Why are Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon and more trying to save this Upper West Side church?
The Center, a nonprofit arts group that's been renting space in the church for over a decade, was officially evicted last week. But its supporters, which include Upper West Side resident Mark Ruffalo and a slew of stars like Matt Damon, Christian Slater, Kyra Sedgwick and Kenneth Lonergan, aren't letting the curtain fall quietly.
'I started out in spaces like this as a young actor here in New York City,' Ruffalo told West Side Rag. 'And when I walked in here, it reminded me of that. My humble beginnings, where you could come and work out your talent, where it wasn't really expensive, where other people who are starting out just like you could meet and you can really figure out what you're doing.' Last fall, he and Damon staged a stripped-down benefit reading of Lonergan's This Is Our Youth to raise funds to save the building from becoming yet another 19-story glass box.
Despite eviction orders and losing multiple court battles, the Center is vowing to keep its programming going—off-site for now, but still firmly committed to preserving the church itself. Debby Hirshman, executive director of the Center, has said it's raised more than $5 million for critical repairs but claims the church has blocked the work from moving forward.
Meanwhile, the West-Park congregation has asked the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to strip the building's landmark status, citing financial hardship. Without that designation, demolition could move ahead, but that effort was put on hold in early 2024 when the church withdrew its application, citing ongoing legal disputes with its tenant. A new filing could come at any time.
The church argues the condo deal would include a 10,000-square-foot space they could use or lease out, effectively trading one performance space for another. But critics, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, say losing the Center and the building would be a major cultural blow.
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Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I've found an incredible cheap UK holiday park that brings the best bits of Center Parcs, Butlin's and Haven to ONE site
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you want the style of Center Parcs, the buzz of Butlin's and the hype of Haven, I've found one holiday park that has it all and it won;t cost a fortune. When one child loves spending hours in the pool, another enjoys a boogie on the dance floor and the third wants to swing through the trees on the high ropes, it's hard to know which holiday park is best for your family break - but I've got you covered. 7 I took my three sons for a holiday at a Haven park in North Wales Credit: Catherine Lofthouse 7 There's a climbing wall and plenty of other activities too Credit: Haven My family and I recently took a trip to Haven's Hafan y Mor park near Pwllheli in North Wales. We loved it so much I had booked to return next summer before we'd even made it home. The park is set on a little slice of the British coastline that's like stepping back in time to the holidays of your childhood. The site's staycation secret is that it used to be a Butlin's before being turned into a Haven 25 years ago. So it's still got all the best bits of Butlin's - from the flumes and slides of the Splashaway Bay adventure pool to the top-notch venue full of shows. I even did a double take when I saw the stripy blue tops of the entertainment crew, instead of the Redcoats of Butlin's from days gone by. Now one of the largest Haven parks, there's a stunning choice of outdoor activities you'd usually see at an upscale Center Parc resort. It's the first Haven I've been to where the high ropes take you through the trees, just like at Center Parcs. The Dragon Lakes Adventure Park even sees thrill-seekers zipping over the waters where fellow guests can take to pedalos. The adrenaline-charged activities also include The Jump - a terrifying free-fall leap onto a huge inflatable cushion - as well as climbing wall, mini 4x4 off-roaders and even Segways. There's all sorts of accommodation at Hafan y Mor, including Center-Parcs-style pine lodges surrounded by trees. The perfect Haven holiday park for a kid-friendly break - with direct beach access, indoor waterpark and neighbouring seaside theme park 7 You can jump off the free-fall platform Credit: Haven 7 One of my sons was a big fan of the giant trampolines Credit: Catherine Lofthouse There are even old-fashioned chalet blocks from back in the Butlin's days and mod-con caravans you'll see at all Haven resorts, so you can pick whatever works for you and your budget. It's not often that my three boys all get their own bedroom when we go away on holiday, but our recently refurbished four-bed chalet was huge. I loved the village vibe of everyone hanging out on their decking or balcony, so reminiscent of childhood holidays when the kids played together on the grass by your block. I even spotted one family stringing up a badminton net. The chalet accommodation is also one of the cheapest options - we paid less than £300 for our June weekend away and it's only £275 for four nights in the summer holidays next year, which is incredible value for money if you're bringing eight people. We were just a stone's throw from Dragon Lakes Activity Village, which also offers up sports courts, a sandpit playground and even a bark park for furry family members. Like Center Parcs, most of the activities aren't included in the price of your break, and you'll need to factor that in, but the cost is far less at Haven. We paid £12 for Aquajets in the pool, £8 for the mini 4x4 off roaders and £7 for a go on the bungee trampoline. 