You walk down a slightly seedy, obviously aged portion of DC. You see, in large art-deco letters: UPTOWN THEATER. The enterance has those cool old ball-lights, and large movie posters in lit frames. The ticket line is a block long. After waiting in the cold winter or sweltering humidity of summer, you enter the plush red-carpeted theater. The balcony looks tempting, as not many theaters have them. You select front-row balcony seats, and enjoy the plush chairs...unlike most theaters, the sound quality is good, but not overly loud. You enjoy your movie.
The Uptown Theater is located on Connecticut Avenue in northwest Washington DC. It has been in existence since 1933 and is a beautiful theater. I saw Starship Troopers there, and it looked (on the screen, not plot wise) absolutely wonderful. The screen is 32 by 70 feet, and parabolic. It brings you into the film more. It was remodeled in 1996, and 300 seats were added to the balcony. 840 people can enjoy this theater experience at once. It lacks parking though, but a metro stop is near by. Both Panavision 70 and three projector cinerama systems were used at one point in time at the Uptown. The theater can project in both 70 and 35 mm if memory serves me correctly. It was designed by John Zink in the art deco style. Lowes currently owns this theater. I hope they realise how much of a treasure it is and don't make it into a multiplex.
It is located at 3426 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20008. The phone number is (202) 333-3456. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult-$8.25
Children-$5.50
Adult Matinee-$6.00
Seniors-$5.50
For The world's best movie theaters and the e2film user group. All the info was garnered from personal experience and cinematreasures.org.