UA Theater: Nightmare on Court Street

By on January 22, 2008 3:29 pm in Brooklyn Heights

From the BHB Inbox comes this dispatch from a reader:

My family of 4 have lived in Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill for 6 years now.  We’ve noticed a deterioration in quality of service and cleanliness at the UA Court Street Stadium 12 over the years (not that it was that nice to begin with).  My wife has come to a point where she wants to boycott the theatre as she thinks its “nasty”.  I’ve written Regal Cinemas customer care, have inquired whether the Brooklyn Heights Association has any type of agenda around the theatre and wanted to inquire via your blog whether anyone else has any ideas.  My theory around the theatre is as follows: from what I can observe, this theatre is likely incredibly profitable and conducting a renovation or even increasing the staff resources to keep it cleaner probably wouldn’t change much in terms of the attendance.  That being said, if other people agree with my sentiments, I’d suggest some type of collective efforts via Regal Cinemas corporate to address these issues. I’ll leave it at that.

Do you agree? Is the UA Court Street a lousy place to see a movie? Regal Cinemas has a nifty feedback form on its website if you’d like to give them your opinion.

Flickr photo by bettyblade

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  • Dude

    I saw Talladega Nights and Superbad there, and probably made more noise than anybody from laughing so hard, and I’m a caucasian professional. Live a little. Also, I have no taste in movies.

  • stache

    Why pay $10 for this crap? Go to http://www.ovguide.com and watch current release films at home for free. Leave the theater to the ‘call and response’ crowd.

  • Bart

    I’ve been to this movie theater twice in the years I have lived in the Heights and both my experiences were good. Perhaps it was because we went to the earliest show in the morning, and we went weeks after the movie premiered. The theater was empty and clean. I would never go during the middle of afternoon nor would I go the weekend of the opening.

    Like many people I avoid Court street because of the accumulation of street trash is unsightly. Additionally, the lady who stands on the corner of Remsen and Court street by the Starbucks always asks for money, and the anti-abortionists passing out their literature doesn’t make for a pleasant Sunday stroll.

    This past cold Sunday morning I was walking down Court Street from Montague to Atlantic Avenue and saying to myself “How many times have I walked past these stores and never go in,” especially the fast food stores.

    When you live in the Heights, Brooklyn’s most expensive, and architechturally beautiful area, Court Street is revolting. However, when one lives in less splendid area, Court Street seems like heaven: a destination worth the time and energy needed to travel there.

    Perhaps the United Artists movie theater is the highlight of many people’s weekend.

    Bart

  • T.K. Small

    I think I can safely say that I have had a worse experience at the Court Street Cinema than everyone has reported. In the summer of 2003 I was stuck on the top floor of the building for nearly 5 hours. There is only one elevator in the building, and for a person in a wheelchair that means trouble. The manager of the theater refused to come upstairs and speak with me and lied that the elevator company had been called. When I realized the desperate nature of my situation I called 911 and 84th precinct. The manager lied to them as well.

    At the peak of the incident there were two policemen, two EMS workers, six firemen and one fire department lieutenant waiting around. This went on for nearly 3 hours more. The lieutenant finally got frustrated and called the repair company directly. Guess what, they had never been called. By now it was after 9:30 in the evening. The fire department said they could carry me downstairs but that my wheelchair would have to remain behind. For some reason, carrying a wheelchair is not permitted. I explained that I could not walk of all. Their response “we will drop you off at the hospital”. I am not sure which is worse, going to a hospital or leaving unattended my very expensive equipment. I declined either of these options.

    Whether the rules were bent, or interpreted differently by someone higher up, the fire department eventually agreed to carefully bring my wheelchair down as well. As I am somewhat fragile, they had to lift me into a rescue basket and try to keep me as horizontal as possible during the 12 flight descent. Before they carried me down, I showed them how to disassemble the wheelchair to get it to something manageable in size/weight. The police, fire and EMS workers were all fantastic and made a bad situation tolerable.

    But apart from the great broken elevator incident of 2003, the theater uses the elevator for cleaning purposes and takes all of the garbage down this way. Consequently, the elevator almost always reeks! As bad as the Court Street theater is, at least there is accessible and integrated seating. The Brooklyn Heights Cinema and Cobble Hill Cinema are both very old and not very accessible. I have thought about bringing a lawsuit against both of these places, but my sister threatened not to speak to me ever again. In the interest of family harmony I will not go to court and watch my movies somewhere else.

  • babs

    The only racism in here is the assumption that because people are poor and/or not white they are unable to behave properly and shouldn’t be expected to.

