Curtain Falls On Hampton Bays Movie Theater As Cinema Shutters Forever Thursday

HAMPTON BAYS, NY — The curtain is falling on the Regal UA Hampton Bays movie theater — with the cinema set to close its doors forever after the credits roll on Thursday's films.

The news was a blow to the community, which has long fought to keep the movie theater at its location at 119 W. Montauk Highway, where it had shown films to generations of movie-goers since 1997.

Regal Cinemas and Regal's owner Cineworld Group did not immediately return requests for comment from Patch.

Resident Cathy Goepfert expressed sadness at the loss. "I find it disappointing that the movie theater will close," she said. "There is something about your local town movie theater. It brings a sense of community and place for escapism all at the same time. Just its presence can bring a nostalgic comfort. This will be a noticeable vacancy."

Speaking with Patch, Walter Morris, who owns the theater's building, as well as the other property in the shopping plaza, said Regal leaving the space will mean a great loss on many levels.

"I'm sad to see them go," he said. "We're going to have a 70-percent empty shopping center."

Morris said he was told as far back as 2019 that Regal would not be staying much longer in Hampton Bays. "They said they were losing money there," he said.

Morris said he's had a "great relationship" with Regal and has consistently offered to work with Regal, at first telling them, "If I cut your rent in half, would you stay until I find a new tenant?"

That allowed him time to consider new tenants — and he approached CVS to take over the space.

Despite interest on the part of CVS and a 25-year lease, an application with Southampton Town was hit with insurmountable challenges, including considerable pushback from the community, who fought to keep the movie theater and also expressed concerns about traffic and another large CVS in the area.

Morris said he worked on the application with CVS for years. He was told at meetings by community members that they didn't want a "corporate" CVS in Hampton Bays and favored a mom-and-pop business at the shopping center.

That was something Morris said he didn't understand, with other large, corporate businesses including Panera, Starbucks, McDonald's, Petco and Stop & Shop situated nearby. "Is it just my shopping center, where they only want mom-and-pop businesses?" he asked.

While a CVS would have been an as-of-right use, Morris said, site plan approval was needed and never granted — until finally, with more than $600,000 spent on the application, the deal with CVS fell through and the lease was canceled, Morris said.

"It was painful," he said. "They were going to redo the whole shopping center, the buildings, the parking lot, the landscaping. If you're not going to allow a Fortune 500 company who's going to come here and make it beautiful — you're going to have a vacant shopping center, one that's not easy to fill."

Morris said he then again asked Regal if they would stay, just until there was a new tenant — even offering zero rent — but he was told that even with no rent at all, the theater would still be losing money.

While some suggested an alternative use such as an art gallery, Morris said he believes that the sheer size of the building — 15,000 square feet, with 30-foot ceilings — would make the cost of upkeep as well as taxes insurmountable for a business of that size.

The goal is to find a business "that can afford to be here," he said. Besides the regular cost of rent, he said, there are expenses such as insurance, snow removal, repairs. "Not a lot of businesses can take on a project like that."

And, he said, in an ever-changing economy, "nobody sells goods anymore. Goods now come right to your front door."

Still, Morris said, he's looking ahead. "That's all in the past," he said. "We've been trying to find someone for a long time."

Now, Morris said, he's enthusiastic about plans to revitalize the space. First, he said, he's submitted plans to the Southampton Town planning board and architectural review board to remodel the entire front of the shopping center.

"Once that's done, we need to put new roofs for all of the tenants," he said. After that, plans include a repaved parking lot — all while the search for a new tenant is ongoing.

"Nobody is going to take a movie theater," he said. "We'll demolish the inside of theater so it's one big open space with a flat floor."

Possible applicants in such a large space could include a pharmacy, a small supermarket, or a possible medical facility, he said.

"The most likely use, what’s in demand, is a medical use," he said. "It might not seem as exciting to everyone, but we can't put in something like a furniture store — nobody's coming to buy furniture anymore."

Without sewer hookup, he said, apartments are not an option.

As it stands, when Regal shuts its doors Thursday, Morris said the issues of 70-percent vacancy, and concerns such as loitering and theft, arise.

That's why, he said, the hope is to find a new tenant as soon as possible and begin a new chapter.

And, too, Morris said, saying good-bye to the theater won't be easy. He spoke highly of the theater's longtime manager Mary Russo, who has given so much of her heart and soul to the movie theater and the many families who've made it a part of their memories for generations.

"She's terrific," he said. "A great lady."

And now, Morris said he's hoping to hear from a new tenant who'll happily kick off the theater's next act.

Morris said the total cost of renovation will probably equate to a few million dollars. "When we do put somebody in there, the hope is that the neighborhood will support it."

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore also reflected on the movie theater's last day. "The closing of the movie theater is very disappointing," she said. "Although I understand how difficult it is for movie theaters to survive with the availability of so many streaming services, I, like many others, am grateful for the memories shared with family and friends over the years at that theater."

She added: "As a town, we'll continue to explore ways to support local arts and entertainment opportunities that enrich our community."