THE SHOWCASE ENGAGEMENTS
The following is a list of the “six-track” showcase presentations of Terminator 2 in the United States and Canada. These were, arguably, the best theaters in which to experience T2 and the only way to faithfully hear the movie’s Academy Award-winning sound.
T2 was the seventh of ten movies between 1990 and 1992 released in Cinema Digital Sound, the first 5.1-channel theatrical audio format and the precursor to the modern-day digital audio formats. And of the 200+ new movies released during 1991, T2 was among only ten to have 70mm prints prepared.
Of the 2,000+ prints issued of T2 in North America, the distributor prepared only about a dozen in 35mm with Cinema Digital Sound (CDS) and two dozen in 70mm (six CDS and 18 Dolby-encoded magnetic). The balance of the print run was a mixture of optical 4-channel Dolby SR and Dolby A.
For this release, TriStar employed the services of Lucasfilm’s Theater Alignment Program (TAP) to evaluate and approve the theaters selected to book a 70mm print. As well, the movie was booked into as many THX-certified venues as possible.
The noise-reduction and signal-processing format for the T2 70mm magnetic prints was Dolby “A,” and the soundtrack was a split-surround/single-surround combo format. The aspect ratio was 2.20:1 and was blown up from Super-35 photography.
A teaser trailer for Hook was sent out with the Terminator 2 prints and which the distributor recommended be screened with the presentation.
The listing includes those special engagements that commenced July 3rd, 1991. The listing does not include any move-overs, subsequent run or international engagements, nor does it include any of the movie’s thousands of standard 35mm engagements. (Some engagements included preview screenings on July 2nd.)
So, which North American theaters screened the six-track version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day? Read on….
* 35mm Cinema Digital Sound
** 70mm Cinema Digital Sound
*** 70mm Six-Track Dolby Stereo
ARIZONA
- Scottsdale — United Artists’ Scottsdale Pavilions 11* <THX>
CALIFORNIA
- Emeryville — United Artists’ Emery Bay 10* <THX>
- La Mesa — Pacific’s Grossmont Trolley 8*
- Lakewood — Pacific’s Regency 8*
- Los Angeles (Century City) — AMC’s Century 14** <THX>
- Los Angeles (Hollywood) — Pacific’s Cinerama Dome**
- Los Angeles (Westwood) — United Artists’ Coronet Triplex** <THX>
- Marina del Rey — United Artists’ Cinema 6*
- Newport Beach — Edwards’ Newport Triplex***
- Orange — Syufy’s Cinedome 8***
- Sacramento — Syufy’s Century 6***
- San Diego — Unite Artists’ Horton Plaza 7* <THX>
- San Francisco — United Artists’ Galaxy 4* <THX>
- San Francisco — United Artists’ Galaxy 4*** <THX>
- San Jose — Syufy’s Century 22 Triplex***
- San Rafael — Pacific’s Regency 6*
- Universal City — Cineplex Odeon’s Universal City 18*** <THX>
COLORADO
- Denver — United Artists’ Continental**
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- Washington — K-B’s Fine Arts***
FLORIDA
- South Miami — United Artists’ Movies at the Falls 7*
GEORGIA
- Atlanta — United Artists’ Lenox Square 6*
HAWAII
- Honolulu — Consolidated’s Waikiki Triplex*** <HPS-4000>
ILLINOIS
- Chicago — Cineplex Odeon’s McClurg Court Triplex*** <THX>
- Skokie — Loews’ Old Orchard 4***
MARYLAND
- Bethesda — United Artists’ Bethesda 10*
MASSACHUSETTS
- Boston — Loews’ Cheri 4***
NEW JERSEY
- Princeton — United Artists’ Movies at Market Fair 10*
NEW YORK
- New York (Brooklyn) — United Artists’ Movies at Sheepshead Bay 9*
- New York (Manhattan) — Loews 19th Street East 6***
- New York (Manhattan) — Loews’ 84th Street 6**
- New York (Manhattan) — United Artists’ Criterion Center 6***
- New York (Manhattan) — United Artists’ Gemini Twin**
- Woodbury — United Artists’ The Syosset***
PENNSYLVANIA
- Philadelphia — SamEric’s SamEric 4***
TEXAS
- Dallas — United Artists’ Plaza 8* <THX>
- Dallas — United Artists’ Plaza 8*** <THX>
- Fort Worth — United Artists’ Hulen 10* <THX>
VIRGINIA
- Merrifield — National Amusements’ Arlington Blvd/Lee Highway 14*** <THX>
- Reston — National Amusements’ Reston Town Center 11***
Anecdotal evidence suggests that some of the CDS prints were replaced during engagement with Dolby prints.
