Meatpacking Movie Mecca: Indie Theater (Sort of) on the Way

Your Name Here! The would-be movie monolith at 837-843 Washington St. (Photo: RKF)

As you know, Manhattan between 14th Street and Houston Street has been hurting for a decent independent film venue for a long, long time now. But according to Curbed, it looks as though filmgoers' prayers could be answered. And best of all, they will be answered in the hot Meatpacking District!

Or will they? Broker Robert K. Futterman & Associates are marketing 8,000 sq. ft. on the ground floor of 837-843 Washington St. with the bold-type boast that "a national movie theatre chain, featuring independent films, has committed to occupy the second and third floors once the development secures a ground-floor tenant."

The Reeler called RKF Director Marc Finkel to find out what he could tell us about this mystery chain, but he remained tight-lipped about who might move in upstairs. "The deal is not even in place, and it's far, far down the line," he said. "I wouldn't want you to print anything that wouldn't even be close to being true as far as them going in that building. I will say that there are theaters looking at the space."

Just "looking," or "committed"?

"They're committed if we fill up the rest of the building," Finkel said. "Which we haven't done. So their committing doesn't really mean anything."

Oh, jeez. So we are still stuck with that IFC Center/Film Forum/Angelika/Sunshine/Cinema Village/Quad/Two Boots Pioneer conundrum that has plagued New York all this time? That will teach me to get my wimpy cineaste hopes up over a lousy flier.



Comments

It's as this entry was written by someone living in Big Sandy, Montana. "Manhattan between 14th Street and Houston has been hurting for a decent independent film venue for a long, long time now.…" Boy, you got that right! I guess Film Forum on Houston Street, a world-renown independent art house theater, doesn’t count. They’ve only been around for 35 years. What’s your next post? “Rome has been hurting for decent church for a long, long time now”?


who thinks any theater in the meatpacking district a good idea, anyway? is it not enough that there will shortly be a fashion mall, a new Dia, a Standard, a Buddha Bar and Meieresque glass-walled condos in a 2 block radius? it's the world's most expensive strip mall. next thing you know, they'll turn the high line into a food court.


Bourgeois must be French for "I take everything literally."


Perhaps we're going to get a Sundance Cinema here in NYC:

http://www.boxoffice.com/scripts/newsviewstory.asp?ID=7141


I think one would need a very powerful sarcasm detector to find an ounce of it in the first sentence of this piece.



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