7 We rented out aquajets which were cheaper than those at Center Parcs Credit: Catherine Lofthouse 7 The holiday park is surrounded by beaches where you can relax or paddle Credit: Haven Aquajets at Center Parcs would set you back £18.50 to £22.50, while children's 4x4 off-road explorers are £24, so there's a hefty saving to be made here. And you could easily just stick to the freebie fun if you prefer. The pool was enough to keep everyone busy for hours and although you pre-book an entry time, there wasn't anyone asking us to leave at the end of our hour time slot on the weekend we were there. The free shows and entertainment were great - my littlest loved the Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime and won a prize for his enthusiastic dancing at the kids' disco. And no seaside staycation would be complete without a stroll to see the sandy shore, although you might need to venture a bit further afield if you want to find a beach to play on. This is quite a spread-out site with a railway track splitting it in two, but there's a land train that takes you on a turn around the park if your little ones are worn out with all the activities and don't fancy walking. This tucked-away spot is surrounded by dramatic mountains, picturesque beaches and unassuming tourist towns that only add to the magic of a trip here. It's like going back in time to the heyday of the great British staycation. Catching sight of Criccieth Castle overlooking the beach was a welcome signal that we had almost arrived after our long drive. It's a bit of a trek to get there, but the direct train from Birmingham takes less than five hours, around the same time as travelling by train from London to Cornwall. And Penychain station is on the edge of the park within walking distance of its entrance. This haven by the sea could well become our new holiday hotspot as it ticks all the boxes for my boys. Here's more about the Haven holiday from someone who visits every year - and has discovered secret areas that guests don't know about. Plus, the beachfront Haven holiday park reveals plans for huge new adventure attraction and Wetherspoons pub.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Matt Damon's next film has already SOLD OUT for opening weekend... and it doesn't even come out until 2026
Matt Damon 's upcoming epic The Odyssey has sparked a 'black market' with movie tickets being resold for hundreds of dollars above its retail value, even though the release date is still a year away. With increase in demand to see the movie during opening weekend in 2026, scalpers have been listing the tickets and attempting to resell movie tickets for shocking sticker prices. Now, scalpers are selling movie tickets for upwards of $200 to $300 per ticket, with bid prices going over a whopping $700, even though the film still in the midst of production. Just earlier this week, Damon was seen shooting scenes in Scotland with Tom Holland and Zendaya. In the United States, almost all tickets for screenings in IMAX 70mm film sold out within an hour of going live at midnight, repping about a total of $1.5 million in sales, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since then, fans have been sharing reports of tickets being resold on eBay and other sites between $300 and $400 — and reportedly even going up to $1400 for a group of four tandem seats — compared to an average retail price between $25 and $28, a source told the outlet. With one Dallas screening ticket appeared at 400% above its retail value and another listing reportedly offered two seats to a July 19 screening for $399, there were also reportedly four AMC Lincoln Square tickets that opened bidding at $1,000, per fan reports on social media. On social media, fans started joking that the ticket situation had sparked a 'black market' to sell and buy seats for opening weekend of the highly anticipated film. In reaction to seeing the resell prices, an X user tweeted disappointedly: 'on top of this odyssey imax thing being an annoying idea in general now we have a black market for movie tickets.' Another fan tweeted a side-by-side comparison of a man before and after having aged due to stress and time, writing that was 'how it felt trying to get an imax ticket for the odyssey.' 'Still can't believe someone spent $1000 on 4 tickets for the odyssey on ebay,' another person wrote in shock. Another person added: 'Someone on eBay wanted $1400 for four tickets to The Odyssey in 70MM IMAX lol go f*** yourself.' 'Me watching The Odyssey in row A at Lincoln Square AMC next July because tickets sold out in 30 seconds,' another added alongside a warped view of the movie screen, angled from the very first row. 'Christopher Nolan making The Odyssey an immersive experience by making us wait an entire year after buying our tickets like we are Odysseus spending 10 years trying to find his son,' one X user joked. 'Still can't believe someone spent $1000 on 4 tickets for the odyssey on ebay,' another person wrote in shock Another person added: 'Someone on eBay wanted $1400 for four tickets to The Odyssey in 70MM IMAX lol go f*** yourself.' 