The ImaginAsian

The ImaginAsian was a specialized movie theater in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, created to present Asian and Asian American cinema to local audiences. It opened in 2005 in a renovated former Clearview Cinemas site on 59th Street between Second and Third Avenues. The venue had approximately 300 seats and operated as a dedicated exhibition space rather than as a general multiplex: its programming concentrated on films from across Asia, including Japan, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and the Philippines, together with films made by Asian American directors and producers in the United States. The theater's programming model combined commercial and cultural exhibition. It screened recent box-office successes alongside independent productions, older classics, and titles that might otherwise have had limited access to New York theatrical distribution. Films were shown in their original languages with English subtitles. A notable technical and programming feature was the theater's ability to project English subtitles onto films that had not previously received an English-subtitled release, helping make a wider range of international titles accessible to English-speaking moviegoers. The venue also functioned as an events space. In addition to regular screenings, it hosted music performances, live events, and film-festival programs. Festivals associated with the theater included the New York Asian Film Festival and the New York Filipino Film Festival, reinforcing its role as a meeting point for Asian, Asian American, and international film communities in New York. Its identity therefore extended beyond ordinary cinema retail: it served as a curated cultural venue and a platform for films and filmmakers that were underrepresented in mainstream American exhibition. The ImaginAsian was part of ImaginAsian Entertainment, a broader media group whose activities also included ImaginAsian TV, a 24-hour cable network; ImaginAsian Radio; and iaLink, an online entertainment and culture publication. This wider group structure connected the theater to television, radio, online publishing, and live programming, giving the brand a cross-media orientation. In 2007, the company expanded its physical cinema presence by opening the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles. The Manhattan theater occupied a previously existing cinema site that had been known as the D. W. Griffith Theater and later operated as a Clearview Cinemas location. The site was subsequently acquired by Phoenix Cinemas. The location closed in 2014, ending The ImaginAsian's operation as a Midtown Manhattan theater. The available reference material does not establish a continuing operating business under the venue's name after that closure.

The ImaginAsian emerged in 2005 as a physical exhibition arm of ImaginAsian Entertainment, a media company whose portfolio also included a 24-hour cable channel, a radio service, and an online publication. Its Manhattan venue occupied a renovated cinema property on 59th Street between Second and Third Avenues in Midtown. The site had previously been associated with the D. W. Griffith Theater and later with Clearview Cinemas. By adapting an existing cinema location for a more focused programming purpose, ImaginAsian Entertainment established a dedicated home for Asian and Asian American screen culture in a major U.S. media market. The theater contained about 300 seats and was designed around specialty programming rather than the broad commercial mix of a conventional multiplex. Its schedule included films from Japan, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and the Philippines, as well as Asian American productions from the United States. The range included recent popular releases, independent films, older classics, and less widely distributed titles. This combination allowed the theater to appeal both to audiences seeking contemporary international cinema and to viewers interested in film history, national cinemas, and diasporic cultural representation. Language access was central to the venue's operating model. Screenings retained the films' original languages and generally used English subtitles for local audiences. The theater could also add English subtitles through projection when a film did not already have an English-subtitled release. That capability expanded the practical range of films that could be exhibited and reduced one of the principal barriers to presenting international titles in an English-speaking market. The ImaginAsian was also a cultural venue. Alongside ordinary theatrical screenings, it hosted music performances, live events, and festival programming. The New York Asian Film Festival and the New York Filipino Film Festival were among the events associated with the theater. These activities positioned the venue as more than a place to buy a movie ticket: it provided a physical gathering point for filmmakers, festival organizers, Asian and Asian American communities, and New York audiences interested in international cinema. The venue formed part of a broader cross-media strategy. ImaginAsian Entertainment operated ImaginAsian TV, ImaginAsian Radio, and iaLink in addition to the theater. The company later expanded its cinema activities to the West Coast, opening the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles in 2007. The Los Angeles expansion indicated an effort to develop a geographically broader platform for Asian-oriented film exhibition and related cultural programming. The Manhattan operation eventually ended in 2014. The location was acquired by Phoenix Cinemas, and the theater closed. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the closure's financial or operational causes, nor does it establish the subsequent status of every ImaginAsian Entertainment media property. The documented history of The ImaginAsian therefore concludes with the closure of its original Midtown Manhattan venue, while its principal legacy is as a specialized U.S. cinema that connected international Asian film with English-speaking audiences and festival culture.

