Nitehawk Cinema

Coordinates: 40°42′58″N 73°57′45″W / 40.715981°N 73.962563°W / 40.715981; -73.962563
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40°42′58″N 73°57′45″W / 40.715981°N 73.962563°W / 40.715981; -73.962563

Nitehawk Cinema
IndustryEntertainment (movie theater)
FoundedJune 24, 2011 (12 years ago) (2011-06-24)
HeadquartersBrooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Number of locations
2
Key people
Matthew Viragh (Founder)
Websitenitehawkcinema.com

Nitehawk Cinema is a dine-in

table service.[1][2]

History

Nitehawk Williamsburg

Nitehawk Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Nitehawk was founded by Matthew Viragh. Viragh sought to establish a dine-in movie theater in New York City in 2008, after being a regular attendee at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema while living in Austin, Texas,[3] and later working at the Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth, Virginia, the first first-run movie theater in the United States to serve alcohol.[1] At the time, New York state had a Prohibition-era law barring movie theaters from serving alcohol, prompting Viragh to hire a lawyer and a lobbyist to seek the law's repeal.[1] Senate Bill S4772, which authorizes movie theaters in New York state to serve alcoholic beverages, passed the New York State Legislature by broad margins and was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on August 17, 2011.[4]

Nitehawk opened its first location, a three-screen theater in

LED lights, zinc, and glass.[8][9] The theater's menu was developed by Michelin-starred chef Saul Bolton.[1][2]

Nitehawk Prospect Park

Nitehawk Prospect Park in Park Slope, Brooklyn

In September 2016, Nitehawk announced plans to open a second location, Nitehawk Prospect Park, in

Park Slope.[10] It is located in an historic Art Deco movie theater adjacent to Prospect Park that operated as the Sanders Theater from 1928 to 1978,[10][11][12] and as the Pavilion Theater from 1996 to 2016.[10][13] Viragh and the building's owner had discussed converting the theater into a Nitehawk in 2011, but discussions fell through following the opening of Nitehawk Williamsburg.[14] In 2015, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved a plan that would have partially converted the building into condominiums and shrunk the floor area of the theater.[11][15] However, an investment firm ultimately purchased the building for $28 million[15] and granted a long-term lease to Nitehawk.[10]

Nitehawk Prospect Park underwent renovations through 2016 and 2017,

Programming

Initially focused on screening

Nitehawk does not screen advertisements during its preshow, instead showing a montage of clips that are customized for each film;[25] for instance, the preshow for Nitehawk's screenings of The Favourite included clips from Olivia Colman's comedic work and Yorgos Lanthimos' short films.[30] In addition to its standard menu, Nitehawk offers a special menu for brunch screenings,[31] and limited-time menu items inspired by the current slate of films it is screening.[7]

Reception

Nitehawk has been cited as an independent movie theater that has achieved financial success despite the industry's decline in ticket sales, which prompted several independent theaters to close down.[25] The passing of Senate Bill S4772 is noted as having led a proliferation of liquor-licensed dine-in theaters in New York City, including Syndicated in Bushwick, the Metrograph on the Lower East Side, and an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown Brooklyn, with The New York Times calling Nitehawk "the granddaddy of swizzle-stick cinema in the city".[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fox, Nick (September 15, 2011). "Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Drinks at Your Seat". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Loinaz, Alexis (August 16, 2011). "Beyond Popcorn and Nachos". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Sloan, Brian (April 13, 2016). "Boutique Cinemas Offer More than Popcorn and Snacks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  4. ^ "Senate Bill S4772, 2011-2012 Legislative Session". New York State Senate. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  5. ^ "Nitehawk Cinema Brings First-Run Movies, Dinner To Williamsburg Tonight". HuffPost. June 24, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  6. ^ John, Derek (June 23, 2011). "New Nitehawk Cinema Brings the Silver Screen Back to North Brooklyn (via Archive)". WNYC. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Black, Jane (September 6, 2011). "Review: Nitehawk Cinema". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Nitehawk Cinema & Apartments". Caliper Architecture. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Rubinstein, Dana (April 11, 2011). "Theatrics in Williamsburg". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Buckley, Cara (September 6, 2016). "Nitehawk to Open a Second Cinema in Brooklyn". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Chung, Jen. "UPDATE: Park Slope's Pavilion Theater Will Likely Be Replaced With Smaller, Art House Theater". Gothamist. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  12. ^ "Sanders Theatre - Brooklyn, N.Y." New York City Chapter AGO. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Hamill, Denis (July 26, 1996). "Aisles of joy coming to life". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c Stapinski, Helene (August 23, 2017). "Bringing a New Nitehawk to a Tattered Art Deco Cinema". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Osborne, Mark (September 7, 2016). "Nitehawk Cinema to Take Over Pavilion Theater". Patch. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  16. ^ Torrence, Marc (July 31, 2017). "Nitehawk Cinema Construction Pushed Back". Patch. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  17. ^ Torrence, Marc (August 8, 2017). "ICYMI: Historic Balcony Uncovered During Park Slope Theater Renovation". Patch. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "PHOTOS: Nitehawk Cinema finally opens in Park Slope's landmarked Pavilion Theater". Brooklyn Eagle. December 19, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  19. ^ Evans, Lauren. "Park Slope & Windsor Terrace Locals Slam Designs For New Pavilion Movie Theater: "It Looks Like A Penitentiary"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Aridi, Sara (December 14, 2018). "Nitehawk Prospect Park Is Finally Ready, Promising Art-House Movies (and Cleaner Floors)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Harris, Rachel Lee (March 1, 2012). "Serving Nostalgia at Nitehawk Cinema and IFC Center". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  22. ^ Moger, Georgette (June 29, 2015). "At Nitehawk, B-Movies Mean Booze and Bites". Edible Brooklyn. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  23. ^ a b Brandman, Jake (January 6, 2017). "Behind the Screens: Nitehawk Cinema's Programmers on Cultivating Brooklyn Movie Scene". The New York Observer. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  24. ^ "Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg". Kidpass. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  25. ^ a b c Miller, Stuart (August 14, 2014). "A Movie on the Cheap, Perhaps in Filipino, With Dinner and a Drink". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  26. ^ @animenyc (September 4, 2019). "ANIME AFTER DARK at @nitehawkcinema has two awesome films this weekend! EVANGELION 1.11: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE on September 6 and EVANGELION 2.22: YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE on September 7! Don't miss them!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Medina, ND (October 10, 2016). "Satoshi Kon's 'Perfect Blue' Kicks Off 'Anime After Dark 2' At NYC's Nitehawk Cinema". Player.One. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  28. ^ Seftel, Briana (October 5, 2016). "A Nite To Dismember: Spend Halloween at Nitehawk With Five Horror Movies (and Snacks)". Bushwick Daily. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  29. ^ "About: Nitehawk Shorts Festival". Nitehawk Shorts Festival. Nitehawk Cinema. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  30. ^ Bailey, Jason (December 26, 2018). "Now Playing: The Movies Before the Movies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Murphy, Mary Jo (January 5, 2017). "At the Movies in New York City, Cocktail in Hand". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2019.

External links