Mayfair Triplex

Just… wow. I hope you didn’t show up early for the 7:20 movie tonight. Because the OWNER SHOWED UP TO OPEN THE THEATER AT 7:35! It’s like nine degrees outside, so I’m an idiot for waiting outside a completely dark theater for 20 minutes while the guy who owns the place was at home watching the Simpsons. When I asked at the Chinese restaurant next door how to get into the theater, a diner said that the owner shows up only at showtime. I thought he was joking; I can assure you he was not.
Oh by the way, when the owner can’t be bothered to even unlock the building before showtime, guess what else won’t be turned on? That’s right — the heat. So it’s freezing outside AND inside. And the owner has to spend the first 15 minutes running around turning on lights and figuring out which theaters he’s going to use while the few of us who paid for a movie stand around in the lobby. Fun. But at least the popcorn was — oh wait. No one was there to make popcorn because, well, no one was there. It’s like everything about this place is being run on-​the-​fly. And your 7:20 movie starts at 7:55.
And it’s a shame because at some point the Mayfair was a classic, all-​American, Main Street bijou. It’s got a balcony! It’s got pipe organs! But instead of trying to restore it to some of its original charm and glory, it is being run on the cheap.
And it’s cheap to get in – it is. But I’d rather pay 12 bucks to sit in a warm theater and have a great night at the movies. It’s like the Mayfair was challenging patrons to see how much they would put up with for 5 dollars. Yeah, I only paid 5 bucks, but I still felt ripped off.
The owner says to me «I only charge 5 bucks to get in, and still nobody comes.» I’m like, are you serious? It’s freezing in here, the sound and picture is just average, there’s no concessions, and I stood around in 10 degree weather for the pleasure? He says he’s thinking about showing HIndi films instead. If he can find a market who is willing to put up with this degree of chaos, God bless him.

I made the trip to the Mayfair Theatre. Upon arriving I found parking around the theatre difficult. I did find a municipal lot close by
Upon entering the outer lobby I noticed how high the ceilings were. There appeared to be a fresh coat of paint on them.
The fellow behind the candy/​ticket counter was friendly he told me the theatre has it’s own indoor parking. One has to inform a staff member to open the street door (I suppose they do not want to keep it open as non theatre patrons could just go in and park)
The inner lobby was airy and a bit spooky. Cinema two is the largest with the original proscenium arch around the screen. It continued arching up and disappeared up into what used to be the balcony area.
Two pipe organ’s were located in the far left and right hand corners of the auditorium. I do not know if there are any plans to use them in the future.
The theatre was freshly painted with new comfortable blue seats. The Manager told me new owners had taken over recently and are in the process of fixing things up.
The screen is a good size and the projection bright and clear. The sound was a bit soft in some spots. The Hangover was very funny and got a lot of laughs from the good sized crowd.
The two other auditoriums were much smaller but would not make you feel claustrophobic. The seats did not appear to be new from what I could tell.
With a little TLC, posters adorning the walls and classic neon signs along with
original articles and pictures from the early days of the theatre would add a lot of character and ambiance to a somewhat plain interior.

The Mayfair Triplex, like the nearby Galaxy Theater, shows first-​run movies for $ 5. If it’s a matinée, it’s only $ 4. When you think about it, seeing a first-​run movie for $ 4 is an incredible bargain, compared to the typical $ 10 in Manhattan.
Unlike the wonderful Galaxy, though, the Mayfair is pretty run-​down and depressing. The screens are tiny. The sound system is less than state-​of-​the-​art with only two speakers, I think. The projectors, as far as I can tell, are video projectors, which is how they manage to show movies for such a low price, and the one in my theater was out of focus at that. The restrooms don’t have paper towels.
Still, I have to say… $ 4 for first run movies… what do you expect? Do not come to the Mayfair to see a movie you’ve been waiting months for. Do not come to the Mayfair to impress a date. Come to the Mayfair to kill some time on a movie you didn’t really want to see anyway because it got scathing reviews or stars someone you really hate. Come to the Mayfair to see a movie you don’t want to admit to seeing. I saw the ridiculous Tony Scott film «Deja Vu» here today with four other people in the audience. It was a silly, but entertaining film.
And it was well worth $ 4.