Merrill's Roxy Cinemas
220 College Street,
Burlington,
VT
05401
220 College Street,
Burlington,
VT
05401
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This theater has closed:
Burlington, VT: Roxy Cinemas Closed [Nov 8, 2024]
Yet another correction: What I mean is that when the Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas reopened in 2003, it had a mix fare of first-run, independent, and foreign films. Back when the theater was known as the Nickelodeon 6, it only had a first-run fare until its closure in 2003.
Another correction: the Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas did show some first-run selections when it became the Roxy in 2003.
Correction: I just found out that the Nickelodeon 6 did not close in October 2001 as advertisements tricked me good. The theater was still open at the time after October 2001. Hoyts operated the Nickelodeon until the theater closed on May 5, 2003. From the theater’s 1981 opening until its 2003 closure, it was a first-run movie house. The theater reopened as Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas as a foreign and independent movie house on May 23, 2003.
First operated by an independent company for its first four years of operation. USA Cinemas began operating the Nickelodeon in 1986, followed by Loews in 1988. Loews operated the Nickelodeon for the next six years until the nationwide Sony Theatres rebranding. It became a Sony theater for a time, but in September 1995, the Nickelodeon became a Hoyts operated theater. Hoyts operated the theater until October 2001.
May 23rd, 2003 grand opening ad as Roxy also in photo section.
This opened on December 18th, 1981 as Nickelodeon. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section. Nickelodeon were opened in Boston, Burlington and Portland Maine.
The Roxy in Burlington is part of the Opera in Cinema network which presents opera and ballet performances from various European theaters. It’s the only cinema in Vermont in the network.
Here’s a photo of the entrance to Merrill’s Roxy at night. I found that on the cinema’s own official website.
I was there a week ago. This is a cool theater as it blends in downtown on the corner and doesn’t feel like it intrudes. The best part is the local artsy airbrush portraits all in a row at the bottom trim, under the posters and above the sidewalk. I have pics.
From right to left are Darth Vader, Batman, Marilyn Monroe, some guy in a WWI flight suit, Ray Liotta/DeNiro/Pesci from Goodfellas, I think Clint Eastwood, Malcolm McDowell from Clockwork Orange, someone and Hugo Weaving in V for Vendetta mask.
This place opened as the independent Nickelodeon 6, which soon was sold to USA Cinemas. A year later, USA sold to Loews, who operated the Nickelodeon for quite a few years before selling it to Hoyts.
It is amazing how many theatres are named ROXY in imitation of the once famous name of the New York City panjandrum of the movie palace: Samual Lionel Rothapfel = “Roxy”. His namesake was the famous ROXY THEATRE in NYC, which outlasted him by only 25 years when it was demolished in 1960. The whole story is in that landmark book “The Best Remaining Seats: The Story of the Golden Age of the Movie Palace” by the late Ben M. Hall in 1961. Various editions of it are sometimes available from www.Amazon.com, but only the first edition contains the color plates.