Greenway 3 Theatres At 5 E. Greenway Plz.

[musicman]

The Greenway Theatre, which has screened films in the basement of Greenway Plaza for 35 years, will close at the end of this year.

Employees say Landmark Theatres lost its lease at 5 East Greenway Plaza. Landmark, a chain that specializes in independent and foreign films, has operated the Greenway since 1994.

Landmark informed theater employees Saturday, two days before Christmas, that they'd be laid off. A sign taped to the ticket booth announces the closing and refers all questions to Landmark's corporate office.

It also reads: "Hope you remember us fondly."

The three-screen Greenway is Houston's second-oldest movie theater, behind River Oaks Theatre.

When the Greenway opened in 1972, it was hailed as an important part of developer Kenneth Schnitzer's Greenway Plaza. The development's mix of uses

[mkultra25]

This is awful news. I guess pretty soon Landmark won't have a presence in Houston at all anymore, after Weingarten finishes its hatchet job on the River Oaks. And presumably they "lost their lease" for the same reasons - why else would Crescent boot the Greenway out if they didn't intend to replace a popular and beloved long-term tenant with one they believe they can extract more revenue from?

So many fond memories of films I've seen at the Greenway over the years - as Roy Batty would put it, all those moments now lost, like tears in rain. Words fail to adequately express my disgust at this turn of events.

[bachanon]

isn't there an east end theater that could stand to be re-used? patrons of river oaks and greenway theaters will surely need a new place to see good movies.

[memebag]

Damnit. It was a lousy theater, but I saw a lot of great films there that I wouldn't have been able to see anywhere else. I saw "The Bride With White Hair" there under the perfect cinematic circumstances: in the afternoon, for free, with no idea what it was. I just sat down and this perfect little masterpiece played out before me. No expectations, no preconceptions, nothing. Damnit.

[bachanon]

i saw "less than zero", "the addiction" (to this day, one of my favorite movies) and many others i can't remember. although, i paid for admission to "the addiction" i felt the same way as memebag on this particular occasion: i had no preconceptions and left feeling richly rewarded. this never happens with big budget movies.

[nativehou]

I had my first date with my now husband there in late 2000. They were showing the Beatles' "Hard Days Night."

This is a real shame.

[musicman]

i remember seeing hollywood shuffle there and the entire audience was rofl.

[skyphen]

Wow. Bummer!

[editor]

It's sad to see small theaters close, but this wasn't a great movie house. I saw the Bj

[houstonmacbro]

isn't there an east end theater that could stand to be re-used? patrons of river oaks and greenway theaters will surely need a new place to see good movies.

I thought the Angelika was supposed to show the same sorts of films? Clueless here, I have never been to either.

[ricco67]

I always wondered how this theater stayed in business, I thought it was in a lousy location, with all the additional homes in the area, I would have thought it would done better, but I'm sure the Edwards down the street from it put the final nail in its coffin.

My first experience was when I was a wee one and went to see "The Gods must be crazy!" and while I thought the movie was terrific, i didn't strike me as anything different from going to the Theater in the Galleria.

[mkultra25]

I always wondered how this theater stayed in business, I thought it was in a lousy location, with all the additional homes in the area, I would have thought it would done better, but I'm sure the Edwards down the street from it put the final nail in its coffin.

The Greenway was not hurting for business. And its target audience was considerably different from that of the Edwards. I would be willing to bet that the Edwards' opening didn't have much of an impact on the Greenway's business at all. Have you been to a newer megaplex lately? They tend to attract a much younger demographic than that which frequented the Greenway.

To answer other points that have been raised: yes, the Angelika also screens its share of arthouse fare. But has Houston really become so culturally impoverished that we're reduced to a single theater (two, if you count the River Oaks, but again, I'm not optimistic about its future) outside of universities and museums that's screening non-mainstream films? What makes the situation so galling is that there's a loyal audience that's patronized the Greenway for years - unless further details come to light that prove otherwise, this is not a dying business that's being mercifully put out of its misery, but a quite viable one that's being shut down at the whim of the leaseholder. It's kind of curious that all questions regarding the closure were directed to the Landmark corporate office rather than Crescent, however, which makes me wonder if there's really something else going on.

