Opened as the K-Cinema playing mainstream movies when it opened in 1981. In 1982, the cinema experimented with late night adult films. That proved successful and the theatre became the K-Cinema Adult Theatre to its closing on August 30, 1986. Converted to other retail, it was home to a stationery store, a Blockbuster video store, and was an outdoor backyard store in 2019.
Ads start October 6, 1971 and it looks like the Mall Cinema launched on a 20-year lease. In its second cycle, Richard Nathan closed it as the Mall Twin on August 30, 1997. It then relaunched late in 1998 closing March 30, 2003 with “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Two Weeks Notice.”
Opened April 10, 1974 with Midnight Cowboy and Where’s Poppa?. It closed March 31, 1999 with Affliction splitting with Central Station and would eventually move to Bloomfield’s Center Twin Theatre.
The theatre closed on September 27, 1987 with “Tough Guys Don’t Dance” and “Snow White” splitting with “The Big Easy”. Star Cinema Circuit operated the theatre for its final six years after General Cinema left. It closed at the end of its 20-year lease.
Harry May built a new theatre at Arnold Avenue G.O. Jones was the architect. The theatre appears to have launched in 1935 and had 750 seats. In its formative years, the Arnold was a summer only operation closing in the winter after the vacationers had left. One vacationer was cowboy sidekick Gabby Hayes who made a live appearance selling out the theatre.
The theatre closed in 1957 and was a Walter Reade Circuit property. The theatre appears to have a period of vacancy and was brought back with live shows in the early 1970s on a sublease with Reade. On January 11, 1974, the theatre got back into regular theatrical operation with the film, “The Way We Were.” Robert W. Buhout received the Citizen of the Year Award by the Elks Club for his purchase of the operation from Reade and his restoration of the facility.
The theatre was renamed the Arnold Cinema by James H. Clayton and closed February 19, 1981 with “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones.” It had a brief run as a place of worship. Live theatre producer Gil Rambach took on the facility for live plays in 1982 listed at 500 seats. That ran until August of 1984. The building got a shocking makeover and was transformed into the Cedar Point Office Center, an office building.
The Ocean County Mall launched on July 28, 1976 and General Cinema was there as an original tenant launching with “Logan’s Run,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and “Lifeguard.” GCC closed there on July 17, 1997 as more modern megaplexes were in favor.
Cinemagic took on the cinemas rebranding as Cinemagic at Ocean Mall on January 2, 1998 running a sub-run, discount operation. On July 17, 1998, the theater’s name became Cinemagic Discount Theater at Ocean County Mall. Cinemagic vanished on October 24, 2002. The theatre remained vacant for the remainder of its 30-year leasing cycle. It was then converted for other retail purposes.
In June of 1973, the Brookwood Plaza Shopping Center was getting a Jerry Lewis Cinema. By the time this theatre opened, the Lewis Circuit had folded. The 350-seat automated theatre launched April 3, 1974 with “American Graffiti.” The center housing the cinema became the Brook Plaza Shopping Mall. The Director yelled cut closing on February 18, 1982 with “Cinderella.” The theatre was one of two Director Chairs location and this one remained a single screener. It was renamed the Playhouse and staged live plays in 1982.
The Fair-Ridge Shopping Center opened theatre-less in 1961 in Fairview, N.J. In 1967. That changed when Spyros Lenas left the Skouras chain and launched his own circuit including the creation of the Fairview Cinema. It was Lenas' seventh theatre seating 800 and launched June 21, 1967 with “The Sound of Music.” The cinema was located at 211 Bergen Blvd. and featured an art gallery featuring artworks from local artists.
Despite the fact that “The Love Bug” was the theater’s number one film of 1970, the Fairview showed some X-rated fare. In 1973, that reached the boiling point as protesters picketed a double feature of X-rated films. Mayor V. Michael Rossi intervened convincing theatre management to terminate X-rated films.
The Fairview switched back to mainstream films including cult films at midnight. On December 21, 1979, the theatre was twinned becoming the Fairview Twin Cinema 1 & 2.
In 1981, the theatre was operated by Loews as the Loews Faireview Twin Cinema 1 & 2. In 1989, the expansion of the A&P Grocery Store led to the demolition of the Fairview which Loews closed on July 20, 1989 with “Weekend at Bernies” and “Ghostbusters II”. The cinema was demolished shortly thereafter.
