UA The Movies at Sunrise Mall

319 Sunrise Mall,
Massapequa, NY 11758

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.

Functions: Retail

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UA The Movies at Sunrise Mall

This was one of Long Island’s first multiplexes. It opened on May 23, 1975, shortly after the Sunrise Mall opened. United Artists signed a twenty year lease. The box office was originally in front of the theatre. When it stated getting congested, they moved it to the center of the mall where there was plenty of room. It opened originally with five screens, and in 1977, expanded to seven screens, with auditorium 6 housing the new Dolby Stereo CP-50 processor with surround sound. In February 1984, they added two more screens.

The theatre closed on February 17, 2000, shortly after United Artists opened the new Farmingdale ten-plex, and after the lease had expired.

Contributed by robertr

Recent comments (view all 63 comments)

optimist008
optimist008 on April 9, 2017 at 7:55 am

robboehm. See if the local press will update on the theater. Or if near the construction site maybe somebody there will tell you. Maybe revised plans have been filed with the building dept??

robboehm
robboehm on April 9, 2017 at 3:25 pm

Several years ago it was announced in the press that there would be a new theater at the Sunrise Mall. Nothing since. I found out about the intentions for a 2017 opening at the Regal site when I was looking to see when they planned on opening the new Lynbrook, which is now well under construction.

Since I was in the area of the Sunrise Mall I scouted to see where the theater would be. There was no new construction which would have been obvious for an IMAX and, I forget, around a dozen screens. That’s when I went back to the Regal site and saw the Massapequa Mall had been deleted.

With two large multiplexes in nearby Farmingdale I really don’t know why they had considered this site anyway.

optimist008
optimist008 on April 9, 2017 at 6:04 pm

Maybe they come not come to terms regarding their lease. RKO Century had planed on building a theater in Yonkers, NY as part of the current Costco-Stew Leonards site. They ended up in court over many varied issues and it never was built.

robboehm
robboehm on April 10, 2017 at 8:40 am

Another reality of that site I don’t think there would be sufficient parking for a massive theater. The original theater was on the second floor of the mall. A little nothing.

paul baar
paul baar on June 1, 2017 at 11:28 am

I won a prize package from radio station W.G.B.B for answering trivia questions.It included two tickets to the massapequa-mall showing of James Bond’s"Moonraker",plus:movie poster, a paper back book,a vinyl album sound track,and a souvenir program booklet.A dream come true for a big kid.

robboehm
robboehm on January 10, 2019 at 12:35 pm

Will history repeat itself? Regal has announced they plan to open a ten screen theater on the site of the former Walmart at Riverhead Plaza in Riverhead. This time, they plan on tearing down the Walmart and erecting a free standing structure. At the Sunrise Mall I believe they would have had to modify the actual Walmart space since there was really no room on the site for another structure and still have adequate parking.

Last time there was a date for the coming theater on the Regal site but no signage at the Sunrise Mall and no theater materialized. This time there is signage at the Riverhead Plaza but nothing on the Regal site. And we won’t even discuss the more than six month delay of the opening of the new Lynbrook theater beyond the original projected date.

popcornlover11050
popcornlover11050 on November 11, 2020 at 4:08 pm

Capri Pizza? It was right next to the mall and had movie posters on the walls.

ridethectrain
ridethectrain on November 11, 2020 at 11:45 pm

Went to this theatre a bunch of times between 1982 and 1990, the theatres were small screening rooms, biggest size was around 250 theatre 3, theatres 6 and 7 were next to theatre 2 on the left. Theatre 6 had Dolby Stereo and DTS when Jurassic Park open. Theatre 8 and 9 were built on a hallway to the right. The box office was in the mall inself. Remember, UA installed computerized ticketing in 1983.

Except for theatre 6 that was Dolby Stereo, the other 8 were MONO. I doubt UA ever upgraded the sound in the 1990’s.

rivest266
rivest266 on June 2, 2021 at 4:04 pm

1975, 1977, and 1984 grand opening ads posted.

ridethectrain
ridethectrain on June 8, 2021 at 5:18 pm

Please update, theatre closed February 17, 2000

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