For the first time since its opening in 1907, the historic Belasco Theatre will host a movie showing — Martin Scorsese’s mafia epic, “The Irishman.”
The 3 1⁄2 hour film, starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, will follow a traditional Broadway schedule with eight showings a week, and will run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1. The film will be released for streaming on Netflix on Nov. 27.
“It’s an immense honor for ‘The Irishman’ to be welcomed to the Belasco — an iconic and historic landmark fit for Scorsese’s latest cinematic achievement,” said head of Netflix Film Scott Stuber.
Netflix will also install state-of-the-art film equipment in the theater to make the showing possible, according to Indie Wire.
The arrangement was made with the purpose of allowing Scorsese’s film to be showcased in the type of ornate theater in which New Yorkers used to be able to routinely watch films.
“We’ve lost so many wonderful theaters in New York City in recent years, including single-house theaters like the Ziegfeld and the Paris,” Scorsese said in a statement. “The opportunity to recreate that singular experience at the historic Belasco Theatre is incredibly exciting. Ted Sarandos, Scott Stuber and their team at Netflix have continued to find creative ways to make this picture a special event for audiences and I’m thankful for their innovation and commitment.”
According to Playbill, Netflix’s awards contender will center around the mob, the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa and how closely intertwined organized crime has been to mainstream politics. In addition to its showings at the Belasco, “The Irishman” will get a theatrical release prior to its release on Netflix to comply with Oscar eligibility rules.
The Belasco Theatre was the location of Pacino’s 1969 Broadway debut in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?,” for which he won the first of his two Tony Awards, according to Deadline.
The Belasco also alludes to the beginning of cinematic history, when, in 1915, Epoch producing corporation searched for large theaters in which masses of moviegoers could go to see Hollywood’s first blockbuster, D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation.”
Tickets for the Belasco’s showings of “The Irishman” will cost $15 plus processing fees, and will go on sale next week.
Watch the film’s trailer here: