ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK - News from CapeTown: April 9, 2013

One particularly nasty ex-Special Forces and now convicted Fed bank robber, “Snake” Plissken (Kurt Russell) is power-gliding back onto the big screen in the 1981 futuristic thriller ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK on May 3 courtesy of Rialto Pictures. There hasn't been a screen-able 35mm print of the film in decades, but Rialto decided to make a brand new DCP just for the EW CapeTown Film Festival screening with Kurt Russell in person! This new DCP of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will be available to cinemas in May 2013, so take note repertory cinemas! Click here for information on how to book it.

Rialto Pictures is thrilled to announce that ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will premiere in DCP format at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre on Friday, May 3, as part of the 2013 Entertainment Weekly/CapeTown Film Festival, presented by The American Cinematheque. Kurt Russell will appear in a rare onstage interview. The screening at the Egyptian Theatre is sold out, but there will be a standby line. More CapeTown news.

RETURN OF THE JEDI Returns to the Egyptian Theatre May 4th for Three 30th Anniversary Screenings

The American Cinematheque is very excited to be working with Entertainment Weekly to present the 1st CapeTown Film Festival April 30 - May 6 at he Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Tickets went on sale over the weekend to American Cinematheque members and EW subscribers, but tickets are now on sale to the general public on Fandango. Just about 100 are left for RETURN OF THE JEDI (6 PM & 10 PM shows). Geoff Boucher of Entertainment Weekly said he had "a lot of fun getting in line with fans (who recognized him) to buy tickets for the festival" which features the films and talent he personally helped select along with the Cinematheque's Grant Moninger. 

RETURN OF THE JEDI originally opened at the Egyptian Theatre in 1983 as one of the 70mm engagements. This blog post on in70mm has scans of ads for the film, critic's quotes, as well as a wealth of other information on the film, the third in the Stars Wars saga. On May 4th, it will play at 2 PM, 6 PM and 10 PM in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

The EW CapeTown Film Festival will give sci-fi, super-hero and fantasy fans the opportunity to see their favorite films return to the big screen alongside rare live Q&A sessions with their filmmakers including Kurt Russell ith ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, Leonard Nimoy with STAR TREK, John Carpenter with THE THING, Terry Gilliam with 12 MONKEYS and more!

Earlier this year, EW.com launched CapeTown, a new digital destination devoted to the intersection of Hollywood and "Comic-Con culture" -- the surging scene that encompasses super-hero, sci-fi, fantasy and horror that stretches across film, television, gaming, comics and novels. "Fantasy, sci-fi and super-heroes have transformed nearly every entertainment medium the past few years. EW's CapeTown Festival celebrates these fantastic genres and gives our audience front-row access to the entertainers creating modern mythology," said Jess Cagle, Editor of Entertainment Weekly.

We would love to hear comments from people who saw RETURN OF THE JEDI at the Egyptian in 1983. What were the lines like? Any special decor in the lobby? Here is a nice recollection (and photo of the Egyptian marquee in 1983) on the GeekGirlDiva blog.

For the entire CapeTown Film Festival line-up, please see the American Cinematheque's website.