Whitestone Multiplex Cinemas
2505 Bruckner Boulevard,
Bronx,
NY
10469
2505 Bruckner Boulevard,
Bronx,
NY
10469
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First film I saw here was “All of Me” in 1984 and last was “Mr. Magoo” in 1997. Also remember seeing here such epics as Titanic, Amistad, Dances with Wolves and the Postman, the last 2 starring Kevin Costner. Moved out of the Bronx in 98.
A few multiplexs I know increased the amount of screens they had by cutting larger ones in half.
I was their projection technician, as with all theaters in New Jersey and New York, until I got enough sense to quit. Theaters were split and added. It was running good when I left.
I lived in the neighborhood when this place opened as a ten-plex. It was actually very nice and had 4 large (500 seat) auditoriums and 6 small, single aisle auditoriums. It went to 12 by splitting two of the big houses and then to 14 by splitting the remaining two big houses. I happened by there recently and it is not pretty…
Anyone know how the Bay Plaza is these days? THAT was a GREAT thater when it had just 10 screens…
Most of the standard NA multiplexes were built similarly. They had larger theaters (which were like double-smaller theaters). After some years, many of the larger theaters were cut in half to form more smaller ones.
If you picture the typical NA auditorium, you will notice that to get into the auditoriums, you have a little alcove, and on your left will be the door to one theater, and on your right will be the door to to another theater. The original large auditoriums had the same alcove and two doors on either side, except both sets of course led into the same large theater. When they added more theaters, they just cut many of those larger ones in half.
This wouldn’t be the first time National Amusements added on to an existing multiplex; they did the same after the success of their originally six-screened multiplex on the site of the old Sunrise Drive-In Theater in Valley Stream, NY. Of course, even after they added on to that building, they later proceeded to carve up existing rooms to create even more screens over the years. The same pattern might have been followed here.
I believe they constructed additional auditoriums.
same with this theater,they spilt up their larger theaters to make into narrow shoebox theaters.
Did they actually build more auditoriums, or did they cut bigger ones in half to make the 14? I know at the NA Brookhaven Multiplex (now demolished), they cut a few larger auditoriums in half to create the 14 theaters it had at it’s end. They never built on to the existing building.
It opened as 10 plex and was successful enough that 2 more screens were added soon after.
It is written up in Sumner Redstone’s biography in regard to him being the only corporate member favoring construction of this theater due to silly fears about the entire borough’s leftover 1970’s urban blight reputation. This theater did very, very well to the surprise of many in National Amusements.
Several years later General Cinema also woke up about the money to
made in the Bronx and opened it’s Bay Plaza complex at Co-Op City just up the road.
I guess they named it “Whitestone” because of the proximity to the Whitestone Bridge. I guess it doesn’t really matter what the name is, people wanting to go to that theater will look up whatever name it is in the paper, and then go to it. It could be called “Los Angeles” Multiplex, and if it’s their, that’s it’s name, and people will look it up in the paper.
Well, on the National Amusements website, the name of this theater is given as “Whitestone Multiplex Cinemas”. Since it is their theater, I would assume that they have the right to give it any name that they choose no matter where it is located. If they ever have a contest for a new name, you should submit your “Whitestone Bridge Multiplex Cinemas” idea.
The theater on the other side of the Whitestone bridge is called College Point Multiplex Cinemas . If you check the zip code it’s 11357 not 11356 which is College Pt.
The National Amusements theater on the other side of the Whitestone bridge is is call College Point Multiplex Cinemas . If you check the zip call you’ll see 11357 not 11356 which is College Pt.
As I did with the Whitestone Drive-In, I find the name more than a bit confusing since Whitestone is a well-known community in northern Queens. Both the drive-in and the multiplex were/are in the Bronx. The original name of the drive-in was the Whitestone Bridge Drive-in-Theatre, which seems to have lost the word “Bridge” over the decades. The name Whitestone Bridge Multiplex Cinemas would be more accurate, or better still, Bronx-Whitestone Bridge Multiplex Cinemas. I believe that the actual name of the bridge is Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, not just Whitestone, since the bridge connects the Bronx to Whitestone, Queens. I’m not sure if that section of the Bronx has a name, but it probably does.