Film Forum reopens with better seats, another screen

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The Film Forum has been around in New York City in one form or another since 1970.

"We started as a tiny 50-seat screening room on the Upper West Side and eventually we grew into this space at West Houston Street," Mike Maggiore said.

But since moving to its current location, only one renovation had been done: the box office, restrooms, and concessions.

"We did a survey of our members and attendees to our screenings about two years ago and we kept hearing compliments about our programming, how much people liked to see the movies," Maggiore said. "But they complained about the seats."

Taking customer feedback to heart, the Film Forum closed for three months to take on a $5 million expansion and renovation. Wednesday, the theater reopened its doors and saw the return of many delighted moviegoers.

The art-house cinema, which is an independent nonprofit organization, is a special place in the city for its longtime patrons. Now, this home is just a bit more enjoyable. The renovations included all-new cinema seating, some lobby upgrades, and fourth theater screen.

Unlike your mainstream theater, the Film Forum has a unique offering of foreign films, indies, classics, and documentaries. So that new screen will go a long way.

"Having a fourth screen just gives us more flexibility," Maggiore said. "It allows us to hold over more films that do particularly well that in the past we weren't able to keep running."

So grab your popcorn and take a seat.