Up until February of this year, the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series had been averaging over 700 patrons a show. This has been our most successful season with few disappointments. But one such disappointment was an unrealized project that few people knew anything about. I mention it only because it illustrates how the programming and booking of a film isn’t always the easiest process. I normally refrain from commenting on shows that don’t materialize simply because there is always the expectation that they will down the road. However, as I had already announced our 50th anniversary screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey back on Opening Night in September– even adding that astronaut David Bowman (Keir Dullea) would be with us in person– I thought I’d make a brief comment on the status of that anniversary screening.
Actor Keir Dullea graciously agreed to be our guest this spring, for which we are extremely grateful. He is a class act and a wonderful guest to have at any venue. Additionally, we found an exciting sponsor that was interested in partnering with the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series. All systems appeared to be go and we agreed on a date: May 16, 2018. However, when we tried to book the film for May, the studio informed us that 2001 is out of circulation for all of 2018. We can’t show it. The reason for this is that filmmaker Christopher Nolan is bringing 2001 back to theatres in an “unrestored,” 70mm version that will be screened around the country. This is great news for film purists but a missed opportunity for us as we would have been one of the first theatres to screen the film near its actual anniversary (April 2, 1968). We had additional plans in place to make the event even bigger than anyone realized. We had an Apollo astronaut who, though he did not officially commit to the event, was “interested” in the idea of joining us as a guest. We were on the verge of organizing what would have been a film event of national importance: 2001: From Imagination to Reality.
This website has always been about results, but sometimes merit can be found in the effort. We are grateful to all the parties involved who tried to get this event off the ground. We still plan on presenting 2001 at some point in the future after the studio moratorium is over, but the window of opportunity may have closed on some of the other attractions we had conceived. There is, however, a silver lining to be found in this delay. The Pickwick management is currently planning on renovating the main theatre and installing a new, wider screen in the fall. 2001 would look spectacular presented in this manner.
Therefore, instead of ending the current season with 2001, we will screen a movie I was going to open Season 6 with. It’s another science fiction film that is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It’s one of my personal favorites, and we look forward to showing it on May 16. Park Ridge may have momentarily lost contact with astronaut David Bowman, but we will have astronaut George Taylor to take his place. By an accident in the space-time continuum, our series will now conclude in 3978 AD.
~MCH
2001: A Space Odyssey, originally planned for Season 5, will be rescheduled.