The Sayre Woods Shopping Center launched theatre-less on June 12, 1956. In 1962, a theatre project was announced and built next to the Shop-Rite Supermarket. The Sayre Woods Theatre launched with “Divorce American Style” on July 24, 1963. In 1982, the theatre advertised as the Sayrewoods Theatre. The shopping center became the Gateway Shopping Center with the theatre’s name remaining unchanged. Though I would defer to the comments above, the theatre went out of business showing XXX films and listings end on April 14, 1991 after a screening of “Depraved Innocent.”
Cinema III’s owner Edward Grant launched Grant’s Movies I & II on February 15, 1974 with Mayor Henry Cioffi cutting the ribbon at 620 Ocean Avenue in Long Branch’s West End. The auditoriums had identical capacity with 340 seats each. Music Makers Theatres Circuit bought the operation from Grant in December of 1978 becoming Movies I & II.
When Music Makers sold out to Loews, this location became a Loews Theatre Circuit operation and was renamed Loews Long Branch 1&2 in 1988. Under the Circuit’s rebranding to Sony Theatres Circuit, it closed as the Sony Long Branch 1 & 2 on June 18, 1995 with “Village of the Damned” and “Circle of Friends.”
Just to capture some of the comments above: The Town Theatre was a Walter Reade-Sterling project architected by David Marner. Marner was at the groundbreaking of the theatre along with Mayor Ernest G. Kavalek. The lobby featured an art gallery to promote local artists.
Launched June 30, 1965 with a special screening of “The Art of Love.” Walter Reade circuit added to the complex on August 18, 1971 with a second auditorium called the Town East playing “Le Mans” with the Town West playing “Morgan the Pirate.” David Marner also architected the 500-seat Town East which shared a common box office with the Town. Its new name was the Town Theater East & West.
In 1974, Walter Reade sublet the theaters to Coast Theatres Circuit which operated the duplex until going out of business in October of 1975. After returning to Reade for a month, the Town East & West was sublet to S.W.K. Theatre Circuit of Pleasantville in November of 1975. The theatres were returned to Reade in the Summer of 1976.
In November of 1976, UA took on the theatre calling it the UA Town East & West. But the circuit closed the East Theatre and twinned it. When it re-emerged on March 16, 1977, UA called the triplex the UA Middltown Theaters 1, 2 & 3. Theaters 2 and 3 were each 300 seat auditoriums. The $250,000 renovation also included new automatic projectors and a light machine producing multiple colors on the screen between shows.
In July of 1980, United Artists Theatre Circuit broke around to add four screens to the complex bringing the seat count to 2,200 with auditoriums ranging from 186 to 248 seats. The additional screens came online on December 19, 1980 with new projectors and Dolby Stereo in all auditoriums under the new moniker of The Movies at Middletown.
Competition from modern multiplexes caught up to the theatre which tried different pricing policies including a flat fee with free popcorn followed by a sub-run, deep discount pricing policy. UA closed the theatre on August 19, 1996.
On October 4, 1996, Cinemagic took on the theatre continuing its operation as a sub-run discount theatre called Cinematic Movies at Middletown. The theatre struggled and finally was shuttered on May 7, 1998.
Walter Reade opened the 900-seat Community Theatre with its colonial architectural style with an invitational screening of “The Seventh Dawn” on August 25, 1964. Just after Loews rebranded as Sony, it closed as the Sony Theatres Community Twin on May 24, 1995 with “Panther” and “Perez Family.”
Became the Shrewsbury Plaza Cinema I,II, & III on June 16, 1977. It then Closed October 23, 1994 with “Forrest Gump,” “Clear & Present Danger” and “Little Giants.”
The Strathmore Shopping Center opened theatre-less. But a $200,000 expansion to the center in 1971 brought about a twin mini-theater. The Matawan Twin Cinema launched in the Strathmore Shopping Center on New Jersey State Route 34 on December 22, 1971 with “Lady & the Tramp” and “Kotch.” A year later on December 2, 1972, the location’s name was changed to the Strathmore Cinema Twin I and II. Under Clearview Circuit operation, the theatre was closed to quadplex the theatre relaunching as,the Strathmore Cinema 4 on Sept 3, 1999
Music Makers opened its 14th location in the Jamesway Shopping Center on June 27, 1973 with the film, “The Class of ‘72.” The single-screen The Cinema became the East Windsor Cinema until it was twinned. On May 26, 1976, it relaunched as the East Windsor Cinema Twin I & II. In 1986, Loews acquired Music Makers Circuit and renamed the theatre Loews East Windsor Cinema Twin which it operated until April of 1994. The theatre soldiered on for the Real Entertainment Circuit until closing on March 30, 2000 as the East Windsor Twin Cinema.
