Commack Multiplex Cinemas

The correct name for this theatre is Commack Multiplex Cinemas, the addres for the Commack Multiplex Cinemas is 100 Long Island Expressway, Commack, NY. 11725.

There is rumors that this theatre is going to be closed and demolished in the next 6 months to make way for the new Cinema de Lux that National Amusements plans to build in it's parking lot

I opened this theatre as the first managing director. It opened in November of 1983. I left in 1985 and at the time this was the second largest grossing theatre in the country behind the Sunrise Multiplex Cinemas in Valley Stream.

Anyone familiar with Commack LI ever hear of a theater called the Commack Twin Cinema that was located on Veterans Memorial Hwy? I'm trying to find an address for it and I'm having no luck so far.

This might have been a drive-in theater.

It was actually both, lostmemory. You're thinking of the Commack RKO Twin and Drive-In Theater (right next to it). In fact, that was where my father took me to see "Star Wars" for the first time on a rainy Saturday afternoon. To say it blew my little six-year-old mind is an understatement. The funny thing was, I didn't want to see it because I thought it was a war movie-- with soldiers and tanks and stuff like that. I still remember every detail about that day. I was watching "Super Friends" and after the movie, my Dad lost his keys at King Kullen.

Both the RKO Twin and the Drive-In shut down sometime in the mid-80's, a few years after the Commack Multiplex ran them out of business (and now THAT is rumored to be coming down as well). The buildings (and that of the Long Island Arena) stood vacant for well over a decade, until they were demolished and turned into a shopping center anchored by Target.

For pictures of the RKO Twin and Drive-In, check these out:

http://www.commackarena.com/gallery_movies.shtml

Great web site, I remember the RKO twin buit not the Mayfair.

Thanks for the info CaptRonLI. I came across those theater's on the web and I wasn't sure what type of theater they were. I had no idea that there were two of them. I don't believe that either of them are on this website so maybe you could add them since you have much more knowledge of them than I do.

Here's a photo of the Commack Cinemas' sister theater, the Brookhaven Multiplex, which now sits abandoned because NA replaced it with the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville nearby.

Click on my October 4th Message in the Brookhaven's section linked below for a photo of the Brookhaven. Commack's building was almost identical, and had a similar history.

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/7672/

The RKO Commack Twin still did well after the multiplex opened. They had 20th Century Fox runs and every other Paramount pic. The theater closed due to asbestos.

Thanks for the info, longislandmovies. I always thought that the Multiplex ran it out of business. Do you know when it closed and what the last movie was?

I also remember seeing "Grease" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" there.

The operation of this theatre has suffered in the past 8 years or so due to poor management and a facility in which cleanliness was not a priority. If money had been spent on the auditoriums, just to clean them up instead of the two remodels of the lobby and concession stands, this place would still have good numbers today. When I was there, this theatre was grossing over $150,000 a week and over $200,000 a week in the summer weeks. The concession was also huge topping over $50,000 a week in the summer with a concession payroll at below the 10% of the concession gross. If we only got commission then as they do now, there would be no excuae to have a theatre in this condition. Today it is the concession area and not the "movies" and their surroundings that are i9mportant to theatre owners. "It's a shame, you know" as one of National Amusements' district managers use to say.

i HAVE SUBMITTED THE RKO COMMACK TWIN AS A NEW THEATER

If this theater is torn down, does anyone know what's going to happen to the neon signs in the lobby? I'd be willing to plunk down some cash for that "Rick's Cafe Americain" sign.

The Commack Cinemas is not closed yet, unless you mean the Multiplex Cinemas in Brookhaven linked above.

The projection room here, as with the Sunrise in Valley Stream, is extremely long and narrow. It is like being in a submarine. If at one end or the other, you cannot see the other end of the booth. It is that far away. Only one projectionist is on duty at a time. To get from one end to the other at both places, a projectionist has to use a two-wheel foot scooter to thread projectors, start shows, raise and lower volume, check focus, etc. It is insane...

Soon to be torn down to make room for a new mega plex like island 16

The architect for this theater, as well as Boston's Pi Alley, and almost if not all of the Sack Cinemas, and Sonny and Eddy's Cinemas, and many independently owned cinemas, was Burt W. Federman. His office was in Park Square and he designed or "twinned" literally thousands of cinemas in the New England area. By the 1980's, he designed many of the Showcase cinemas located in New England and the central atlantic states. He passed away in 1987. He had also developed a soundproofing system for cinemas which had been first used in a mutiplex he had designed in the Bronx.

Will they fist build the new theater in the parking lot while continuing to operate the old building, or will they shut the theater down completely while construction takes place (which could be quite a while with the time of demolition to the end of new construction).
If it's anything like the Island 16 in Holtsville, it will be quite nice.

I think i read build first take down 2nd

I live about 3 minutes away from the Commack Multiplex but since I got my driver's license in 1991 I have only been there once. It's a pit. Now I drive 20 minutes to get to the Island 16 or sometimes Regal Ronkonkoma or Loews Stony Brook. If NA is going to tear it down and open another De Luxe, that would be a welcome change indeed.

I used to love going to this theater. I stopped going once National Amusements opened the new theater in Farmingdale during the mid 90s. The Farmingdale's auditoriums were so much better with the cup holders and better seats. I remember Commack had one or two auditoriums similar to Farmingdale's, they should have renovated more of their auditoriums to be like theirs.

IINM, NA is planning to build a new multiplex in the parking lot of the current one, and then tear the old building down.

Very musty smell in here a lot of times.

Bway, my sources tell me the details are not completly worked out, but the current plan is to tear down the exsisting theatre and then build a Cinema Delux, perhaps later this year or early next.

