Riverside Mall 8
Highway 12 N. and Highway 49,
Utica,
NY
13502
Highway 12 N. and Highway 49,
Utica,
NY
13502
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Cinema National, Hoyts Cinemas
Previous Names: Riverside Mall Cinemas 1-2-3
Nearby Theaters
The Riverside Mall Cinemas 1-2-3 was opened by Cinema National on November 29, 1974. Later operated by Hoyts, it was a part of the Riverside Mall, located right close to the Wal-Mart off of Route 12. It was closed on December 3, 1989.
It was relocated to another part of the mall and reopened by Hoyts on May, 18, 1990. The mall had closed in the mid-1990’s with parts of the mall torn down. You can actually see a little bit of the mall that is connected behind one of the department stores. Several department stores occupy the spot with the cinema now unconnected.
The Riverside Cinemas (Hoyts) continued to run movies, but closed in the mid-2000’s. It has since been demolished.
Contributed by
Dan
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
I had a blast seeing Election here with some friends back in the spring of 1999 but didn’t get to the Riverside much. It had intense competition from the Sangertown Square 9 in New Hartford. That said, the place had that great rundown 80’s charm and the concessions were cheap. Wish I could remember more of what I saw there.
I always cared for Riverside over Sangertown, the seats were better and they had cup holders. Plus Riverside mall was just better overall in my opinion, it had a nicer layout than Sangertown.
Opening date: November 29th, 1974
I worked there from 1982 till I graduated from college in 1993. It was Cinema National in 1982 and was Hoyts when I left. I miss this place every day of my life..Old Cinemas Rule!!
Closed December 3rd, 1989 and reopened elsewhere in the mall on May 18th, 1990 by Hoyts. small ad posted.
Do you have any more details on the theater closing in 1989 and being relocated?
Afraid not. But i found another picture.
Cool picture.
But, I guess I’m asking, what did you see in your research that made you say the original theater was closed and the new one built elsewhere vs. the new one being a remodel and expansion of the original?
I just uploaded three pictures I found online. The first is an early directory of the mall and the second is an aerial photo showing what I strongly believe is the Hoyt’s 8-plex in the same place as the original theater. I can’t say for certain but I would say the Riverside 8 is in the same place as the original theater.
The third doesn’t say whether it was the 8-plex or the original theater, but does say it’s the Riverside Mall Cinema in Utica and the snack bar signs do have a Hoyts logo, so I would feel safe in assuming it was he 8-plex.
Also, it looks like the majority of the mall was demolished/turned into a strip-center, the portion with the theater appears demolished.