Paris Theater, last single-screen movie theater in Manhattan, reopens

NEW YORK - After remaining closed since the start of the pandemic, New York City's iconic Paris Theater opened its doors again on Friday.

The venue was renovated during the pandemic. It first opened in 1948 and is the city's longest-running art and foreign film house.

"Here is this place adjacent to the Plaza Hotel, with that plaza imprimatur, New York City, Manhattan," movie critic David Edelstein said. "It gives a kind of luster to it, a kind of romance to it."

"Obviously the Paris Theater is a New York institution," actor and New Jersey native Peter Kim said. "And for the film to be here, launching for the reopening of the Paris — it's a really special moment and I’m just so grateful we can do this." 

To celebrate its return, the Paris Theater will show the "40-Year-Old Version," which premiered at Sundance in 35-millimeter.

"I love to celebrate myself and I love to celebrate womanhood," actress Tavasha Shannon, who plays Miss Undastood, said. "The movie shows living your dream, chasing your goals, never giving up and I’m excited."

Kim, who plays Archie, calls it a "feel-good comedy."

"If you want to laugh, if you maybe want to cry — come check it out the '40-Year-Old Version' at the Paris," Kim said.

Since November 2019, the famed theater on West 58th Street has been run by Netflix. The streaming giant saved the cinema from closing.

The Paris Theater is the only single-screen movie theater in Manhattan. The intimate venue houses 571 seats and it's strongly encouraged that moviegoers wear a mask inside the venue.

The Paris Theater | 4 W. 58th St., New York, N.Y. 10019 | 212-688-3800 | paristheaternyc.com