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Netflix Is Taking Over a Historic New York City Theater

New York City News Entertainment
by Eben Diskin Nov 26, 2019

First, Netflix revolutionized television. Now it’s revolutionizing cinema one theater at a time. When the historic Paris Theater in New York City closed down in August after more than 70 years of business, its future looked rather grim — until Netflix stepped in. Located across the southeastern entrance to Central Park and the Plaza Hotel, this 581-seat theater is the last single-screen theater in the city, and a cultural landmark. Netflix has stepped in to prevent its total demise, signing a new lease for the theater and repurposing it to host special Netflix events, screenings, and theatrical releases.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said, “After 71 years, the Paris Theater has an enduring legacy, and remains the destination for a one-of-a kind movie-going experience. We are incredibly proud to preserve this historic New York institution so it can continue to be a cinematic home for film lovers.”

Since its opening in 1948, the Paris Theater typically showed lesser-known arthouse and foreign-language films, which may be one explanation for its eventual closure. Netflix is quickly making its mark, however, already showing its Oscar-contender Marriage Story.

Whether you’re a Netflix user or not, all can agree that the theater’s continued operation is a sigh of relief for all those nostalgic for the days when getting off the couch to sit in plush seats for a couple of hours with other people to enjoy some art was an exciting outing.

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