I never liked working at this theatre. We had several complaints about an odor and the ripped carpeting and the kids that came out on Friday night (we use to call Friday night "fight night" and would place bets about when, where and who would fight). The odor has been a mystery, we tried everything from deodorizers, changing the air filters more frequently to keeping the AC on all night in certain theaters (worst ones) to keep air circulating. Nothing worked (temp at best). As for the remodel it has been put on hold for another year due to poor sales last year. It is scheduled to be a delux like the one in holtsville one day.

Vito, so they are actually going to tear the old theater down before they build the new one? It would seem to make more sense to build the new one in the parking lot, and then later tear down the old one when the new one is built. Although I guess that would cause parking problems.

Yes Bway I would agree, however, circumstances I can not go into here will not allow it. The new building, which will be an improved Cinema Delux, will be state of the art.

Any news on what's going on with this theater?

CaptRon, The news is there is no news.
The on again-off again project is still well....on again-off again.
No date has ben established for the start of the new construction.
Its' a bit complicated with many variables still yet to be put in to place. But most agree it will happen....eventually.

First movie I saw at this crappy "Plex: "Amityville: 3-D". (1983). Yeah bad smells in there.

Well, I think they're beyond the most agree it will happen stage, because I passed by the multiplex yesterday and there is a large banner hanging on it that says "Coming Soon, Cinema Deluxe 16, All Stadium Seating."

No evidence of construction starting, but as far as I know this is the first public advertising that the project is a go.

The project has been in the planning stages for quite some time. There are new inovations, or an improved version of the Cinema Delux concept, which will be included in the Commack design.
Stay tuned.

All screens will be equipped with Odorama. Oh, wait, they already are.

What was that smell? It was there since day one when I went and saw "Educating Rita". Always wondered if it was the vinyl of the seats since any other theater I had attended were cloth covered. Something that always struck me the wrong way was in the candy cases, they didn't price the candy. I know why they didn't, but as a manager I thought it was dishonest, don't know if that ever changed. Saw many a midnight show if my theater didn't have a late show. "Ferris Bueller", "Footloose", "Breakfast Club". Haven't been back since the early 90's but that place printed money when it first opened.

LOL! SAPS! You rule! I think the smell is merely uncleaned movie floor. That place is a movie-goers *nightmare*

I have had no bad experiences here except for rumors of dead babies in the bathroom other than that have been there dozens of times and never had a bad experience.

Does anyone know if the Multiplex will close, will be knocked down or what? I'm curious as to what the plan will be.

If it closes , all the trashy , obnoxious, teenagers will be in the STREETS! Beware!

The last time I spoke with the boys at NA, the theatre will be completly torn down and a new Cinema Delux built in it's place. Starting date TBA, I will post new info as I get it.

T.T.W.L.I.T.C.M. (Trashy Teeens Who Loiter in The Commack Multiplex) will hold a protest on Oct. 1, 2007. All are welcome to show their support. No one over the age of 18, please! After that, the Commack Multiplex Odd Smell Preservation Society will hold a rally in order to bottle and save the original Commack Multiplex odor. All are welcome.

Heh...I did my Trashy Teen-Aged Loitering at the Syosset Triplex, mostly. But since I live in Commack now, I'll make sure I lock my doors.

I was by this building yesterday on the LIE, and there is a big banner draped across the front of the building:

"Coming Soon: Cinema de Lux: Stadium Seating"

Yeah, that's what I said on June 16. Scroll up.

will the Cinema deLuxe have a detention pen with electric cattle prods and an "Odor Control Unit" ?

The theatre opened on October 28th, 1983. I can't seem to find opening engagements though.

I found the premiere engagements.

They were The Wicked Lady (Faye Dunaway B-movie from Cannon Films), a double feature of Trading Places and 48 Hrs., Educating Rita, Going Berserk (forgotten John Candy film), Never Say Never Again, Richard Pryor: Here and Now, Possession (a horror film with Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill, recommended), Risky Business, Under Fire and The Dead Zone.

I recall seeing "Deal of the Century' with Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and that black guy during the first few weeks after the theater opened. I remember they gave out the movie times on xeroxed sheets of paper which were written on a typewriter.

With the economic climate the way it is, it has become doubtful that they will remodel this theater into an Island 16 clone.

antben, that black guy you refer to as was the late, great Gregory Hines. The actor/tap dancing extraordinare also appeared in White Nights, The Cotton Club and Tap (written and directed by the original Michael Myers, Nick Castle), among others.

I'm certain that that this theater will have the same fate The Commack Twin, The Mayfair, Deer Park, North Babylon & Brentwood faced when they opened, now that the Regal Deer Park Stadium 16 & IMAX has opened down the road in Deer Park.

Well, the sign that a new cinema deluxe will be coming, after having been displayed for almost a year, is gone. I believe the reason is the new stadium theatre which just opened at the new Tanger Outlet which is only a stones throw away. I think they are going to bide their time. If they tear it down before opening a new complex they might just as well forget about it. All their patrons will have gone elsewhere. They seemed to have a pretty good crowd the other night when I went past.

I have seen some of these multiplexes converted into stadium seating within the old auditoriums. It would probably be a lot cheaper than trying to build a new theater building.
Did anyone add the new theater at the Tanger Outlet to the site here yet?

With all the debt with Summer Redstone and Viacom all plans on Cinema DeLux is put on hold

As of 2/24 when I made my comment I hadn't seen it. But sometimes the postings are listed in the wrong city and hard to track down,which I'll do in time.

The banner is off the building, so it seems they are doing the status quo for now.