America’s first twin-screen movie theater has closed on the Upper East Side after 64 years, — its building is being sold for $41 million
The Upper East Side just lost a piece of movie history. Cinema 123 by Angelika , the Third Avenue theater that opened in 1962 as what’s been called the country’s first twin-screen cinema , has permanently closed after 64 years . The three-screen theater at 1001 Third Avenue, between East 59th and East 60th Streets, held its final screenings on Thursday, October 29, and the closure took effect the next day. The farewell notice kept it short, but it ended on a sweet note: “As our final credits roll, we thank you for being part of our story.” 64 years across from Bloomingdale’s The theater debuted in 1962 as Cinema I & II, described by 6sqft as the first twin-screen cinema in the country . A third screen arrived in the 1980s, and eventually the name became Cinema 123. Over the decades, its screens mixed independent, foreign and mainstream films, which made it a true neighborhood go-to. For generations of Upper East Siders, it was the easy plan: catch a movie across from Bloomingdale’s, grab dinner nearby, no trip downtown required. A $41 million sale The closure wasn’t a total surprise. Reading International, the parent company of Angelika, bought out
