Movie Fans Flock To The Iconic Ziegfeld Theater For One Final Flick

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Moviegoers formed a line that wrapped around Sixth Avenue, all waiting for one last chance to enjoy a movie on the large single screen at the Ziegfeld on Thursday night.

A 10:30 p.m. showing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was the theater's final flick.

David Schier told 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman that he can still remember the first time he visited the theater, at 141 W. 54th St.

"The first time I ever came to the Ziegfeld was in December of 1975, I was 13, I came here to see Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick's movie. To this day Barry Lyndon is my favorite movie and the Ziegfeld is my favorite theater," he said.

Many people were sharing memories on Thursday, and lamenting the death of the modern movie palace.

"Fancy, leather walls, a bust of Fanny Brice, it just doesn't get any better than this," one man said.

The Ziegfeld's operators were losing money, the new operators will convert it into a high-end event space.