A historic New York City theater which has been vacant for nearly two decades may have a new lease on life via a coalition of Hollywood power players.
IndieWire reports the Metro Theater in Manhattan’s Upper West Side is the subject of acquisition discussions led by veteran film producer and distributor Ira Deutchman, who has assembled a 20-person advisory board to secure funding to purchase and renovate the theater. Among the prominent members of the advisory board are Martin Scorsese, John Turturro, Ethan Hawke, Mary Harron, and Bob Balaban.
The property opened in 1933 as the Midtown Theater – an odd name, since it is located on Broadway between 99th and 100th Streets, far from Midtown Manhattan. Over the years, its focus changed from being a first-run movie theater to becoming a repertory stage theater, a porn film venue and an art house cinema. The theater was shuttered in 2005 and its interior was gutted the following year, although its Art Deco exterior was retained.
Since its closure, multiple attempts were made to lease the space for nontheatrical tenants – retailer Urban Outfitters and health club chains Planet Fitness and Blink Fitness expressed interest but never pursued a transaction. Alamo Drafthouse took over the theater in 2022 and announced plans to pursue its renovation, but that effort was canceled earlier this year following the death of Albert Bialek, the property’s owner.
IndieWire added Deutchman plans to reimagine the space as a nonprofit venture with five screens across three stories, with a ground level café. Deutchman did not offer a budget for this project, noting only that the endeavor’s cost could be “significant.”
Photo: Enniferj / Wikimedia Commons
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