Thanks to a resurgence in classic cinema on the big screen, I think I see more old movies at the movie theatre than I do new movies. Just last week I caught Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, accompanied by the organist Blaine Gail. Before that, I caught City Lights, The General, and Modern Times. I’ve seen Casablanca, Shane, and The Searchers this year.
I’m going to be catching Rear Window this weekend at The Tower Theatre in Salt Lake. I caught Vertigo and North by Northwest late last year.
But the small art houses aren’t the only ones doing the screenings anymore. Cinemark has announced a schedule of classic films today that makes me both excited and sad.
I’m excited because this could be my one and only chance to see some of the best movies ever made on the big screen. I’m sad because Cinemark hasn’t seen fit to schedule these into their regular schedule, only special times Wednesday afternoons and evenings… It’s a mild bummer, but for those of you who can take off work in the middle of the day or don’t have Pub Quiz every Wednesday night, this series is for you.
Here’s their schedule and press release:
Plano, TX, May 31, 2012 Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), the world’s highest attended motion picture exhibitor, is pleased to announce that the “Summer Classics Series,” featuring eight legendary Hollywood movies, will take place in over 100 Cinemark theatres across the country. All of these digitally restored movies, from the Warner Bros. film catalogue, will be scheduled to play each Wednesday, during the months of June and July, at two separate show times, 2 pm and 7pm.
“Cinemark’s Classic Film Series presents a great opportunity for movie-lovers to revisit some of the greatest Hollywood films of all time,” states James Meredith, VP of Marketing & Communications for Cinemark. “Our customers can experience all of these celebrated movies as they were meant to be seen, on the big screen, with crystal clear digital projection and incredible surround sound.”
Cinemark has worked with Warner Bros. to select eight titles that were visionary films at their time of release, and still stand as true “classics” in every sense of the word. The list of films and dates of their presentation are:
June 6 The Exorcist (1973) Rated R
June 13 Citizen Kane (1941) Rated PG
June 20 Cool Hand Luke (1967) Rated PG
June 27 The Searchers (1956) Rated PG
July 4 That’s Entertainment (1974) Rated G
July 11 A Clockwork Orange (1971) Rated R
July 18 North By Northwest (1959) Not Rated
July 25 Cabaret (1972) Rated PGCinemark takes pride in creating the best entertainment experience in the industry. In order to make movie-going as easy and enjoyable as possible, Cinemark focuses on offering more choices to their customers. For example, “Print at Home” ticketing, available at www.cinemark.com, makes it easy for patrons to purchase tickets in advance from the comfort of their home or office. Customers can bypass lines at the box office and go directly to a kiosk in the theatre lobby. Also, guests can download and purchase tickets through Cinemark’s mobile applications that are available for iPhone and Android phones. Finally, to stay connected, customers can sign up online to receive free, weekly showtime e-mailers that contain online coupons for discounts at the concession stand and other weekly special offers.
A full list of participating Cinemark locations, advance ticket purchases and show time information can be found at www.cinemark.com.
The most important two on this list for me is Citizen Kane and Cool Hand Luke. Two of my favorite films and I’ve seen neither on the big screen. We’ll see if I can take the day off work for them or if Cinemark will give us daily showings of the films.