undervalue the truly independent cinemas just because Landmark shows us movies we want to see: there’s plenty else you can bet we’d dig that Landmark won’t ever show. I will miss the Ritz’ program notes. Those books are coolish.
March 24th, 2007 at 9:06 am
I kind of hope they don’t put in a bar. I’ve always brought my own food and booze to the Ritz, and they’ve never once stopped me.