South Bay Cinemas
495 Montauk Highway,
West Babylon,
NY
11704
495 Montauk Highway,
West Babylon,
NY
11704
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 150 of 166 comments
The decay continues. No signs of any activity.
IT WAS A HIGH QUALITY SINGLE THEATER IN ITS DAY.I ALWAYS ENJOYED GOING THERE,THE MULTIPLEX THEATERS OF TODAY CAN NOT COMPARE TO THE SINGLE LARGE SCREEN THAT WERE.WIDE SCREEN AT ITS BEST TOBE VIEWED BEN-HUR OR ANY STAR WARS,MULTIPLEX SCREENS DO THEM NO JUSTICE.I LOVED SEEING “WHERE EAGLES DARE"THERE.THE FIRST MOVIE I SAW THERE WAS DIVORCE AMERICAN STYLE,I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST MOVIE TO PLAY THERE IN 1967.
The South Bay Facebook page shows the way the theater will look whenever they finish the reno. The reality is that as of two weeks ago it looked like an abandoned building that should be demolished.
The theater is now owned by Jay Levinson and his mini JJ chain which own the Bellmore Playhouse, Merrick Cinemas, Elwood and Sayville. Not sure if he owns the Teaneck or Kinnelon in NJ. He use to own the Glen Cove but that’s going to AMC. This theater has been around forever, even before I was born. I never been to this theater but I been to JJ’s other theaters in Bellmore and Merrick and are worth going to. I wanna see how it looks once JJ finishes renovation. You can take a look at the South Bay Facebook page on the progress of the reno.
Still no signs of activity, only decay.
Passed by today. Exterior looks even worse. No apparent activity inside. Think we can say bye bye.
Passed by today. Building looks derelict with cracked facade, broken marquee. No signs of anything having been done. Pylon says renovating with a 2017 opening, see uploaded photo. Gonna need a lot of renovating in my opinion.
Orlando, you’re one of the few voices here that I trust, so this does seem like very promising news.
David, you are correct and as of today there is no movie listing on movies.com, a sure fact they have started the renovation, I saw the plans from the operaters and West Babylon is in for a newly reconfigurated multiplex like no other. The interior will be gutted and everything will be brand new. Even the South Bay neon sign will be remounted and be fully illuminated. And I know that the theatre will remain with the policy that has suited it for the past twenty years. Jump with JOY West Babylon and neighboring towns and villages!!!! and that’s the truth!
Wow, the first place I ever saw a movie still exists!
When I was a little kid my mother brought me to the South Bay in maybe 1974 to see the cartoon feature “The Aristocats”. Though I had been attracted to the ads on tv or in the paper because I love cats, I was overwhelmed by how “big” the screen was (having never been to a cinema before) and we left early. In 1976 I urged my father to take me here to see “In Search of Noah’s Ark”, the second time I had ever gone to the movies. (To this day I still love documentaries.)
Later on in the 1980’s, I saw the “Back to the Future” films, “Dead Poet’s Society”, and others.
In the corner of the shopping center across the parking lot from the theater there was some nightclub in the 80’s called Les Jardins. While in high school I heard some other kids talking about it as if going there would be naughty or daring and some claimed to have gone themselves but I never went. (The club may have been open to people under 21 on some nights.)
In the 70’s I sort of remember smoking being allowed in this theater and seeing lit cigarettes in the darkness, then not in the 80’s. (Am I correct, does anyone remember?)
Well its the cheapest in the general area anyway. Its a no frills place to see a movie, sure they could put some leather reclining seats in but here you can see 2 movies on a Sunday afternoon for $10 a person, so Ill drive past Farmingdale and go to South Bay. Its a bit derelict but that’s been the situation for long enough for anybody to know what to expect.
Don’t forget $5 Tuesdays at Hampton Arts.
They’re not renovating, honestly they shouldn’t. The place is ancient and looks the part, and yes Im sure people drive by this place every day thinking its abandoned or not even noticing it, but seriously, $5 matinee and $8 prime time movies? Every chain theater on LI is renovating and robbing you for $14.50 to see a movie. Sure they could update, It would probably be cheaper to just build a new movie theater, and LI would lose its last discount movie house. I hope this place never goes away.
Status is renovating? Place is still open and looks more like an abandoned property all the time. If they are going to build a new theater there is no announcement at the site. Could easily build it adjacent to the current building because of the size of the parking lot.
There a good sized parking lot . PathMark supermarket is a co tennet.
Seems odd that it’s thriving when the Babylon in town couldn’t make it. The parking?
I hope so . The theater seen its better days.
As I heard the story the theatre will be razed and a new, larger one built. Should be happening around now.
This theatre is going to close soon and the “lessees'” & not the owner are at fault.
Does anyone know who owns this theatre or how to get in touch with them?
Disgusting, last time I went here there was a cockroach greeting us as we walked in the door… The movie screen didn’t work and there was another cockroach on the curtain… Nobody was in the movie theater so I left and got my money back… Very bad experience!!!
This building looks like it needs work from the outside.
I think its like 3 owners. They just dont like renovating it
i mean small…
is this part of a smale chain? or is this one owner one theatre?