DailyHeights

How embarrassing to end it all with an albatross like this on your marquee… So much for going out in a blaze of glory.

The Flatbush Pavilion movie theater on Flatbush Ave. closed apparently due to lack of patronage on May 22, 2004, just weeks after the release of Van Helsing, which made #2 in Newsweek’s 20 Most Disappointing Movies of 2004: “Get the stake! This overstuffed, overamped Monster jamboree is a perfect demonstration that more can be so much less. You never want to see another special effect after director Stephen Sommers is done abusing them.”

If you missed the Van Helsing debacle, here are some choice quotes from IMDB:“Some of the actors apparently phoned in their performances… the real star of the film is the (you guessed it) special effects … The dialogue … is absurd and sometimes unintentionally, howlingly funny … everyone–vampires, villagers, heroes, even horses and cattle–go airborne sometime during the film … the gossamer plot is as deep as a kiddie’s backyard swimming pool …”

Oh yes. There is actually news. The rumors are true: Park Slope Sports Club (330 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238; 718-783-5152) has bought the theater, and plans build a swimming pool in the space. For those of you seeking a gym (gymn?) with a pool, this project won’t be completed until sometime in 2006 at earliest.

BONUS: Check out the amazing history lesson here: Built by silent film comedian John Bunny and opened in 1912 as the Bunny Theatre; Served as an indoor mini-golf course and an XXX theater called the Plaza; Revived as a first-run house called the Plaza; sold to Pavillion Theater owner; at the time of its closing, was believed to be the oldest operating movie theater in the city.