And yeah, it wasn't exactly a plush theater by any stretch - the old seats were replaced at some point within the past few years, but the new ones weren't terribly comfortable either. But I daresay the Greenway was practically palatial compared to some far better-known arthouses in NYC.

[memebag]

The Greenway was not hurting for business.

What makes you think that? From personal experience, the Greenway is usually sparsely populated. It's been years since I saw a decent crowd there.

But has Houston really become so culturally impoverished that we're reduced to a single theater ... outside of universities and museums that's screening non-mainstream films?

I think the answer to that is pretty obvious. If Houstonians were willing to pay for decent repertory and art house theaters then we'd have them and keep them. If the Greenway was making big money then Landmark would find a way to keep it going.

[Vertigo58]

Funny how you always remember what films you saw at a certain theater and it pretty much dates when you were there.

I clearly recall seeing "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" once, then later "Sid & Nancy". Still have ticket stubs, 1983?

This theater was so unlike the other mainstream everyday family theaters and thats what was the allure of it.

The fact that mostly foreign language films were played and without subtitles is what made us go. Underground/obscure films were common as well. Always have gone against the mainstream or mundane I guess.

Houston is biting itself again. Are we really going forward? More like backwards.

[heights_yankee]

The Greenway was not hurting for business. And its target audience was considerably different from that of the Edwards. I would be willing to bet that the Edwards' opening didn't have much of an impact on the Greenway's business at all. Have you been to a newer megaplex lately? They tend to attract a much younger demographic than that which frequented the Greenway.

To answer other points that have been raised: yes, the Angelika also screens its share of arthouse fare. But has Houston really become so culturally impoverished that we're reduced to a single theater (two, if you count the River Oaks, but again, I'm not optimistic about its future) outside of universities and museums that's screening non-mainstream films? What makes the situation so galling is that there's a loyal audience that's patronized the Greenway for years - unless further details come to light that prove otherwise, this is not a dying business that's being mercifully put out of its misery, but a quite viable one that's being shut down at the whim of the leaseholder. It's kind of curious that all questions regarding the closure were directed to the Landmark corporate office rather than Crescent, however, which makes me wonder if there's really something else going on.

And yeah, it wasn't exactly a plush theater by any stretch - the old seats were replaced at some point within the past few years, but the new ones weren't terribly comfortable either. But I daresay the Greenway was practically palatial compared to some far better-known arthouses in NYC.

well, even though its much newer, anjelika does have the same shabby feel as greenway

seriously, though, anjelika is waaay under patronized and we may loose that, too, if people don't start headng downtown. then we'll be stuck with nothing but "die hard 18: geriatric ninja."

[wendywc]

I will miss the Greenway; I always liked it better than Riveroaks because of the easy parking there. The last movie I saw there was "In the Shadow of the Moon."

I feel kinda guilty that I've been going to Angelika now so often and instead of going to the Greenway. It will be missed.

[Vertigo58]

Well one thing we never had to worry about was fighting off any aggressive homeless at Greenway.

More films I recall seeing at Greenway were "Like Water for Chocolate", "Cinema Paradiso" and "Belle Epoque"

[WestGrayGuy]

This is a real shame. After River Oaks closes, we will have no Landmark Theater. I will go see "Lars and the Real Girl" tonight to say goodbye to this Houston institution.

Goodbye Greenway 3!

[Vertigo58]

This is a real shame. After River Oaks closes, we will have no Landmark Theater. I will go see "Lars and the Real Girl" tonight to say goodbye to this Houston institution.

Goodbye Greenway 3!

There's a tear in my beer.

[gonzo1976]

I'm certain I saw "A Hard Day's Night," "Sirens" and "The Tango Lesson" there. I think I saw "Life is Beautiful" there, too.

[dbigtex56]

Horrible.

[VicMan]

There has to be an old theater somewhere that could be made into a replacement for the Landmark Greenway. Maybe the East End could get a location.

[Vertigo58]

There has to be an old theater somewhere that could be made into a replacement for the Landmark Greenway. Maybe the NEAR East End could get a location.

I show silent films at my home, that's a start. I have room for a theater to be built on my property too. I am all for it!

[kylejack]

I think I saw Series 7: The Contenders there. I saw a movie about Palestine that had some superhero elements to it, some Matrix-type cinematography and effects, can't recall the name. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and also another Almodovar, I forget which. This is depressing. I saw Lars and the Real Girl already, so I think I'll see Before the Devil Knows You're Dead at 7. I wonder if they'd let me in with a video camera to snap some pictures before they're gone.

