Natural History Museum Theater Reopens at Limited Capacity, Featuring Fiery Volcano Film
Photograph by D. Finnin/© AMNH.
By Carol Tannenhauser
The Lefrak Theater at the American Museum of Natural reopened on March 10th, at limited capacity, as part of New York’s movie theater reopening this month. On its 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen, with a state-of-the-art digital sound system, it is showing Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation, which follows “intrepid explorer Carsten Peter on an adrenaline-filled trip across the globe, from Hawaii’s Kilauea eruption to the archaeological ghost town of Pompeii,” a release says.
“Dodge boulders at the edge of an active volcano in Indonesia, descend to a lava lake in Vanuatu, and visit the incredible mineral deposit fields in Ethiopia to explore molten worlds and find out how volcanoes have helped to create the world we know.” Length: 40 minutes
The reopening of the Samuel J. And Ethel Lefrak Theater follows health and safety protocols, including cleaning between showtimes. Timed-entry tickets must be reserved in advance at www.amnh.org. Tickets start at $28 for adults, $16.50 for children, and $22.50 for seniors and students.
Showtimes are: (2D) Wednesday-Sunday, at 10:15 am, 11:30 am, 12:45 pm, 2 pm, 3:15 pm, and 4:30 pm.
For more information or to buy tickets click here.
Am I crazy or are those prices simply INSANE?
Agreed! Especially since the movie is only 40 mins…
The $28 includes admission to museum, which is normally $23 all by itself. So the show is an additional $5.
I am a member at the lowest level (basic) and it includes admission to this show. Now I just have to decide if I’m comfortable being in an enclosed space with other people. Even though I’m vaccinated and masks are required (and, IME, compliance at the museum has been excellent), I’m still nervous. Maybe a Thursday at 10:15 will be lightly attended.
The price does include museum admission.
It’s unclear above, but that price also includes admission to the rest of the Museum.
General admission is $23 for an adult $28 for general admission + IMAX show.
The fact remains, if you want to see the show, it’s $28.00. Maybe that’s a fair price, but it’s kind of like charging $28 for a Big Mac because the catsup is free.
I saw the volcano movie at the AMNH before the pandemic. It is a very good 40 minute Imax documentary. The price is way too high for a 40 minute movie. Just go to the museum without any special shows and pay what you wish with NY ID
Pay what you wish is for general admission. It does not cover films or special exhbits.
Right, but I think everyone’s larger point is that if you get in with pay as you wish, this is an awful lot of money that you normally would not be paying just to see a 40 minute documentary on volcanoes.
If it’s “pay what you wish” for city residents then the movie should be $5 extra. They are really ripping off the city. The Metropolitan Museum does not do this.
This event sounds great for suburban school teachers NJ/CT to bring 30+ students in UWS at once. Budget is all set including train/bus, group lunch.
Spread the words then school teachers in OH/PA/VA might follow your way to use their school trip budget.
Brought to you by the folks that feel they’re also entitled to public parkland.
Wow, so much hatred for the museum. No-one is making you go if you don’t want to. And also, “pay what you wish” is a privilege, not a right. Museums have suffered greatly during the pandemic and charging high prices for some aspects of the experience is necessary in order to maintain that privilege for people.
“Pay what you wish” for New York residents is not a right or a privilege. It is an arrangement. The museum gets an awful lot of money from New York City government and from wealthy New York City moguls who went there as kids. The City and the moguls probably would not like it, if urchins could not get in because their parents had no money. It is the best natural history museum, I have ever seen, but no one likes to be price gouged.