• 2014

  Midtown venue closes

  [1]The ImaginAsianen.wikipedia.org

  The original Manhattan location closes after the property is acquired by Phoenix Cinemas.

• 2007

  Los Angeles expansion

  [1]The ImaginAsianen.wikipedia.org

  ImaginAsian Entertainment opens the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles, adding a second theater to its specialty cinema network.

• 2005

  The Manhattan theater opens

  [1]The ImaginAsianen.wikipedia.org

  The ImaginAsian opens on 59th Street in Midtown Manhattan as a roughly 300-seat venue dedicated to Asian and Asian American films, music performances, and live events.

A culturally focused specialty cinema presenting Asian and Asian American films, festivals, and live programming in an English-speaking U.S. market.

• Specialty cinema · 2005

  The ImaginAsian theatrical cinema

  The core offering was a 300-seat Midtown Manhattan movie theater showing Asian and Asian American films. Its program covered cinemas from multiple Asian countries and included new commercial releases, independent productions, classics, and less familiar titles. Films were presented in their original languages with English subtitles, and the venue could project subtitles for films that had not previously been released with English captioning.

• Film festivals

  Film festival programming

  The venue hosted festival activity including the New York Asian Film Festival and the New York Filipino Film Festival. These programs broadened the theater's role from scheduled film exhibition to curated cultural programming and created a platform for national, regional, and diasporic film communities.

• Cultural events · 2005

  Live events and music performances

  In addition to movie screenings, The ImaginAsian presented music performances and live events. These activities complemented its film schedule and supported its identity as an Asian and Asian American cultural venue in New York.

• New York Asian Film Festival

  United States

  The theater hosted programming connected with the New York Asian Film Festival, bringing curated Asian cinema to its Midtown Manhattan screen and reinforcing the venue's festival-oriented identity.

  Outcome. The festival became part of the theater's documented cultural programming; no attendance or financial outcome is provided in the reference material.

  Source
• New York Filipino Film Festival

  United States

  The venue hosted the New York Filipino Film Festival, providing a dedicated setting for Filipino cinema and related audience programming.

  Outcome. The festival was among the theater's documented events; no further outcome is specified in the reference material.

  Source

• 2014

  Close the Midtown Manhattan theaterOther

  Background

  The theater site was acquired by Phoenix Cinemas.

  Action taken

  The ImaginAsian location in Midtown Manhattan ceased operations.

  Aftermath

  The original New York venue closed. The available source does not state the financial terms or the precise operational reasons for the closure.

  Source

• 2007

  Expand the specialty cinema model to Los AngelesStrategy

  Background

  After establishing the Manhattan theater, ImaginAsian Entertainment pursued a second physical cinema location.

  Action taken

  The company opened the ImaginAsian Center in Los Angeles.

  Aftermath

  The expansion extended the brand's theater presence to another major U.S. market, although the reference material does not document the center's later operating history.

  Source

• 2005

  Create a dedicated Asian and Asian American cinema venueStrategy

  Background

  ImaginAsian Entertainment entered physical cinema exhibition through a renovated Midtown Manhattan theater site.

  Action taken

  The company opened a roughly 300-seat theater focused exclusively on Asian and Asian American films, while also offering music and live events.

  Aftermath

  The venue became the company's New York exhibition platform and later hosted major Asian film festival programming.

  Source

1. 1The ImaginAsianen.wikipedia.org