VIA 57 West, where Look Dine-In Cinemas will be opening next month. Photo by Razvan Dinu via Wikimedia Commons
Earlier this year, it was announced that Look Dine-In Cinemas would be taking over the empty movie theater nestled in the base of VIA 57 West at 625 West 57th Street.
The pyramid shaped building on the side of the West Side Highway previously housed a Landmark Cinema, which closed in 2020 due to pandemic related declines in ticket sales. (The dramatic closure has led to a lawsuit on behalf of the Durst Organization, which claims their previous tenant stole seats, wiring, and more, “under the cover of darkness in the middle of the night.”)
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Now, in less than a month, the newly operated venue will be serving food and film – with tickets already available for a May 4 screening of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. As of writing, the theater is only advertising this one film on eight available dates, but cinephiles can cross their fingers that more will be added soon.
In the meantime, one might take a look at the cinema’s extensive food and drink menu and plan their next couple nights out. Or, for those who just can’t wait to try drinks like the Cinemule or Sugar Bacon Old Fashioned, there’s another Look location in Dobbs Ferry (and elsewhere around the United States).
In a 2021 interview with Look’s Brian Schultz, he said of the Dine-In Cinema, “Our theaters hopefully will become kind of community centers.” As the 57th St. location prepares to open, hopefully Upper West Side movie lovers will find this to be true.
Related Coverage:
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There’s are reasons that theater was empty. Theaters in general are fading and the location is terrible. This menu is not interesting enough to make anyone go out of their way and there are no prices online meaning they’re afraid to tell you. Good luck with that.
That’s the spirit!
I’m sure the seats are comfortable.
My husband and I LOVED that theater pre-COVID. Yes, a bit out of the way, but we just thought of that as “extra steps.” They showed good arthouse movies, it was very comfy and clean, and they had a bar with some decent food. We got in the habit of stopping for a drink there after the movie, and found it very relaxing. We were sad to see them close.
I’ve never been to a dine-in theater, and my first thought it: how can you concentrate on the film when people are milling about taking orders and delivering food? But willing to give it a try…though not with Guardians of the Galaxy!
That theater became my favorite and I did not mind the location as walking is my main exercise anyway. The neighborhood is beautiful, and the theater was intimate, quiet and very well maintained. The smaller rooms were like one’s private movie theater and I look forward to returning there.