Difference between revisions of "10 other theaters"

Revision as of 15:45, 29 June 2018

After its exclusive, week-long debut at the UA Westwood, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was scheduled to open in 10 Theaters in the U.S. and Canada as part of a general release beginning on Friday, October 3, 1975.

The Varsity Theater in Austin, Texas was amongst the first to show the film starting October 3. Opening night featured a costume contest ($30 grand prize..."dress as your favorite horror character") and an on-stage Time Warp line-dance at the 8:30 show. The film got a positive review from local papers and ran for several weeks, foreshadowing the importance of Austin as a force in the film's future as a cult success.

Other areas ran scathing reviews of the film, which resulted in the engagement dropping, most notably in New York City, where it had been booked but dropped before the opening date of October 3.

The take in its opening week at these 10 theaters was so low, that it did not register on any charts, and the film disappeared quickly. The 10 US prints of The Rocky Horror Picture Show circulated as "exclusive showings" at various theaters and at Revival House Screenings of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' over the next few months until it was reissued (and more prints were struck) in October, 1976. Most of the engagements included midnight screenings, some of which were the biggest draw at the early engagements. The push was to get the film into in more "college town" theaters, and to help draw in audiences it was paired with 20th Century Fox's Phantom of the Paradise, which also had a small, but growing cult following at the time.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show was tested in several theaters as a midnight-only movie beginning in early 1976 with a handful of engagements before the most famous booking at The Waverly Theater in New York City. By mid 1977, it was playing in The First 30 US Theaters in a regular rotation in the U.S.

Known Standard Release Theatrical Engagement Locations

UA Westwood - Westwood, CA
Varsity Theater - Austin, TX (10/3/75)
Colony Cinema (Colony 2) - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (10/75)
Strand Theater - Brandon, Manitoba Canada (12/5/75-12/6/75)
Arcadia Theater - Philadelphia, PA (12/19/75)
Metro 2 - San Francisco, CA (12/19/75)
UA Cinema Center - Westwood, CA (12/75-3/76 and 9/76-early 77)
Fairfax Theater - Marin County, CA (1/7/76-1/13/76)
Paramount Theater Lethbridge Center - Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (2/7/76-2/8/76)
Varsity Theatre - St Louis, MO (3/76-4/76)
Holly Theater - Hollywood, CA (3/76-9/76)
Parkway Theater - Las Vegas, NV (4/28/76-5/4/76)
Magic Lantern Theater - Isla Visa (near Santa Barbara), CA (5/76)
UA Chris-Town Mall Cinemas 6 - Phoenix, AZ (5/76)
Des Moines, IA (5/16/76)
U Ark Theater - Fayetteville, Arkansas (8/76)
Gentilly Orleans Theater -New Orleans, LA (9/76) concurrent with midnight run on weekends
Towne Theatre - Oak Park, Michigan (9/29/76)
Town Cinema 2 - St. Paul, MN (9/76)
Cinema Colorado - Pasadena, CA (9/76)
Egyptian Theater - Hollywood, CA (10/76) with Phantom
The Ventura - Ventura, CA (10/76)
United Artists Cinema 4 - Tyler Mall - Riverside, CA (10/6/76) with Phantom
UA Pasadena - Pasadena, CA (12/76)
Plaza 3 - Yuma, AZ (1/77)
UA Marketplace 6 - Long Beach, CA (1/77)
Peppertree 3 - Reseda, CA (1/77) with Phantom
Bay Theater - Pacific Palisades, CA (2/77) with Phantom
Guild Theater - Albuquerque, NM (4/77)
Valley Art Theater - Tempe, AZ (8/77) with Phantom

Standard Release At Drive In Theaters

The Fort Drive In - Frederick, MD (9/2/76) with Phantom
Fiesta 3 Drive In - Pico Rivera, CA (10/76) with Phantom
Los Altos 2 Drive-In Long Beach, CA (10/76) with Phantom
Tri-City Drive-In - Loma Linda, CA (10/76) with Phantom
UA El Monte Drive-In - El Monte , CA (10/76) with Phantom
Pickwick Drive-In - Burbank, CA (10/76) with Phantom
Stadium Drive-In - San Leandro, CA (2/77)

Special Midnight Engagements

Fox Venice Theater - LA, CA (9/25/75) Invitation-only advance midnight screening
Graceland Twin Cinema - Columbus, OH (2/76) Limited engagement
The Stage Door Theater - Madison, WI (3/76) Limited engagement
ShoppingTown 1 - Syracuse, NY (10/16-17/76)
Kings Court Theater - Pittsburgh, PA (10/22/76)
Utah 1 - Salt Lake City , UT (12/23-24-25/76)
The Plaza - El Paso, TX Movies 'til Dawn Marathon (1/28/77)
Bank Cinemas - Pittsburgh, PA (4/15/77)

Other Special Engagements

Eastgate 1 - Joplin , MO (7/8-9, 15-16-17) at 10:15 PM
The Boston - Muscatine, Iowa (10/17-18-19/76)

The First 30 Midnight-Only Theatrical Engagement Locations ('75-'77)

Waverly Theater - New York, (4/3/76)
Varsity Theatre - St Louis, MO (3/76-4/76) Began as prime-time feature in March 1976, and became midnight-only in April 1976.
Riverside Twin II - Austin, TX (5/12/76)
New Yorker - New York City, NY (7/76)
Gentilly Orleans Theater -New Orleans, LA (9/3/76)
TLA Cinema - Philadelphia, PA (1/77)
Strand Theatre - Ocean Beach, CA (3/77)
Art Theatre - New Brunswick, NJ (4/77)
The Sombrero Playhouse - Phoenix, AZ (4/77)
Village Theater, Dallas, TX (4/29/77)
Sherman Theater - Sherman Oaks, CA(5/77)
Graceland Twin Cinema - Columbus, OH (6/10/77)
Tiffany Theater - West Hollywood, CA (6/10/77)
Alabama Theater - Houston, TX (6/11/77)
Ogden Theatre - Denver, CO (6/25/77)
Grove Art Cinema - Miami, FL (7/2/77)
Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA (7/29/77)
State Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA (8/19/77)
Heights Art Theater - Cleveland, OH (8/19/77)
University Cinema - Baton Rouge, LA (8/19/77)
Strand - San Francisco, CA (8/19/77)
Cove Theater - Hermosa Beach, CA (8/19/77)
Balboa Theatre - Newport Beach, CA (8/19/77)
Northwest - San Antonio, TX (9/9/77)
Riverside Twin I - Austin, TX (9/16/77)
Valley Art Theater - Tempe, AZ (9/77)
RKO Proctor's Theatre- New Rochelle, NY (9/23/77)
UC Theatre - Berkeley, CA (9/23/77)
Loft Cinema - Tucson, AZ (10/77)
Rialto Theatre - South Pasadena, CA (11/77)
Key Theatre - Washington, DC (12/2/77)

International Engagements of Note

Rialto Cinema - London (8/75-9/75)
Highpoint Thetre - Johannesburg, S Africa (2/76-?/76--12+ weeks)