  • travy

    like stated above, just avoid the big budget blockbuster crap on weekends and you’re fine. and this is true everywhere from the burbs to brownsville.

    also, to the two little old ladies at the heights pavilion who love to explain plot points to each other throughout the whole movie, you’re no better than a crying baby or rambunctious teens. SHHHHHHHH!

  • state street

    i agree with most of these posts – totally ghetto movie theater. i saw ’28 weeks later’ there and the crowd was more rambunctious than the flesh-eating zombies that star in the film. at one point in the movie, as a zombie is murdering his wife, a guy in the front row yells ‘kill that b-tch’ to the amusement of the rest of the theater.

    after that experience i will never see another movie there.

  • AliG

    I just sent UA a link to this blog.
    Ghetto is defined in Webster’s as “a slum section of a city occupied by a minority group who live there because of social or economic pressure.”
    The people who live in the area (non-African American) but go to the movies at Court Street are clearly the minority. Ironic.

  • BH resident

    I’m really surprised by this blog. I’ve been going to that theater for 7 years and have never had a problem with it.

  • F

    The whole street is Ghetto. What a culture shock when coming up from Brooklyn Heights.

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    While many of you posting here are flat-out bigots and clearly negrophobic, I would say the real racism comes from the Regal management itself.

    It is not uncommon for large corporations to survey the clientele of their establishments and decide from there who gets what resources. IOW, because the theater is mainly patronized by young black men and women, there is less of an imperative to keep the place clean and to hold the customer service folks accountable, and the money is better spent elsewhere.

    This is common corporate thinking. You used to see it alot in the chain stores in the Fulton Mall. That’s why a petition or constant calls to Regal management could, in fact, be effective.

    Or you could keep ranting on the internet about the darkies on Court Street (maybe most of you should move to the Island with the rest of your ilk).

  • anon

    UA plays announcements before every show telling people to remain quiet and respect others’ enjoyment of the film. This is a corporate policy that should be enforced to protect the value of all patrons’ tickets, which all cost the same amount. This has nothing to do with race, class, etc.

  • ChrisC

    Dude — I too saw Talladega Nights at the UA Cinema and laughed so hard, I almost snorted soda out of my nose. Made some obnoxious noises. Also caucasian, but highly unprofessional. I say if you want a “big screen” experience, go to UA Cinema. If you want small and quiet, go to the BH theater or Cobble Hill Cinemas. Chain movie theaters often suffer from a lack of good management and cleanliness because they aren’t run by “mom & pop” or anyone who is truly vested in the business. Profit is the bottom line. You are well within your rights to provide them with constructive feedback, but throwing the word “ghetto” around is really ridiculous…have you ever been to a movie theater outside of New York? It doesn’t corner the market on sticky floors, loud teenagers and stinky bathrooms…

  • ChrisC

    That being said, TK Small, I’m very sorry to hear about your horrible experience! And thank you AliG for your definition of “ghetto”…much appreciated….

  • shocked

    I come to this blog frequently, and am blown away at the racism expressed here. I think this will be my last visit. I only wish that you all had the courage to express your true feelings so openly away from your computers, so that I won’t waste the time greeting you on the street.

    -A “black” Brooklyn Heighter

  • jim

    i, too, am in shock over the seemingly racist, predjucided tone of this commentary. i currently live in b’lyn heights; i’m white, from the south (atlanta) & find it ironic that the south is always labeled as being the most intolerant region of the country. as i have always known, the south clearly does not have a monopoly on racism/prejudice; it is alive & thriving in good ole brooklyn. shame !!

  • http://adsformyself.blogspot.com Tim N.

    “…just calling it as I see it.”

    Sadly, I’m sure that’s true.

  • jim

    stanley, i agree with Tim N. “…as i see it…” hmmmmm….therein lies the problem that you and others are making out of all this; on another note, i seek out the incense peddlers every saturday…i hope my dollars keep ’em in business !!!

  • Eric

    Two things Ive seen at the Court Street UA:
    – A black male teenager cuff a black female teenager on the side of the head, yelling “Stop it, Bitch!” for throwing popcorn at him
    -Someone (I could not see who) throw a wooden broom into a semi-crowded theater (it did not hit anyone)

    While its true there seems to be an abnormally high amount of talking in the theater, this is actually sometimes welcome… I have been more entertained by hecklers in the crowd than the movie itself.
    On the other hand, discussing plot points of the film with the film is unwelcome. For example, I sat next to a woman who spoke to the screen, saying, “He no good for you, girl; he don’t love you!”

    To be fair, this type of behavior is not the sole providence of the Court Street UA nor black people. After being dragged to see Happy Feet at 34th street, the only thing that made the evening tolerable (even enjoyable) was the hispanic gentleman behind me heckling the film.

