Last night a new little theater celebrated its upcoming opening on Ludlow Street—we weren't invited, but it looks like Willem Defoe, Sofia Coppola, Dustin Hoffman, and David Cross were all on hand to toast filmmaker Alexander Olch's brick & mortar cinematic endeavor: Metrograph.
The 175-seat + 50-seat indie and repertory theater will feature two screens, projecting "first-run and repertory films." The owners say they are "devoted to screening archive-quality 35mm," and claim to be the first independent cinema to open in the city in 10 years. And they are definitely the only cinema in the city to boast reclaimed wood from Williamsburg's old Domino Sugar Refinery.
They've classed up the movie-going experience even further with The Metrograph Commissary, "a world class restaurant, two bars, and a cinema-dedicated bookshop," as well as a candy store that will sell imported chocolates from around the world.
Olch explained his passion behind the project, saying, "Growing up in Manhattan, I fell in love with movies in theaters that are now sadly gone, like the Beekman and the Plaza. To bring glamour, excitement, and prestige back to the exhibition experience has been my long-standing goal."
Don't expect to see the latest rom com or summer blockbuster on these screens, their opening flicks include Taxi Driver, The Purple Rose of Cairo, The Last Picture Show, and that Madonna classic Desperately Seeking Susan.
Metrograph is located at 7 Ludlow Street, and open this Friday, March 4th.