Deco – No… I had assumed it was at 570 Park Avenue in the Park Plaza Shopping Center where the Trevi Pizza is based on the building shape and what looks to be an attractor on the facade but am likely wrong. Sorry that I don’t have that.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza launches here with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973 for Music Makers Circuit.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza launches here with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973 for Music Makers Circuit.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza at 451 U.S. 9 had a long-running A&P Grocery Store as its anchor and at the opposite end it had Music Makers Circuit’s 12th location in its Berkeley Cinema I & II. The Berkeley Cinema I & II launched with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973. When Music Makers sold to Loews in 1986, the cinema became known as Loews Cinema I & II. Loews dropped the theatre on June 7, 1990. It cited the opening of the 10-screen Seacourt Pavillion seven miles away as its reason.
On March 27, 1992 and under new operators, the theatre relaunched as the Friendly Cinema. It closed after completing a 25-year leasing cycle with “Black Dog,” “City of Angels,” and “Dirty Work” on July 23, 1998.
This was a theater in the Park Plaza Shopping Center launching as a Jerry Lewis Cinema and the 12th in the chain. Ground was broken for the 350-seat automated theatre in April of 1971. The theatre launched March 4th, 1972. It was renamed the Park Avenue Cinema on July 2, 1974 when the Jerry Lewis Circuit went under.
The Park Avenue Cinema became a 99 cent sub-run, discount theatre. It appears to have closed for six months in 1977 and reopened in 1978 under new management and pricing policy before closing in May of 1982. In July of 1982, it changed names to Cinema 33, the highway on which the theatre was located. It closed as Cinema 33 on January 2, 1984 with the film, “Return of the Jedi.”
Music Makers Circuit renamed this the Freehold Triplex Cinema on February 4, 1977. It then became the Freehold Quad Cinema on October 22, 1982. On November 18, 1983, it became the Freehold Cinema 6. Loews Circuit took over the Music Makers theaters and closed the theatre. It was given one last chance by Cinemagic as a sub-run discount house. August 28, 1997. This location closed December 7, 2000 as the Cinemagic Discount Theater at Freehold with “Almost Famous,” “Best in Show,” “The Contender,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The Little Vampire,” and “Remember the Titans.” The cinema was replaced by a gym.
Belmar Mall opened theatre-less in 1963. In 1971, an automated theatre was added when the Belmar Cinema launched at 829 Plaza. The 344-seat cinema opened August 18, 1971 with the film, “Love Story.” In 1979, picketers protested the playing of “Life of Brian” at the Belmar. The facility became the Man Ray Cinema on January 1, 1980. The Man Ray appears to have closed January 15, 1981 after a showing of “Elephant Man” likely fulfilling a 10-year lease.
The Circle Twin Cinema opened for United General Circuit in 1971. The Spanish motif matched the adjoining El Greco Restaurant. It was United General’s tenth theatre and the theatres each seated 250 patrons and was designed to be an automated facility. United was much like the Jerry Lewis Cinema concept in which franchisees bought locations and tried to survive the competition from much more established operators. Music Makers Circuit took on the location and expanded it to a triplex known as the Circle Triplex.
In 1986, the theatre became a 5-screen facility, the Circle Cinema 5 and Music Makers became Loews in November of that year. It was known as the Loews Circle Cinema 5 and Sony Circle Cinema 5 when Loews rebranded as Sony. Sony closed it on January 28, 1998. Cinemagic took over in February initially calling it Cinemagic Theater at Brick before relegating it to discount status. It closed as Cinemagic Discount Theater at Brick on September 28, 2000, final features were Art of War, Autumn in New York, Original Kings of Comedy, The Patriot, Scary Movie and Saving Grace.
The ozoner appears to have closed after a double feature of “Love Story” and “Kelly’s Heroes” on August 29, 1971 as the Brielle Drive-In Theatre. Its phone number is reassigned to a NJ plumbing service not long after.
