Rockville Centre Cinema
340 Sunrise Highway,
Rockville Centre,
NY
11570
340 Sunrise Highway,
Rockville Centre,
NY
11570
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 124 comments
Grand opening ad of higher quality:
RKO Twin Rockville Centre opening 09 Jul 1969, Wed Newsday (Nassau Edition) (Hempstead, New York) Newspapers.com
Please update theater closed January 19,2006
Please update previous operators, RKO Century, Cineplex Odeon and Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Please update previous operators, RKO Century, Cineplex Odeon and Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Please update, theatre closed January 19, 2006 just before AMC took control of Loews Cineplex Entertainment
When the theatre closed, it had Dolby Stereo in both house since 1981 and dts digital sound in the big house. Seats were replaced in 1996
Also, uploaded photos of both screens. The bad thing watching matinees at this theatre, anytime someone open the door, you would get a glare.
PLEASE UPDATE, THEATRE OPEN JULY 9, 1969 WITH “HOW TO COMMIT MARRIAGE” ON TWO SCREENS. Just uploaded the grand opening ad.
Well, last year is a lot longer ago than “currently being demolished” as posted on 2/4/14. It seems that the empty space was there for months before new construction started.
Just demolished last year .
Building is long gone. New one is arising.
Orlando, I’m confused. Postings in 2013 indicated the building had been demolished then?
The RKO Rockville Centre is currently being demolished. The building is covered with tarp as a precaution to asbestos becoming airborne. I saw this on Friday morning 1-31-2014 while riding the LIRR from Penn Station to Babylon. …..and another one bites the dust.
Amazing how many years this sat in such a great location .
It’s now just a hole in the ground.
When I passed by just a few days ago, on Thursday, the building appeared to be about completely down. The blue construction shedding that surrounds the property, still had the protrusion along Sunrise Highway that allowed for the marquee, but the lot behind the shedding looked completely leveled, save for a bit of steel framework that supported what would have been the theater’s western wall, adjacent to the HSBC branch.
Passed by yesterday. They are taking the building down.
Looks like a restaurant is coming to the old location:
http://rockvillecentre.patch.com/articles/bonefish-grill-approved-to-replace-rko-theater#comments_list
ANY UPDATES ON THIS??
Many theatres never did weekday matinees. In the day Century always had continuous performances from 1PM. In the end this policy was abandoned and matinees were only on weekends. The Regal multiplex in Ronkonkoma doesn’t do matinees. I don’t imagine too many theatres do.
From my childhood days, many years ago, I remember that Prudential, which pretty much ruled Suffolk County didn’t do weekday matinees except in the Summer if it was raining. I always thought that was interesting.
This theatre was making money until it closed but AMC would not continue to operate a twin. The only competition is the 5 screen Fantasy. The problem is the bank owns the building and wants so much money to take it over. They only allow matiness on Sat & Sun because they share the parking lot. I guess its more profitable for them to let it sit empty 6 years then to lower the rent.
Still very surprised this property is still available. I still think it would be kind of neat to have someone independently fix it up and make it a theater again. However, I am not sure a twin theater can really be profitable anymore.
Great image. Looks like pretty much every building in that photo has been replaced, with the exception of the structure on the far right along the same block front as the TSS. I believe that is where Kollner Prime Meats is located today.
http://cdm15281.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15281coll32/id/37/rec/229
Years before this theater closed, my Mother told me that it had been a TSS (Time Square Stores). I found it interesting that a store would close and be replaced by a movie theater. Nowadays, it’s the other way around. The link in this post shows the TSS store circa 1940 and it is right where this theater used to be.
I can’t believe this place is still sitting empty.
Would love to see someone buy it, fix it up and run the theater as an independent owner.