Groton Cinema 6

Opened at the end of April 1967 (opening day ad just uploaded), advertised the first new movie theater to open in the area for the previous 30 years. 10 years later, the Groton UA would become the southern CT home of the Rocky Horror Picture Show on weekend evenings.

I worked at this theatre when I was in High School in the early 80’s. As well as being there being a regular midnight showing of Rocky Horror on FRI & SAT, it also regularly played Led Zeppelin The Song Remains The Same & Pink Floyd The Wall @ Midnights on FRI & SAT. Then at my urging the mgr ordered THE GRATEFUL DEAD movie. At the time nobody really knew what they were. I promised her this would be a success and pleaded for her to book it for one weekend. CONN COLLEGE in New London had a Dead Show of course and it was mentioned on air as well as being in the paper…word got out through Deadhead circles and the place was near sold out 200-300 seats. The manager was shocked and pleased and thanked me. She overlooked all the pot smoke and held it over for another weekend! I started as an usher and later became a projectionist. I later returned as a projectionist in my college years. Marion Van Wagner was the manager. A sweet, tiny lady under 5 feet tall who was an area theatre manager for 50 yrs managing UA in Groton, Garde Theatre ion New London and Hoyt’s in Dayville and a theatre in Norwich (cannot remember the name)

In June of 1965, United Artists Theatre Circuit (UATC) announced that it would soon become a near neighbor to the Stop & Shop Store in the Groton’s Shoppers Mart. The “Big G” plaza had been announced in 1956 and would be anchored theatre-less at its opening in the 1960s by A&P / Stop & Shop, Liggett’s Rexall Drugs, and W.T. Grant’s. At a second iteration, the $500,000 cinema was added during the luxury suburban era of cinema exhibition.

The UA Groton was designed as a Dimension 150 venue to display widescreen 70mm films. It was likely on a 25-year lease. New Hampshire-based William Mileto was the architect chosen for the single screen venue. Wide-aisle,“magic seat” seating reduced capacity from 1,000 in the first iteration of the theater to 706 at launch. After a press screening the previous night, it opened on April 19, 1967 wioth “Dr. Zhivago.”

On December 26, 1975, the venue was twinned becoming the UA Groton Cinema 1 & 2. UA closed on July 18, 1991 with “Robin Hood” and “Dying Young.” Assuming it was at the end of a 25-year lease and willing to move onward with the multiplex era, UA likely renewed its lease if the center would assist in some way with the creation of a multiplex there. UA and the center demolished the original auditorium and created a new 6-plex perhaps using some elements from the original building’s face. The new ‘plex relaunched as the all new UA Groton Cinema 6 a year later on June 19, 1992 with “Lethal Weapon 3,” “Encino Man,” “Batman Returns,” “Patriot Games,” and “Aces” Iron Eagle 3."

In June 1993, Hoyts Cinemas Corp. bought the Groton and 56 other theaters from UATC with this venue becoming Hoyts Groton Cinemas 6 effective on June 24, 1993. Hoyt’s moved on in March of 2004. Northeast Cinemas took on the venue on March 19, 2004 operating it for a year with new operators on board in March of 2005. Ten years later, Belmont Capital Theatres LLC / Neighborhood Theatres closed here permanently on August 23, 2015. The theater’s signage on the plaza’s outer attractor remained in place nine more years.