Happy Hour of the Week: Obivia's Movie Night

So after reading about the free Sunday night movies at Obivia (201 Lafayette), I coerced some friends into going to see "Rebel Without a Cause" a couple of Sundays ago. Convinced that the bar would be teeming with James Dean fans, I instructed everyone to show up before 7, when the movie officially started to roll. "It'll be crowded," I warned. "Don't blame me if we can't get a seat."

Fast forward to Sunday night. Obivia? Not booming.
Obivia was, in fact, completely empty.
Why, why, why? Has Netflix taken over the entire city? Was the thought of staying indoors on a nice-ish spring weekend night too much for the New York crowd?
Whatever the reason, we had the place to ourselves.

Here's the lowdown: The "movie screens" that Obivia boasts about on citysearch.com are actually small-ish flat screen TVs set up along one wall of the club. My friends and I couldn't really see what was happening with Dean, though four or five lonely souls sitting at the bar seemed completely engrossed in the movie.

Obivia itself is pretty swank. On Movie Sundays, $12 gets you a VIP pass -- a decent deal that includes two drinks and a basket of wings or three incredibly greasy (and not-at-all-bad) mini-burgers. As a VIP, you're given a frequent buyer card, and your sixth Movie Night is on the house.
If you forego the VIP special, drinks are $4 until 8:00, and sliders run $2.75 each. There's also a free (and bottomless) bowl of buttery spiced popcorn. We left with full bellies and a slight buzz.

I wouldn't hit Movie Night with my friends again. There's something too antisocial about trying to follow a movie while hanging out in a lounge-y club with people you know. Were I by myself, though, I'd definitely consider stopping in and parking myself at the bar for a couple of hours. Why not?

Bottom Line: $12 for two drinks and decent bar food

Obivia
201 Lafayette (between Kenmare and Broome)
212.226.4904

Upcoming movies:
May 13, Wild Orchid
May 20, Basic Instinct
May 27, Dirty Dancing