[dbigtex56]

Horrible.

Let me rephrase that. Horrible, that it's closing with such little notice, but the facility itself was kind of a dump.

Last movie I saw there was An Inconvenient Truth, and I was the only person in the theater! Further, when the movie began, it was out of focus and not even aimed at the screen. Screaming at the projection booth did no good, so I had to exit the theater (after first falling on my face, due to those horrible slanting floors), and persuade the guy at the concession stand to fix it.

Still, it will be missed. Will Angelica take up the slack, and drop some of their better-attended mainstream movies? And what will become of this space in Greenway Plaza?

[mkultra25]

Last movie I saw there was An Inconvenient Truth, and I was the only person in the theater! Further, when the movie began, it was out of focus and not even aimed at the screen. Screaming at the projection booth did no good, so I had to exit the theater (after first falling on my face, due to those horrible slanting floors), and persuade the guy at the concession stand to fix it.

The days of having a real, live professional projectionist in a booth are long gone. Now you might have one person for an entire 20-screen megaplex whose job is to go around and push a button to start the show - everything else is automated, from the trailers starting to the lights dimming, the screen masking (hopefully) adjusting to the proper aspect ratio, and the feature starting. God help you if the focus wasn't previously set properly or the foil cue tape on the film print that triggers the various automation sequences is missing or misplaced, because there's almost certainly no one checking to make sure everything looks OK. Then you get to leave your seat and go through the irritating exercise you described until you find someone who can fix it, missing a chunk of the movie you paid good money to see in the process. As luck would have it, we went to the Greenway one last time on Saturday night to catch BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD, and the preshow music failed to shut off once the movie started. Someone finally got up and got the concession stand clerk to turn it off.

And what will become of this space in Greenway Plaza?

That's the $64,000 question, but they certainly didn't waste any time - the marquee that fronted 59 (or, more accurately, the "guts" of it that held the changeable letters which displayed the movies currently playing) is gone as of today.

[memebag]

The days of having a real, live professional projectionist in a booth are long gone. Now you might have one person for an entire 20-screen megaplex whose job is to go around and push a button to start the show - everything else is automated, from the trailers starting to the lights dimming, the screen masking (hopefully) adjusting to the proper aspect ratio, and the feature starting. God help you if the focus wasn't previously set properly or the foil cue tape on the film print that triggers the various automation sequences is missing or misplaced, because there's almost certainly no one checking to make sure everything looks OK. Then you get to leave your seat and go through the irritating exercise you described until you find someone who can fix it, missing a chunk of the movie you paid good money to see in the process. As luck would have it, we went to the Greenway one last time on Saturday night to catch BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD, and the preshow music failed to shut off once the movie started. Someone finally got up and got the concession stand clerk to turn it off.

I try to love everything, even evil, hateful things, but this sends me into Andy Rooney mode. I've had theater managers tell me that no one in the theater knows how to fix the movie; that the person who does that is out today. I would rather just get rid of movie theaters than run the risk of going through this experience again. Why bother showing movies on a big screen if you can't be trusted to do it correctly?

My home theater always has someone there who knows how to fix anything that can go wrong. Why should other theaters be any different?

[ssullivan]

I'm sad to see the Landmark Greenway gone, as I have some fond memories of films I saw there, and a couple of dates I had there. But it really had gone downhill.

I usually go to the Angelika or River Oaks (if the film is showing downstairs). I'll continue to support both as much as possible. I'd hate to see us lose either of them, but I always feel like their days are numbered, especially when it seems like nobody is in the theater with you.

[jgriff]

I only went once, fairly recently. Even after living in Houston for 12 years though I had a very hard time finding the place. I drove around and around Greenway Plaza. I finally had to stop and ask a security guard for directions. The people we were meeting had the same problem, we had to guide them into the place by cell phone. It's amazing that it stayed in business for so long in such a difficult to find location.

[worldlyman]

I've seen some movies there but I recall the Russian war movie Prisoner on the Mountain. Very poignant film.

The theater itself was nothing special but I liked that indoor city ambience there, though as stated, getting around Greenway Plaza to get there was a pain. In sum, t's better to have these theaters than to not have them, I think.