Newsday from New York, New York • 180

ftiV V.77V Vf Manhattan Moviemania With almost 30 new screens open, why are the lines still so long? By Steve Bloom BOUT A DECADE ago, entertainment A soothsayers predicted that Americas moviegoing habit had been cured. Why leave the house when you could have liable TV and VCRs right there, the argument went? Especially when they were chopping up single-screen theaters to make cramped, crowded and decrepit multiplexes. Who needed it? And it almost seemed as if the prognosis might have merit when independent movie theaters started closing in New York, especially on the Upper West Side. (In fact. Cinema Studio, at 66th and Broadway, closed its doors yesterday.) But now theres a mini-boom of glossy new theaters opening, along with old ones being bought and spiffed up by big chains.

In less than a year, at least 29 new movie screens have opened for business in Manhattan. With a concentration in lower Manhattan, some are as slick and busy as a suburban plex, others retain some sense of their buildings original character, and one is altogether quite different. The crowds as anyone who goes to the movies on a Saturday night in Manhattan knows have flocked. violet, gray and blue are softened by lighting that blends them al-together. Hot pink neon highlights the marquee outside.

You cant miss them it seems like theyre everywhere. The Cineplex Odeons Chelsea Cinemas (23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, 212-691-4744), which opened in July, is an enormous, seven-story building that houses nine screens. The buildings seating capacity is 2,200. But if you look for crowds outside, you wont find them. It turns out that there are designated waiting area floors inside the building, so you dont have to wait in the rain.

A ticket entitles you entrance to these areas. Whats surprising about the Chelsea and the chains Worldwide Cinemas (50th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, 212-246-1583) is the size of each individual theater. These are not cramped boxes. At the Chelsea, Theater 7 Chain Reaction The mqjor theater chains Loews, Cineplex Odeon, United Artists and City Cinemas have led the charge in the remaking of Manhattans movie theaters. Over the last few years, Cineplex has eaten up theaters like a Pac-Man gone berserk.

In Manhattan alone, there are now 24 Cineplex Odeon theaters. (Many were established theaters taken over by the chain, like the renamed Cineplex Odeon Carnegie Hall Cinema.) The Canadian-based company has been charged with various crimes and misdemeanors, such as hiking ticket prices (now $7.50 at its theaters), showing ads before films and even adding on a 25-cent fee for extra butter on popcorn. But the chain cant be charged with skimping in its design of the new theaters. Cineplex has created a sleek, pleasing decor. The corporate colors Ncwadqr Photo Erica Berger John DeScarfino and Shannon Malone share a cappuccino at the Anjelika accommodates 400; Theater 6 can seat 310, and both are equipped for 70-millimeter films.

(Most films are shot in 35 millimeter.) The Worldwide Cinema, which opened in June, is connected to the Worldwide Plaza building that opened on Eighth Avenue last year and features an older-style marquee (no neon here) and gray mar- ble floors in the lobby. One flight downstairs are the six theaters, stacked along a neon-lit hallway. Unfortunately, the films featured are all in wide release. If you want to see Joe Versus the Volcano or Born on the Fourth of July, Cineplex Odeon is sure to have it. But dont expect Drugstore Cowboy or Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Every Cineplex including its single-screen theater on 62nd Street makes its own popcorn at the concession stands. The prices range from (Extra butter costs a quarter more.) Tickets cost $7.50 for adults and $4 for children (3 to 11 years old) and senior citizens (Monday to Friday before 5 p.m., except on holidays). Room Noar Union Square The Loews chain has added to the theater boom with the Loews 19th Street East (Broadway and 19th Street, 212-260-80001, which opened in November. Nestled in the Union Square West area, this Loews is housed in an old building, reflected with art deco touches in the high-ceilinged lobby. Like the new Cineplex Odeons, this six-screen, two-story Loews is roomy.

The largest theaters (Number 2 Beats 445 and Number 5 seats 301) feature 70-millimeter releases, while the smaller rooms (Number 6 has 219 seats and Number 4 has 227) are used for more intimate films or ones that have waned somewhat in popularity. Each theater slopes slightly downward toward the screen, to improve sight lines. Loews also offers Hollywoods top new releases, not adventurous fare. Popcorn is made in a room behind the concession stand, leading one to wonder how fresh it really is. Theres no charge for extra butter.

Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $3.50 for children (under 11) and seniors (over 65 only Mon- 6WEEKEND NY NE1ASDAY, FRIDAY. MARCH 30. 1990 Tha view from outside the Cineplex Odeon on Manhattans Upper West Side llV 'J T. i'i.