Like many businesses in New York, cinemas are often on 10-year leases, putting them at the mercy of the cutthroat world of New York real estate.
City Cinemas, which runs the Paris Theatre, and landlord Sheldon Solow, who owns the building, declined to comment on the claims.
But Eskowicz admitted that despite his love of the Paris, ticket prices – $18 for adults – can be off-putting.
The Paris Theatre has become one of New York’s cultural landmarks since it was officially opened by the actor Marlene Dietrich as a cinema for showing French films in 1948.