  • Jonas Von Groucheau

    Eric thanks for your detailed tour of “movie habits of ethnics”. A real gem.

  • Bart

    Regarding race: perhaps we cry wolf way too often.

    What really matters in this issue regarding the United Artists Cinema on Court Street is that many people have found their theater experience unpleasant for many reasons:

    Rudeness of patrons
    Filth of the Cinema
    Unhelpful staff (that could leave a person stuck in an elevator for hours)

    This type of behavior is unpleasant in anyone regardless of the volume of their melanin production. I’m sure we humans all agree on that!

    Bart

  • AliG

    Look, it’s sad to say but if little blond girls with pigtails were robbing banks and shooting people, we wouldn’t be feeling too warm and fuzzy toward them either. Or hey, how about guys from Bulgaria with german shepherds who like to keep a collection of pipe bombs in their apartments??

  • lifer

    Living in Cobble Hill all my life, I for one am NOT surprised at the racism prevalent in the Heights. Its just the silent and cowardly kind (like being too afraid to tell someone to be quiet in a movie theater, but sounding out about it on an anonymous blog) or avoiding Court street all together for its “ghetto”ness. Racism is built out of fear and its a shame adults in this day and age cant come to terms with what scares them. So Stanley, when that “tacky, obnoxious”, white woman on her cell phone cuts me on line at the bank on Montague street, by your terms thats considered ghetto? according to “My statement would be the same if it was white people or any other ethnicity or race.”- it is. Or do you just reserve that statement for incense sellers and movie theaters? And AliG, if blond girls with pigtails were robbing banks,and shooting people, would you be callling that ghetto? or do you just save that term when referring to blacks?..

  • AliG

    lifer, if a coven of little blond girls with pigtails were chilling in Starbucks on Montague and I was afraid to go in there, it would be ghetto. And I would dub them “white trash”. So, being a blonde, white girl, I consider none of that racist.

  • jim

    alig, how sad that you go through life creating labels for the people you encounter…you’re missing out on so much by doing so…i trust that you’ll not understand any of this perspective…too bad

  • jim

    stanley…yes, that makes you a racist, so good for you…

  • AliG

    jim, Enjoy your incense. Keep on truckin’.

  • Will

    Do any of you commenters realize what court street used to be like before the barnes&noble/UA went in? One of the above posts touched on this, but as someone who has lived a few blocks from this location for going on 24 years, I say you don\’t have any idea how good you have it. I still remember getting mugged outside that porno theater when I was 12 or 13. Its a popular movie theater, and the race/socio-economic status of the patrons reflect that of the borough as a whole. Get over it!

  • jim

    alig, i will…thanks !!! it’s good stuff over there on court; you should try !!! :)

  • bher

    Look, if people want to be quiet and reserved, or loud and rambunctious, as Martin Lawrence put it, that’s fine w/ me. Court Street schedules mainstrem movies (horror, action, comedy) that is going to result in crowd participation. That’s true no matter where you are. Brooklyn, UWS, Greenwich, Bed Stuy, Bay Ridge. People laugh, cheer, yell, etc.

    I think what people don’t like or understand, is why the people that go to Court Street (and this crosses all races) insist on bringing their children to R-rated movies, and then refusing to move the kids outside when they start crying. If I go to see Happy Feet at 1pm, I expect kids. If I go to see the post-midnight showing of Cloverfield, I shouldn’t have to deal with an 8 year old screaming kid.

    Why do people bring in full picnic lunches to eat, spreading out over three-four seats. Why do people spend the whole time talking to their friends, or texting, or on the cell phone. Doing everything but watching the movie. Yes, the theatre draws mainly African-Americans, so it might seem like they are predominantly to blame, but as someone who has seen 30+ movies there over the past three years, everyone’s doing it. White, black, Latino, whomever.

    Compounding the problem is that Court Street management clearly doesn’t care. One bit. They must be raking in the dough. The staffers don’t care either. Not to mention the quality of theatres themselves are poor — dirty, broken seats, and screens that are routinely underlit. I know it’s a little Pollyanna-ish to say “If the theatre cared more, then maybe the customers would be more respectful” but maybe it’s at least a little true.

    The sad truth is that the only way to get change is through our pocketbooks — by not going. But since the theatre thrives on teenagers (who clearly don’t care about the issues above) and parents with young kids (ditto) the theatre will keep up their shoddy service, and the poor behavior will continue. Which is a shame, because that theatre could really be the jewel of the area…it has enough screens to schedule a few indies, along with all the blockbuster crap.

    I guess I should get back to work now.

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