Main Street Cinemas
72-66 Main Street,
Kew Gardens Hills,
NY
11367
72-66 Main Street,
Kew Gardens Hills,
NY
11367
8 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Interboro Circuit Inc., United L.I. Theatres
Previous Names: Main Street Theatre, Main Street Playhouse
Nearby Theaters
Located in Kew Gardens Hills, near Flushing, Queens. Opened by United L.I. Theatres in 1941 with Norma Shearer in “Escape” & Wallace Beery in “Wyoming”. It had 600-seats in orchestra and balcony levels. By 1948 it had become a first run Interboro Circuit Inc. house. It was taken over by an independent in the late-1970’s. For many years it had a popular $1 double bill policy. When other first run theatres in the same zone closed, like the Parsons Theatre and Prospect Theatre, it adapted a new first run policy.
It was twinned on April 6, 1985, quaded on August 12, 1998 and sixplexed on November 6, 1998. Some of the auditoriums have only 50 seats. They showed first run films at a low price of $6 for adults. Wednesday night all seats are only $3. It was closed on March 17, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was reopened in March 2021. In February 2022 the theatre and the stores between it and the corner of 72nd Drive were sold to G & Y Main Street Plaza LLC. The Main Street Cinemas closed again on September 2, 2022. It was demolished in March 2025.
Contributed by
RobertR
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Recent comments (view all 46 comments)
Thank you, NativeForestHiller, for the Daily News article, more information and your efforts with the Preservation Council.
Overall, I’m happy with the renovated Cinemart, and also have positive memories of going there when I was younger. When I was little,I remember my friends & I taking a bus down Metropolitan Ave. from Middle Village to Forest Hills around 1979 to see Breaking Away, when the Cinemart was a twin. I would imagine we stopped into Eddie’s as well. I also remember going there in the early 90s to see a midnight show of the bizarre Mike & Spike animation festival, which included some pornographic cartoons. Even when the Cinemart was a second-run house, I remember it being infinitely cleaner than the Arion or any of the other older neighborhood independents. I went to the Arion often, I believe I have a post regarding the Arion on its page.
To answer your question, I don’t go out to the cinema very much anymore, being that I have a high-definition TV hooked up with Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound & a Netflix subscription. But I’ve been to the Kew Gardens a few times, and I did enjoy seeing No Country For Old Men recently at the Cinemart. I haven’t been to Main St Cinemas at all.
I took a better photo of the Main St Cinemas…if you go to the Photobucket album, you’ll see some recent shots of the Fair as well.
<img src=“http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj177/mcginty400/IMG_0046.jpg” alt=“Main St Cinemas marquee”>
I grew up in the neighborhood where this theater is and remember when it used to be a single-screen theater with a balcony. I can’t believe its been sixplexed without having been expanded. The balcony theaters must be tiny.
Paktype: You betcha, I only go there in the afternoon ,never in the evening.
Fred1: I saw a lot of movies here when I was a kid in the 1970’s. They used to run old Disney films here in the summer. I saw “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo” here as well as “Follow Me, Boys!”, “Gus”, “The Apple Dumpling Gang” and so on. I think I also saw “The Blues Brothers” here about five times in 1980. Haven’t been there in at least 20 years now but whenever I’m on Main Street, it seems very busy.
They recently upgrade to digital . Their concessions is cheaper than the major chains. .Besuure to get there early .
A selection of images taken by patrons of the current Main Street Cinemas can be viewed here
Please update, it became a twin on April 6, 1985, Quad on August 12, 1998 and 6 on November 6, 1998. No grand opening ads
Please update, theatre will be closed as of September 6, 2022.
I’m shocked, always thought they did decent at the boxoffice.
Looks like they’re starting to tear down the theater.