Opened as the K-Cinema playing mainstream movies when it opened in 1981. In 1982, the cinema experimented with late night adult films. That proved successful and the theatre became the K-Cinema Adult Theatre to its closing on August 30, 1986. Converted to other retail, it was home to a stationery store, a Blockbuster video store, and was an outdoor backyard store in 2019.
Ads start October 6, 1971 and it looks like the Mall Cinema launched on a 20-year lease. In its second cycle, Richard Nathan closed it as the Mall Twin on August 30, 1997. It then relaunched late in 1998 closing March 30, 2003 with “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Two Weeks Notice.”
Opened April 10, 1974 with Midnight Cowboy and Where’s Poppa?. It closed March 31, 1999 with Affliction splitting with Central Station and would eventually move to Bloomfield’s Center Twin Theatre.
The theatre closed on September 27, 1987 with “Tough Guys Don’t Dance” and “Snow White” splitting with “The Big Easy”. Star Cinema Circuit operated the theatre for its final six years after General Cinema left. It closed at the end of its 20-year lease.
Harry May built a new theatre at Arnold Avenue G.O. Jones was the architect. The theatre appears to have launched in 1935 and had 750 seats. In its formative years, the Arnold was a summer only operation closing in the winter after the vacationers had left. One vacationer was cowboy sidekick Gabby Hayes who made a live appearance selling out the theatre.
The theatre closed in 1957 and was a Walter Reade Circuit property. The theatre appears to have a period of vacancy and was brought back with live shows in the early 1970s on a sublease with Reade. On January 11, 1974, the theatre got back into regular theatrical operation with the film, “The Way We Were.” Robert W. Buhout received the Citizen of the Year Award by the Elks Club for his purchase of the operation from Reade and his restoration of the facility.
The theatre was renamed the Arnold Cinema by James H. Clayton and closed February 19, 1981 with “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones.” It had a brief run as a place of worship. Live theatre producer Gil Rambach took on the facility for live plays in 1982 listed at 500 seats. That ran until August of 1984. The building got a shocking makeover and was transformed into the Cedar Point Office Center, an office building.
The Ocean County Mall launched on July 28, 1976 and General Cinema was there as an original tenant launching with “Logan’s Run,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and “Lifeguard.” GCC closed there on July 17, 1997 as more modern megaplexes were in favor.
Cinemagic took on the cinemas rebranding as Cinemagic at Ocean Mall on January 2, 1998 running a sub-run, discount operation. On July 17, 1998, the theater’s name became Cinemagic Discount Theater at Ocean County Mall. Cinemagic vanished on October 24, 2002. The theatre remained vacant for the remainder of its 30-year leasing cycle. It was then converted for other retail purposes.
In June of 1973, the Brookwood Plaza Shopping Center was getting a Jerry Lewis Cinema. By the time this theatre opened, the Lewis Circuit had folded. The 350-seat automated theatre launched April 3, 1974 with “American Graffiti.” The center housing the cinema became the Brook Plaza Shopping Mall. The Director yelled cut closing on February 18, 1982 with “Cinderella.” The theatre was one of two Director Chairs location and this one remained a single screener. It was renamed the Playhouse and staged live plays in 1982.
The Fair-Ridge Shopping Center opened theatre-less in 1961 in Fairview, N.J. In 1967. That changed when Spyros Lenas left the Skouras chain and launched his own circuit including the creation of the Fairview Cinema. It was Lenas' seventh theatre seating 800 and launched June 21, 1967 with “The Sound of Music.” The cinema was located at 211 Bergen Blvd. and featured an art gallery featuring artworks from local artists.
Despite the fact that “The Love Bug” was the theater’s number one film of 1970, the Fairview showed some X-rated fare. In 1973, that reached the boiling point as protesters picketed a double feature of X-rated films. Mayor V. Michael Rossi intervened convincing theatre management to terminate X-rated films.
The Fairview switched back to mainstream films including cult films at midnight. On December 21, 1979, the theatre was twinned becoming the Fairview Twin Cinema 1 & 2.
In 1981, the theatre was operated by Loews as the Loews Faireview Twin Cinema 1 & 2. In 1989, the expansion of the A&P Grocery Store led to the demolition of the Fairview which Loews closed on July 20, 1989 with “Weekend at Bernies” and “Ghostbusters II”. The cinema was demolished shortly thereafter.
