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There may be light at the end of the tunnel for the Metro Theater, an embattled Upper West Side landmark that has been shuttered since 2005.
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After years of stalled efforts to revive the space at 2626 Broadway (between West 99th and 100th streets), a nonprofit group called the Upper West Side Cinema Center has reportedly entered into a contract to purchase the Metro Theater–provided it can raise the funds needed by the end of the year, according to a New York Times report.
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The deal will require $7 million to go through, and the group, led by independent film producer Ira Deutchman, says it has raised about a third of the funds so far.
Deutchman and Adeline Monzier, the U.S. representative for Unifrance (a French film promoter), created the Upper West Side Cinema Center with the goal of “creating a new facility dedicated to screening art film releases that currently have no home in the neighborhood, as well as classic films and special events,” according to its website. Hollywood stars like Martin Scorsese, Ethan Hawke, and Frances McDormand are listed as “advisors” to the UWSCC on its website.
The theater is currently owned by the estate of Albert Bialek, whose November 2023 passing complicated plans for Alamo Drafthouse to revitalize the space. Those plans ultimately fell through after Alamo filed for bankruptcy.
“It’s back to the drawing board yet again,” Manhattan borough president Mark Levine wrote on social media in April of this year. “I will continue to fight hard to bring this gem back as a cultural venue.”
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The UWSCC emerged as a potential Metro Theater savior over the summer. According to its website, the group’s vision for the venue includes “a five-screen theater, with two larger auditoriums, two smaller ones and a fifth room that has flexible seating and can be used as a screening room, a classroom, a meeting room or as a small reception space. Additionally, there would be a lobby lounge/cafe that would be open to the street and can be used for events.”
Deutchman thanked New Friends of the Metro Theater, a Facebook group dedicated to the cause, in a post on November 9:
“A quick but heartfelt thank you to New Friends of Metro Theater for their early endorsement, which helped to kickstart our efforts. And also for keeping the flame alive all these years. Lots more work to be done, but just know that we appreciate the support.”
Information about donating to the UWSCC can be found here.
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I look forward to enjoying film there.
Give it up already.