Famed ‘Goonies’ house for sale in coastal Astoria, Oregon
By CLAIRE RUSH, Associated Press/Report for America
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Good news for fans of “The Goonies:” the old Victorian home featured in the film is on sale in Astoria, Oregon, and potential buyers are considering making it more accessible to the public.
“We have a few interested parties right now,” said realtor Jordan Miller, the listing agent for the property. “It seems to be everybody’s intention to be able to open up the house a little bit more and have more access.”
The 1896 home with sweeping views of the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific Ocean has been listed with an asking price of $1.7 million on Zillow, where it’s described as “fully loaded with history, nostalgia and iconic level of fame.”
Since the movie hit theaters in 1985, fans have flocked to the home in northwestern Oregon’s historic port of Astoria. The city celebrates Goonies Day on June 7, the film’s release date, and welcomes thousands of people for the event.
Owner Sandi Preston was known to have been largely welcoming to visitors. But she lived in the house full time, and the constant crowds were a strain that prompted her at times to close it to foot traffic.
After the film’s 30th anniversary drew about 1,500 daily visitors in 2015, Preston posted “no trespassing” signs prohibiting tourists from walking up to the property. She reopened it to the public this past August.
City officials, who restricted parking in the area, have long sought to mediate the tensions between residents and the fans hoping to see and photograph the location.
“While the owner of this location from The Goonies is a fan of the movie and enjoys chatting with visitors making the trek to Astoria to see the film locations, as you can imagine, it gets hard having hundreds of people crowding into your personal space every single day,” the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce wrote in August on a Facebook page they administer called Goonies Day in Astoria, Oregon.
In the coming-of-age film, based on a story by Steven Spielberg and featuring a young Sean Astin, a group of friends fight to protect their homes from an expanding country club and threats of foreclosure. In the process, they discover an old treasure map that leads them on an adventure and allows them to save their “Goon Docks” neighborhood.
Astoria and its rugged coastline served as the backdrop for several well-known films from the 1980s and ’90s, including “Kindergarten Cop” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
For now, potential buyers of the iconic Goonies house don’t seem to want to make the house their primary residence, said listing agent Miller, suggesting it has drawn interest from people who want to “make it their passion.”
“It’s kind of a fun buy,” Miller said. “Whoever buys the house is going to have a relatively steady stream of extremely happy people walking up outside to fulfill their childhood dreams.”
Summit Entertainment
People watch movies for various reasons: for entertainment, to participate in discussions, to see what all the hype is about surrounding a particular film, as a form of escapism, or perhaps to learn about a topic of interest. Whatever the reason, studies have shown there are psychological benefits to watching movies.
One study led by the University College London and Vue Cinemas published in the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences discovered that people who watched movies benefited from enhanced mental focus. This form of focused watching also helped to improve memory. During the experiment, a range of biometric devices, similar to a Fitbit, were used to analyze the body's reaction during a two-hour film. At times, heart rates were 40%-80% of their maximum heart rate, even though the viewers were seated.
Stacker analyzed data on the most popular movies among users of the film-focused social media platform Letterboxd. A web analytics site, Similarweb, cites almost 63% of Letterboxd users are 34 or under, and 57% are male. For the films featured on this list, popularity is based on a combination of the number of times a movie has been watched, rated, and commented on.
Christopher Nolan is the only director with three films in the top 25. Three others (David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, and Damien Chazelle) have two movies each. Only two films directed by women—"Lady Bird" and "American Psycho"—appear on the list.
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Universal Studios
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Warner Bros.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
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Marvel Studios
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
User rating: 4.00
Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" follows the Avengers in their heroic efforts to unite and defeat the villain Thanos, who intends to use the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half the galaxy. Film critics praised the movie, calling it "a thrilling, funny, emotional, rip-roaring crowd-pleaser that serves as a fitting culmination of their decade-long buildup." "Infinity War" made history at the box office, bringing in $257.6 million domestically and $640.5 million worldwide, the biggest opening weekend for a film.
Red Granite Pictures
Directors: Martin Scorsese
User rating: 4.01
Based on the memoir written by Jordan Belfort, a former stockbroker found guilty of money laundering and fraud, "The Wolf of Wall Street'' unpacks the defamed businessman's wild lifestyle of drugs, women, and fast rides. Leonardo DiCaprio, who also produced the flick, stars as Belfort. Despite the criticism DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese faced over glamorizing Belfort's schemes, the black comedy earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for DiCaprio and Best Picture.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Summit Entertainment
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This romantic musical follows the story of jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) as they navigate major decisions about their creative aspirations and romantic relationship. Writing for the movie review website Gone With The Twins, Mike Massie called the film "dually a celebration of music and magic, where swelling emotions are captured by somber yet jazzy leitmotifs." The film won all seven Golden Globe Awards for which it was nominated, setting the record for the most awards won by a single movie.
Warner Bros. Pictures
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User rating: 3.97
In this adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel, a natural resource known as "spice" has become the most valuable commodity, sought after for its medicinal benefits, such as helping people to live longer. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, a warrior mystic whose premonition calls him to travel to another part of the planet to preserve the future of his family legacy and the people of the land. "Dune" received notable accolades, including Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Production Design. A sequel, "Dune: Part Two," is slated to release in 2023.
Fox Searchlight
Director: Wes Anderson
User rating: 4.22
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IAC Films
Director: Greta Gerwig
User rating: 3.88
"Lady Bird" stars Saoirse Ronan in the leading role and tells the story of a teenager and her mother in Sacramento as they navigate frustrating moments in their relationship. Greta Gerwig, the film's director, has admitted that she drew inspiration from her personal coming-of-age experience for the film. The film earned critical acclaim, garnering five Academy Award nominations and walking away with Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy (for Ronan).
Paramount Pictures
Directors: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
User rating: 4.46
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) has entirely too much going on in her life: The laundromat Evelyn manages with her husband is under investigation for tax evasion, her marriage to her husband Waymond is on the rocks, her relationship with her daughter has become distant, and the influence of her elderly father continues to loom over her life. The movie didn't just earn critical acclaim; it's become A24's highest-grossing project to date, raking in $100 million in ticket sales worldwide.
Sony Pictures Classics
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Paramount Pictures
Director(s): Christopher Nolan
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Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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Marvel Studios
Director(s): Jon Watts
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Director(s): Ari Aster
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Director(s): Matt Reeves
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Barunson E&A
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AP Photo/Stepanie Firth, File
FILE - The house featured in the Steven Spielberg film "The Goonies" is seen in Astoria, Ore., on May 24, 2001.
