Country Cinema
523 Main Street,
Watertown,
CT
06795
523 Main Street,
Watertown,
CT
06795
4 people
favorited this theater
Opened as the Cameo Theatre and is still a quaint little single screen theatre. It has a balcony that is not used for seating anymore, but one must walk upstairs to get to the men’s room. It was renamed Country Cinema in 1972 and played second-run films, often showing the same feature for weeks at a time. It was closed for renovations in November 2019.
Contributed by
Roger Katz
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 28 comments)
The original marquee was V shaped and hung out over the sidewalk in front. It had plenty of space, 4 long lines, 10 feet wide. It was taken down in 1972. The current marquee is very small, 3 short lines and often misspelled.
Ed Guinea
Wow…it looks exactly the same as it does today, only less worn down.
Too bad that the theatre is so dirty, run-down and so poorly-staffed and poorly operated, as it looks like an unusual movie theatre! Here’s hoping they renovate it, add more staff, and monitor their projectionist(s) better.
Wasn’t this an SBC (formerly L&G) theatre? When I worked for the chain in RI, we had a Cameo in CT; can’t remember if it was Waterbury or Watertown.
BTW, this theatre has a changeable sign. A marquee is attached to the building. By definition: a covering like roof: a permanent canopy, often of metal and glass, projecting out over the entrance to a large building such as a hotel or theater.
The old style of cinema reminded me when my grandfather took me every weekend. I loved! I love the sound!
The theatre is currently on the market with an asking price of $1,200,000: http://godinpropertybrokers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/523-main-st-watertown.pdf
The name change from Cameo Theatre to Country Cinema took place in 1972.
Country Cinemas has been sold and closed for renovations. It is scheduled to reopen this spring with its new name, the Watertown Stage.
When it was the Country Cinema, I saw E.T.the extra-terrestrial in 82 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 84. We sat in the balcony for E.T. Great memories.
Country Cinema should be listed as closed. It never reopened as Watertown Stage after closing in November 2019.