The Sayre Woods Shopping Center launched theatre-less on June 12, 1956. In 1962, a theatre project was announced and built next to the Shop-Rite Supermarket. The Sayre Woods Theatre launched with “Divorce American Style” on July 24, 1963. In 1982, the theatre advertised as the Sayrewoods Theatre. The shopping center became the Gateway Shopping Center with the theatre’s name remaining unchanged. Though I would defer to the comments above, the theatre went out of business showing XXX films and listings end on April 14, 1991 after a screening of “Depraved Innocent.”
Cinema III’s owner Edward Grant launched Grant’s Movies I & II on February 15, 1974 with Mayor Henry Cioffi cutting the ribbon at 620 Ocean Avenue in Long Branch’s West End. The auditoriums had identical capacity with 340 seats each. Music Makers Theatres Circuit bought the operation from Grant in December of 1978 becoming Movies I & II.
When Music Makers sold out to Loews, this location became a Loews Theatre Circuit operation and was renamed Loews Long Branch 1&2 in 1988. Under the Circuit’s rebranding to Sony Theatres Circuit, it closed as the Sony Long Branch 1 & 2 on June 18, 1995 with “Village of the Damned” and “Circle of Friends.”
Just to capture some of the comments above: The Town Theatre was a Walter Reade-Sterling project architected by David Marner. Marner was at the groundbreaking of the theatre along with Mayor Ernest G. Kavalek. The lobby featured an art gallery to promote local artists.
Launched June 30, 1965 with a special screening of “The Art of Love.” Walter Reade circuit added to the complex on August 18, 1971 with a second auditorium called the Town East playing “Le Mans” with the Town West playing “Morgan the Pirate.” David Marner also architected the 500-seat Town East which shared a common box office with the Town. Its new name was the Town Theater East & West.
In 1974, Walter Reade sublet the theaters to Coast Theatres Circuit which operated the duplex until going out of business in October of 1975. After returning to Reade for a month, the Town East & West was sublet to S.W.K. Theatre Circuit of Pleasantville in November of 1975. The theatres were returned to Reade in the Summer of 1976.
In November of 1976, UA took on the theatre calling it the UA Town East & West. But the circuit closed the East Theatre and twinned it. When it re-emerged on March 16, 1977, UA called the triplex the UA Middltown Theaters 1, 2 & 3. Theaters 2 and 3 were each 300 seat auditoriums. The $250,000 renovation also included new automatic projectors and a light machine producing multiple colors on the screen between shows.
In July of 1980, United Artists Theatre Circuit broke around to add four screens to the complex bringing the seat count to 2,200 with auditoriums ranging from 186 to 248 seats. The additional screens came online on December 19, 1980 with new projectors and Dolby Stereo in all auditoriums under the new moniker of The Movies at Middletown.
Competition from modern multiplexes caught up to the theatre which tried different pricing policies including a flat fee with free popcorn followed by a sub-run, deep discount pricing policy. UA closed the theatre on August 19, 1996.
On October 4, 1996, Cinemagic took on the theatre continuing its operation as a sub-run discount theatre called Cinematic Movies at Middletown. The theatre struggled and finally was shuttered on May 7, 1998.
Walter Reade opened the 900-seat Community Theatre with its colonial architectural style with an invitational screening of “The Seventh Dawn” on August 25, 1964. Just after Loews rebranded as Sony, it closed as the Sony Theatres Community Twin on May 24, 1995 with “Panther” and “Perez Family.”
Became the Shrewsbury Plaza Cinema I,II, & III on June 16, 1977. It then Closed October 23, 1994 with “Forrest Gump,” “Clear & Present Danger” and “Little Giants.”
The Strathmore Shopping Center opened theatre-less. But a $200,000 expansion to the center in 1971 brought about a twin mini-theater. The Matawan Twin Cinema launched in the Strathmore Shopping Center on New Jersey State Route 34 on December 22, 1971 with “Lady & the Tramp” and “Kotch.” A year later on December 2, 1972, the location’s name was changed to the Strathmore Cinema Twin I and II. Under Clearview Circuit operation, the theatre was closed to quadplex the theatre relaunching as,the Strathmore Cinema 4 on Sept 3, 1999
Music Makers opened its 14th location in the Jamesway Shopping Center on June 27, 1973 with the film, “The Class of ‘72.” The single-screen The Cinema became the East Windsor Cinema until it was twinned. On May 26, 1976, it relaunched as the East Windsor Cinema Twin I & II. In 1986, Loews acquired Music Makers Circuit and renamed the theatre Loews East Windsor Cinema Twin which it operated until April of 1994. The theatre soldiered on for the Real Entertainment Circuit until closing on March 30, 2000 as the East Windsor Twin Cinema.