'Christopher Nolan making The Odyssey an immersive experience by making us wait an entire year after buying our tickets like we are Odysseus spending 10 years trying to find his son,' one X user joked The Damon- led and Christopher Nolan-directed epic, inspired by Homer's epic, is set to premiere in theaters nationwide in 12 more months. The film stars Damon as Odysseus and Holland as Odysseus' son Telemachus. The classic story from ancient Greek literature follows the king of Ithaca as he undertakes a long and perilous journey home to his wife after the end of the Trojan War. His challenges are many as he spends many years encountering a succession of mythical beings, including the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, the enchantress Circe and travels to the Underworld. The all-star cast also includes Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, Robert Pattinson, Cherlize Theron, Jon Bernthal and Mia Goth. Ticket pre-sales for The Odyssey were accompanied by the release of a minute-long, first look trailer that played ahead of screenings for Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman. Nolan preferred to keep the teaser off the internet in order to preserve the cinematic experience of his new film. The Odyssey opens in theaters on July 17, 2026.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
First tickets to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey sell out – a year before its 2026 release
The first tickets to Christopher Nolan's take on Homer's Odyssey have gone on sale – before he's even finished filming it and a year before the film is even out, in what is likely the longest pre-sale in cinematic history. The Odyssey, which stars Matt Damon as the cunning Odysseus as he fights his way home after the end of the Trojan war, will be released on 17 July 2026. But on Thursday, Imax released tickets to the first screenings at the 26 Imax cinemas around the world that have the staff and equipment required to project in 1570 format. 1570 is the largest and highest resolution film format in existence and Nolan's preferred format. It refers to the dimensions of the film: the 15 perforations along the edge of each frame, which allow the film to be pulled through the projector, and 70mm in height. The first Imax tickets are just for 1570 format screenings on the opening weekend, from 16 to 19 July 2026 – but only one screening per cinema per day is possible as the film's length is unknown. Overnight, Imax Melbourne sold about 1,800 tickets across four screenings. 'Just one year in advance – it's nice and normal to have a pre-sale like that,' Jeremy Fee, general manager of Imax Melbourne, joked to Guardian Australia on Friday. 'I couldn't be more excited. We worship Nolan here. It's a bit pathetic. But we love him so much.' In the US, almost all tickets sold out within an hour ; soon there were reports of tickets being resold online by scalpers for between US$300-$400. In the UK, London's famous BFI Imax has sold out, as has the Science Museum Imax. Nolan began using Imax cameras for 2008's The Dark Knight and has championed the format ever since. His 2023 Oscar winner Oppenheimer was the first movie shot entirely with Imax 65mm film, but The Odyssey will be the first commercial feature shot entirely on Imax film cameras, after Nolan convinced Imax to create new cameras that were quiet enough for him to record dialogue. Imax screenings accounted for US$190m – or about 20% – of Oppenheimer's US$975.8m global box office. The Oppenheimer 1570 reel was more than 18km long, weighed 260kg and was the most expensive film reel ever made. The platters that hold and feed the large-format film reels through the Imax projectors had to be widened to 1.85 metres to accommodate the sheer heft of Oppenheimer – but Fee predicted the Odyssey reel could be even bigger. The longest pre-sale Imax Melbourne has ever run was about three months, Fee said. 'Nolan is the biggest deal for us, obviously,' he says. 'But we've not been through something like this before. We had to change the back-end of our ticketing systems to ensure we could actually put tickets on sale this far out. It is definitely an anomaly for us, and something we were pretty excited to do.' The decision to sell a relatively small number of tickets so far in advance when Nolan's film will inevitably dominate screens in most cinemas upon release, Fee said, is simply to build anticipation. 'We're anticipating it will be even more successful for us than Oppenheimer was – and Oppenheimer is our most successful feature length of all time,' he added. 'It is an opportunity to see the film in the way that Nolan wants it to be seen. The superfans for Nolan – and there's many of them – are just getting excited about being able to access [The Odyssey] earlier than anyone else.' Imax Melbourne regularly sees 'cinema tourists', he said: people who book holidays around screenings. 'We've already got people who bought their Odyssey tickets and are now trying to find flights from Sydney and New Zealand and so on, just to come down here,' he said. According to Fee, Imax Melbourne had not yet seen any evidence of scalpers selling tickets from their first four screenings. But the pre-sale is 'just a drop in the ocean, really, of how many sessions and tickets will eventually be put on sale,' he said. 'The idea of buying a tout ticket now would be a very foolish one.'
