The Sundance Film Festival will end screenings at the Eccles Center midway through the festival in January, a decision that will remove the largest theater in Park City from the festival grid well before the closing of the event.
The screenings at the Eccles Center are scheduled to stop on Jan. 23, which is the Tuesday of the festival. Sundance runs Jan. 18-28. The Eccles Center in some ways has anchored the festival, accommodating the largest crowds and screening numerous premieres with star-studded casts. Tickets for many screenings at the Eccles Center were difficult to obtain even with the large capacity — 1,270 seats during previous festivals.
The Prospector Square Theatre will also not be used by Sundance after Jan. 23.
“This year we are using some venues for when films premiere and then having a more focused footprint. We look at the format and execution of the festival each year and make adjustments based on the needs of the audiences and artists,” a Sundance spokesperson said in response to a Park Record inquiry about the shortened runs at the Eccles Center and Prospector Square Theatre.
The early end of screenings at the Eccles Center impacts the film grid throughout the final five days of Sundance, including the screenings of the award winners. There will also be impacts on logistical matters like transportation since film showings at the Eccles Center accommodate so many people.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City-The Yarrow, meanwhile, has been removed as a screening room for 2024. The Slamdance Film Festival will be held at that location.
It was not clear how many of the prized tickets for in-person screenings will be removed from circulation as compared to previous years as a result of the changes.
The 2024 edition of Sundance will be the second held in person after two consecutive pandemic-forced cancellations of the live event. Park City officials and Sundance are continuing to finalize the logistical details of the festival, and information about the schedules at the Eccles Center and the Prospector Square Theatre was included in the materials drafted in anticipation of a Park City Council meeting scheduled on Thursday.
The City Council is slated to consider approving the supplemental plan for the festival during the meeting. A hearing is scheduled. The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. at the Marsac Building and online at www.parkcity.org.