Mattituck Cinemas reopened its doors in Mattituck Plaza during an unannounced soft opening Tuesday night.
The theater boasts a new art-deco look with three screens that will show first-run films. The concession stand will serve typical movie-house fare, but now also includes margaritas in a special Lucharitos section.
James McKinnon, representative for the Cardinale family who own the shopping plaza, talked about the “labor of love” that went into the relaunch in a recent interview.
“We’d been talking about it for a while. A lot of people would say, ‘oh, we miss the movie theater!’ But we weren’t sure. The movie theater industry is not what it once was,” Mr. McKinnon said. “Ultimately, my father-in-law [Alan Cardinale of Cardinale Management] decided, let’s give it a shot. It was really him who was willing to take the risk.”
Work has been ongoing to relaunch in earnest for nearly a year, according to Mr. McKinnon, re-envisioning Mattituck Cinemas with little luxuries to tempt film lovers from their couches. The theater has been outfitted with all-new, larger screens, state-of-the-art sound systems and projection equipment, and comfortable reclining seats.
“The response was amazing,” Mr. McKinnon said of the Tuesday night soft opening. “When people walk in and see what it looks like now, they’re pleasantly surprised.”
The theater first opened in November 1973 and for many years was the sole year-round movie house on the North Fork. While Mr. McKinnon acknowledges that the movie theater industry has changed immensely since then, especially in the wake of Covid, he and his family felt that a cinema was important to the North Fork.
“It’s really a labor of love and wanting to do something good for the community,” said Mr. McKinnon, who was happily surprised by the positive community response as word quickly spread. “Marc [LaMaina, owner of Lucharitos] did a little blurb on Facebook about us opening, and I was shocked at the response from one little post! It was a nice feeling … the Cardinale family appreciates the support and we hope the community turns out for it.”
This weekend, Mattituck Cinemas is screening “Conclave,” “Wild Robot” and “Venom.” Mr. McKinnon is planning a grand opening next weekend, which just so happens to coincide with some huge new releases: “Wicked,” “Gladiator II” and “Moana 2.” Visit Mattituck Cinemas on Facebook for updates and call 631-298-7469 for the latest showings.