The Long Island City comedy club is offering classic B movies and comedy cult classics during weekend brunch and special Wednesday screenings in addition to its regular schedule of live standup comedy performances.<\/p>\n
The new offering is part of an upgrade at the club, at 47-38 Vernon Blvd., that was nearly shuttered and sold during the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got hurt by Hurricane Sandy,\u201d said one of the owners, Steve Hofstetter. \u201cHunters Point was like a ghost town, nobody was on the streets during the six busiest weeks of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The business suffered more losses during the winter when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down subway service to Long Island City for 13 straight weekends. The ownership group began to drift apart as Hofstetter moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, writing and developing comedy projects for television, while building on his own standup career. Another owner, Jacob Morvay, gave up his part of the ownership after the birth of his child.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was OK selling if it stayed a comedy club,\u201d said Hofstetter. \u201cWe had a good offer, but the guy got cold feet and backed out. The next best offer wanted to turn the club into a hair salon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ownership group devised a new business model and gave the club\u2019s general manager, Steve Sharp, a 5 percent piece of the action.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke with the other investors and it was either put more into it or let it die,\u201d Hofstetter recalled, \u201cand letting it die wasn\u2019t an option for me because we put so much into it over the last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sharp came up with the movie scheme, installing a 99-inch screen and a new projection system. Tickets to the weekend brunch is $7 with food available from El Ay Si, the restaurant next door. Wednesday showings are $3 a ticket.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re also working on a film festival for next year and special kids events and sports nights,\u201d said Sharp. \u201cAnything to use the space when we don\u2019t have live comedians performing.\u201d<\/p>\n
This weekend \u201cGoonies\u201d is scheduled for Saturday and on Sunday The Laughing Devil will screen a Three Stooges marathon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really starting to catch on with our customers,\u201d Sharp said. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see familiar faces return several times a month now.\u201d