Deco – No… I had assumed it was at 570 Park Avenue in the Park Plaza Shopping Center where the Trevi Pizza is based on the building shape and what looks to be an attractor on the facade but am likely wrong. Sorry that I don’t have that.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza launches here with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973 for Music Makers Circuit.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza launches here with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973 for Music Makers Circuit.
Music Makers Circuit’s 12th location was announced in Wayville in 1972 with its Berkeley Cinema I & II shown here in architect’s rendering.
Bayville’s Berekley Plaza at 451 U.S. 9 had a long-running A&P Grocery Store as its anchor and at the opposite end it had Music Makers Circuit’s 12th location in its Berkeley Cinema I & II. The Berkeley Cinema I & II launched with “Soylent Green” and “Walt Disney’s The World’s Greatest Athlete” on April 18, 1973. When Music Makers sold to Loews in 1986, the cinema became known as Loews Cinema I & II. Loews dropped the theatre on June 7, 1990. It cited the opening of the 10-screen Seacourt Pavillion seven miles away as its reason.
On March 27, 1992 and under new operators, the theatre relaunched as the Friendly Cinema. It closed after completing a 25-year leasing cycle with “Black Dog,” “City of Angels,” and “Dirty Work” on July 23, 1998.
This was a theater in the Park Plaza Shopping Center launching as a Jerry Lewis Cinema and the 12th in the chain. Ground was broken for the 350-seat automated theatre in April of 1971. The theatre launched March 4th, 1972. It was renamed the Park Avenue Cinema on July 2, 1974 when the Jerry Lewis Circuit went under.
The Park Avenue Cinema became a 99 cent sub-run, discount theatre. It appears to have closed for six months in 1977 and reopened in 1978 under new management and pricing policy before closing in May of 1982. In July of 1982, it changed names to Cinema 33, the highway on which the theatre was located. It closed as Cinema 33 on January 2, 1984 with the film, “Return of the Jedi.”
Music Makers Circuit renamed this the Freehold Triplex Cinema on February 4, 1977. It then became the Freehold Quad Cinema on October 22, 1982. On November 18, 1983, it became the Freehold Cinema 6. Loews Circuit took over the Music Makers theaters and closed the theatre. It was given one last chance by Cinemagic as a sub-run discount house. August 28, 1997. This location closed December 7, 2000 as the Cinemagic Discount Theater at Freehold with “Almost Famous,” “Best in Show,” “The Contender,” “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The Little Vampire,” and “Remember the Titans.” The cinema was replaced by a gym.
Belmar Mall opened theatre-less in 1963. In 1971, an automated theatre was added when the Belmar Cinema launched at 829 Plaza. The 344-seat cinema opened August 18, 1971 with the film, “Love Story.” In 1979, picketers protested the playing of “Life of Brian” at the Belmar. The facility became the Man Ray Cinema on January 1, 1980. The Man Ray appears to have closed January 15, 1981 after a showing of “Elephant Man” likely fulfilling a 10-year lease.
The Circle Twin Cinema opened for United General Circuit in 1971. The Spanish motif matched the adjoining El Greco Restaurant. It was United General’s tenth theatre and the theatres each seated 250 patrons and was designed to be an automated facility. United was much like the Jerry Lewis Cinema concept in which franchisees bought locations and tried to survive the competition from much more established operators. Music Makers Circuit took on the location and expanded it to a triplex known as the Circle Triplex.
In 1986, the theatre became a 5-screen facility, the Circle Cinema 5 and Music Makers became Loews in November of that year. It was known as the Loews Circle Cinema 5 and Sony Circle Cinema 5 when Loews rebranded as Sony. Sony closed it on January 28, 1998. Cinemagic took over in February initially calling it Cinemagic Theater at Brick before relegating it to discount status. It closed as Cinemagic Discount Theater at Brick on September 28, 2000, final features were Art of War, Autumn in New York, Original Kings of Comedy, The Patriot, Scary Movie and Saving Grace.
The ozoner appears to have closed after a double feature of “Love Story” and “Kelly’s Heroes” on August 29, 1971 as the Brielle Drive-In Theatre. Its phone number is reassigned to a NJ plumbing service not long after.