Cinemapolis Paradiso!

After years of planning, downtown Ithaca's new Cinemapolis opens this week

It seems we've been hearing about the plans for a showpiece downtown movie theatre for a decade, and finally the day is upon us. Ithaca's old community movie theatres have closed, and the brand new Cinemapolis will open in downtown Ithaca this week.

The entrance to the new Cinemapolis. 14850 Photo.

Early plans for a reconstructed Green Street parking garage included space for a commercial movie theatre, but eventually the City shifted its plans to give 7th Art Corporation, the non-profit that has operated Fall Creek Pictures and Cinemapolis for several years, an opportunity to open a top-notch independent cinema. Though the opening has slipped from the original June 3rd date, the facility is nearly ready to open this week. The grand opening is Friday, June 12th.

Nestled in between the ground-level parking area across from the Green Street bus stop and the new entrance ramp to the Green Street parking garage, the new Cinemapolis entrance is not far from its longtime Home Dairy Alley location and the rear door into the Center Ithaca atrium.

Volunteers paint and prep the new Cinemapolis.

As this week's opening date approaches, volunteers have been painting, cleaning, and otherwise preparing the movie theatre for its public debut. The first to enjoy the new facility will be Cinemapolis donors, who are invited to a Thursday night party. (Organizers stress that community members can still make donations and be invited to the party.) Naming donor opportunities range from $250 for the theatre's new seats to $15,000 to name theatre number 5, which remains unnamed.

• Donate to Cinemapolis

Friday night, the five-screen Cinemapolis will be open to the public, with a slate of films that includes "The Brothers Bloom," "Sugar," "Goodbye Solo," "Lymelife," "Everlasting Moments," and "Paris." The grand opening will continue with a special event next Tuesday night, when Cinemapolis will play five movies all evening, free of charge. Patrons voted to select the free movies, which will be "Little Miss Sunshine," Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights," "Cinema Paradiso," "The Last Waltz," and "Chinatown." Exact showtimes are yet to be announced, and seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Brand new stadium seating.

New stadium seating is among the features we're pleased to see at the new Cinemapolis, after years of deteriorating seating in the two old theatres. As with most modern movie theatres, seating here is arrayed at an angle that gives patrons an easier time seeing over the folks in front of them.

Upstairs, Cinemapolis's projection booths (actually one long corridor with openings into each auditorium) feature new-to-Ithaca, though not brand new, film projectors. 7th Art organizer Lynne Cohen says they hope to add digital projectors in the near future, and in the meantime, the sound equipment in each auditorium is completely new.

And, last but not least, a new refreshment stand in the lobby will feature not only Cinemapolis's famously fresh popcorn, but also local favourites such as Purity ice cream and wraps from Ithaca Bakery. This weekend, the popcorn's free. We'll see you there!