Alamo Drafthouse has honored Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 director — and Ghostbusters: Afterlife producer — Ivan Reitman by naming its Lower Manhattan theater in his honor.
“Ivan Reitman has entertained and influenced generations of film lovers with seminal films like Stripes, Meatballs, and Dave,” the cinema says in its announcement, which honored Reitman for his “incalculable influence on cinema.”
That the newly-crowned Ivan Reitman Cinema is located in the Big Apple was no coincidence. “In Ghostbusters, he made hilariously wild concepts feel grounded, and cemented his entire cast — including a 112-foot-tall marshmallow man — into New York icons,” Alamo says.
Ivan Reitman was on hand Monday for the dedication of the theater in New York City’s financial district, as was his son, Jason, who directed Afterlife.
Reitman, 75, said of the honor, “As a wide-eyed five-year-old breathlessly watching my first film in a packed theater of kids, I could only dream that this might be the magical path that my life would follow.”
He thanked Alamo Drafthouse for naming the theater in his honor, and for, “clearly demonstrating belief in the future of this art form by building a great movie palace — just blocks from the firehouse that the Ghostbusters occupy!”
The theater has gone all-in on the anticipated movie, which opens Friday, with a giant statue of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man perfect for selfie-taking, as well as themed menu items including an “Ectoplasmic Residue” cocktail, and that sought-after Hi-C Ecto-Cooler juice.
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