In ~1991 a co-worker and I were talking about the rise of home theater systems. He thought they'd mean the end of movie theaters. I thought that there's something special about seeing a movie together with others - 'a place, ceremony, lack of distraction, good AV' - that would keep them in business. I still think that :)
I have a decent home theater system and I bought '2001: A Space Odyssey' near the first time it came out on DVD... but I still went down to our local Alamo last month and watched it and was delighted to spend the money and the time.
Near topic: I realized that the movie I really want to see again on the big screen is 'Lawrence of Arabia' I told the manager at our Alamo that, and I emailed them, but if anyone here knows how to get their attention, I'm all ears. I got to see it in 70mm on a big screen in its 1987 re-release and it's a highlight I'd hope to repeat.
It literally just played last week in NYC in 70mm!
A few years back Netflix bought out the "Paris Theater" which is the oldest single screen theater in the city.
It was meant to allow fans to watch their newest movie releases in a theater format along with giveaways to get people in the mood.
I saw the debut of "Kate" a few days before it actually hit Netflix. (wonderful movie if you like John Wick. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is the female John Wick!)
They recently did some renovations and to celebrate they brought back a bunch of classics.
Oh I just checked: Funny enough its playing today! But unfortunately its sold out :/
Good to know a place it might show up; we live in North Carolina, but, with a little awareness, persuasion, and planning, I could talk my wife into a trip coinciding with a showing. The Castro in SF would be a more difficult proposition but my wife does want to go back to 'House of Nanking' one day, so even that's a possibility!
Good Luck! Hope you get to see the film eventually! I'd recommend to start searching Fandango for local theaters that show classics or have a 70mm/35mm projector (as they will likely use them for classics) and then keep those places on your radar so you can catch some good classics. There has got to be somewhere in NC that values the classics and has the equipment to show them!
NYC is kind of a exception since there is so much competition: you end up seeing tons of classics played here all the time. If you are ever in NYC, another place that is wonderful is the roxy theater as well as BAM. I saw Terminator 1 & 2, Hackers, Resident Evil 1 all this year in 35mm at these theaters.
I think pjmorris is talking about the Raleigh Alamo which is great! They definitely are responsive to email feedback. They do have a 35mm projector but it seems rarely used, though I think they are trying to use it more recently.
I don’t know of any other places showing film in the area, but I do know the Carolina Theatre in Durham shows loads of classics.
They used to; they're under new ownership now (Another Planet Entertainment) and no longer showing movies on a regular basis. Their schedule is sparse and mostly concerts.
This, sadly, depends on your location and theater. One reason I don't go to the theater nearly as much as I used to is because of noisy, inconsiderate patrons.
At the time, however, the theater near me was very cheap. A "fancy" (read: expensive) one recently opened; I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't have this problem.
I have a decent home theater system and I bought '2001: A Space Odyssey' near the first time it came out on DVD... but I still went down to our local Alamo last month and watched it and was delighted to spend the money and the time.