Business & Tech Movies Back In Mattituck: Beloved Cinema Reopens With First-Run Films It’s the day movie lovers have waited for: A beloved theater is open again in Mattituck, with reclining leather seats, Lucharitos, more.
A soft opening is taking place as a beloved cinema opens its doors again in Mattituck. (Courtesy Marc LaMaina)
MATTITUCK, NY — The North Fork community is applauding as the curtain rises once again on the beloved Mattituck Cinemas.
For months, residents have pondered the fate of the longtime movie theater, located in the Mattituck shopping plaza. The theater closed in 2023 after a brief foray into classic films, as well as activities such as axe-throwing and paint smash. But now, the focus is firmly back on film: The theater, which has unveiled its soft opening, is open seven days a week currently, showing only first-run films. And, to the delight of movie-goers, the theater has undergone a facelift and now features leather reclining seats, a cutting edge audio/visual system — and a concession stand with choices including not just popcorn and candy but a full slate of offerings from Lucharitos, including margaritas.
This week, shows on tap include “The Wild Robot,” “Venom: The Last Dance,” and “Conclave” and next week, coming to the big screen will be “Wicked,” “Moana 2,” and “Gladiator.” Lucharitos owner Marc LaMaina co-operates the concession stand with the Cardinale family, who owns the theater — the Cardinales operate the popcorn and candy portion, while LaMaina serves up Lucharitos food and drinks.
This week, LaMaina spoke with Patch about the theater’s transformation. “Lucharitos is excited to be a small part of the theater’s rebirth,” he said.
The Cardinale family, he said, invested to renovate three of the original theaters. The new, sleek spaces include “state-of-the-art audio/visual systems, beautiful custom mill work and comfortable, plush leather auto recliner seats that set the tone for the theater’s renaissance. They did an absolute amazing job,” he said. Courtesy Marc LaMaina Lucharitos partnered with the Cardinales to operate the concession, LaMaina said. “We will be adding our food and drinks to their concession program, so we’ve made an already unique experience even more special.”
A representative for the Cardinale family could not immediately be reached for comment. Courtesy Marc LaMaina Reflecting on the theater’s new chapter, LaMaina told Patch: “After COVID, the theater business was dead. That’s right when we opened Lucharitos Burrito Bar next door, so it was a strange moment for us.” The journey for the burrito bar has been marked with challenges, he said. “It’s been a battle to get though winters at this location. Since our inception, we were relying on the theater’s foot traffic to really make a go of it here. So when the theaters were forced to close and then slowly allowed to reopen, we jumped in and tried anything we could to generate foot traffic to the plaza. No one wanted to sit in a theater at that point, so we tried different activities for the community — including the axe throwing — but nothing hit. A few months after we pulled out, we were ecstatic to hear that the theater is going to be making a huge investment in a rebirth that included leather reclining seats!” The theater, after the brief pivot during which activities such as the axe-throwing and paint smash were offered along with classic films, closed for a period in the summer of 2023. But now, a new day has dawned, LaMaina said: “The theater is now the cream of the crop for independent theaters, and the community seems very excited.”