South Bay Cinemas

495 Montauk Highway,
West Babylon, NY 11704

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Showing 126 - 150 of 167 comments

paul baar
paul baar on June 7, 2017 at 11:39 am

We went to see “If it’s Tuesday it must be Belgum"at the Shouth Bay theater. My mother raved about it so much the manager gave us all free passes to see it again.It was a good movie ,part comedy,part romance,and part travel log. Alot of cameos and a great cast. Charlton Heston complained that they should have promoted his movie"Number One"at United Artist as much as "If it’s Tuesday it must be Belgum. Apparently his movie wasn’t "Number One” at the box office.

robboehm
robboehm on May 28, 2017 at 10:26 am

The decay continues. No signs of any activity.

paul baar
paul baar on May 10, 2017 at 11:40 am

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.

robboehm
robboehm on April 24, 2017 at 6:45 am

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.

baysider73
baysider73 on April 23, 2017 at 7:01 pm

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.

robboehm
robboehm on April 7, 2017 at 1:11 pm

Still no signs of activity, only decay.

robboehm
robboehm on March 12, 2017 at 11:25 am

Passed by today. Exterior looks even worse. No apparent activity inside. Think we can say bye bye.

robboehm
robboehm on December 11, 2016 at 1:17 pm

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.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on December 5, 2016 at 6:47 pm

Orlando, you’re one of the few voices here that I trust, so this does seem like very promising news.

Orlando
Orlando on November 4, 2016 at 10:33 am

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!

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on January 17, 2016 at 2:05 pm

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?)

MFmoviedude
MFmoviedude on October 26, 2015 at 10:28 pm

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.

robboehm
robboehm on October 25, 2015 at 11:52 am

Don’t forget $5 Tuesdays at Hampton Arts.

MFmoviedude
MFmoviedude on October 25, 2015 at 9:07 am

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.

robboehm
robboehm on August 16, 2015 at 10:49 am

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.

fred1
fred1 on March 16, 2015 at 3:10 am

There a good sized parking lot . PathMark supermarket is a co tennet.

robboehm
robboehm on March 15, 2015 at 5:34 pm

Seems odd that it’s thriving when the Babylon in town couldn’t make it. The parking?

fred1
fred1 on March 15, 2015 at 4:23 pm

I hope so . The theater seen its better days.

robboehm
robboehm on March 15, 2015 at 12:54 pm

As I heard the story the theatre will be razed and a new, larger one built. Should be happening around now.

Orlando
Orlando on February 4, 2014 at 11:58 am

This theatre is going to close soon and the “lessees'” & not the owner are at fault.

FormerFlixGuy
FormerFlixGuy on May 20, 2013 at 1:35 pm

Does anyone know who owns this theatre or how to get in touch with them?

jessiegirl567
jessiegirl567 on February 21, 2012 at 6:43 am

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!!!

Bway
Bway on April 30, 2009 at 10:45 am

This building looks like it needs work from the outside.

theatrelove143
theatrelove143 on February 15, 2009 at 5:23 pm

I think its like 3 owners. They just dont like renovating it