I heard there is talk that an arts theatre would open up here hopefully drawing more to Main St. Note: This theatre is in an excellent location. It is next to the Jillson Square Green, visible from the Frog bridge, on Route 66, plenty of parking, and entrance from Main Street and a one way street.
The lobby and much of the center of the theatre will be home to a new seafood restaurant. An antique store and an arts store are in the front while a nail salon, and offices are near the back. The rotunda near the lobby will remain and it appears offices will be located on the upper level accessible via stairs near the Main St door and via elevator near the parking lot door.
The popcorn here tasted stale, salty and smelled burnt. Also, the concession stand employee told me the Pepsi machine had no more syrup and it would take them 10 minutes to replace the syrup. I e-mailed National Amusements about my concerns.
Also, the auditoriums are so far apart from each other and theatre 15 is the farthest from the lobby which is why I didnt speak with management while I was there.
Last time I was at the theatre they shut it down early because of police suggestions, citing security concerns from a riot because of the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Theater is now closed as of Friday, Jan 27, 2006 according to Yahoo Movie website and the letterboard in front of the theater. Will someone else buy this theater and try to open it up again? A recommendation to all future owners: Install stadium seating, redo the overall feel of the theatre, and bring some color to the outside of the theatre.
I went to Mansfield Drive-In this past summer. Being a virgin to theatre drive-ins it was an interesting experience. I love the fact that they have double features. One tip is to get there early to get a good front row spot. The concession stand offers hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, ice cream, popcorn, soda, headache pills, and mosquito spray. The restrooms though clean look like they came out of the 1960’s. They have a playground for the kids open until dark and the FM reception is really good. Bring a blanket because even in the summer at night it gets cool outside. Intermission time is a good time to get refreshments between the movies and watch the dancing popcorn. I look forward to going back in the summer.
Forgot to add the fact that they have few previews before the movie begins and sometimes start the movie early. In fact, sometimes movies are shown in auditoriums that are empty! Must be a contractual thing with the movie company. Ray Welch had a Horror Thon here when he owned it with four movies back to back. About 30 students showed up. They should have student discounts like Welch had and have more things to encourage college students to come out like Rocky Horror Picture Shows, independent and foreign films, art movies, and double features.
The theatre should do well in the East Brook Mall for several reasons:
1. It is the closest first-run movie theatre to both University of CT in Storrs 10 miles away and Eastern CT State University 2 miles away.
2. It is located in the area’s only indoor shopping mall and the mall draws traffic from its anchor stores JC Penney, TJ Maxx, and the newest Kohl’s. Although the mall is one of the smallest I have been there are few closed retail spaces.
3. It further solidifies East Brook Mall as a place where one can have a night out – shopping, restaurants, and a movie.
How much are tickets at the theatre and how much are the items at the concession stand? Is there typically just two showings (one per movie) each weekend night?
The theatre has been for sale some time. I dont believe its used for flea markets anymore. Extensive damage to the playgrounds make them unusable and the ticket booth building also has damage. I believe this is stuck in Probate Court.
Lately there have been a lot of second-run movies at the theatre showing on weekends only. I believe its business got hurt after the large Marquee Cinemas 12 opened in Lisbon Landing Shopping Center in Lisbon, CT only a few miles away. What renovations were made to the theatre in the past few years? Advertising recent renovations might help out the business. Bringing independent or art films is an excellent way to compete against the megaplexes.
This is no longer a first-run theatre. Cinema North owns the Mansfield Movieplex 2 miles away. After movies are done there, they go here. Why? Here the prices are cheaper because there is no stadium seating, cupholder armrests, or reclining seats. Matinees are only on the weekends but I have never seen a lot of cars at this theatre. Plus the theatre’s heating system doesn’t work right, be sure to have a coat on in the winter!
I heard there is talk that an arts theatre would open up here hopefully drawing more to Main St. Note: This theatre is in an excellent location. It is next to the Jillson Square Green, visible from the Frog bridge, on Route 66, plenty of parking, and entrance from Main Street and a one way street.
The lobby and much of the center of the theatre will be home to a new seafood restaurant. An antique store and an arts store are in the front while a nail salon, and offices are near the back. The rotunda near the lobby will remain and it appears offices will be located on the upper level accessible via stairs near the Main St door and via elevator near the parking lot door.
What is at the site now?
The popcorn here tasted stale, salty and smelled burnt. Also, the concession stand employee told me the Pepsi machine had no more syrup and it would take them 10 minutes to replace the syrup. I e-mailed National Amusements about my concerns.
Also, the auditoriums are so far apart from each other and theatre 15 is the farthest from the lobby which is why I didnt speak with management while I was there.
Last time I was at the theatre they shut it down early because of police suggestions, citing security concerns from a riot because of the movie Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
ATTN: CHANGE STATUS TO CLOSED
Theater is now closed as of Friday, Jan 27, 2006 according to Yahoo Movie website and the letterboard in front of the theater. Will someone else buy this theater and try to open it up again? A recommendation to all future owners: Install stadium seating, redo the overall feel of the theatre, and bring some color to the outside of the theatre.
I went to Mansfield Drive-In this past summer. Being a virgin to theatre drive-ins it was an interesting experience. I love the fact that they have double features. One tip is to get there early to get a good front row spot. The concession stand offers hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, ice cream, popcorn, soda, headache pills, and mosquito spray. The restrooms though clean look like they came out of the 1960’s. They have a playground for the kids open until dark and the FM reception is really good. Bring a blanket because even in the summer at night it gets cool outside. Intermission time is a good time to get refreshments between the movies and watch the dancing popcorn. I look forward to going back in the summer.
Forgot to add the fact that they have few previews before the movie begins and sometimes start the movie early. In fact, sometimes movies are shown in auditoriums that are empty! Must be a contractual thing with the movie company. Ray Welch had a Horror Thon here when he owned it with four movies back to back. About 30 students showed up. They should have student discounts like Welch had and have more things to encourage college students to come out like Rocky Horror Picture Shows, independent and foreign films, art movies, and double features.
The theatre should do well in the East Brook Mall for several reasons:
1. It is the closest first-run movie theatre to both University of CT in Storrs 10 miles away and Eastern CT State University 2 miles away.
2. It is located in the area’s only indoor shopping mall and the mall draws traffic from its anchor stores JC Penney, TJ Maxx, and the newest Kohl’s. Although the mall is one of the smallest I have been there are few closed retail spaces.
3. It further solidifies East Brook Mall as a place where one can have a night out – shopping, restaurants, and a movie.
How much are tickets at the theatre and how much are the items at the concession stand? Is there typically just two showings (one per movie) each weekend night?
Located near Super Stop & Shop Plaza, homeless people were quoted in the paper as living on the site of the former theatre.
The theatre has been for sale some time. I dont believe its used for flea markets anymore. Extensive damage to the playgrounds make them unusable and the ticket booth building also has damage. I believe this is stuck in Probate Court.
Lately there have been a lot of second-run movies at the theatre showing on weekends only. I believe its business got hurt after the large Marquee Cinemas 12 opened in Lisbon Landing Shopping Center in Lisbon, CT only a few miles away. What renovations were made to the theatre in the past few years? Advertising recent renovations might help out the business. Bringing independent or art films is an excellent way to compete against the megaplexes.
This is no longer a first-run theatre. Cinema North owns the Mansfield Movieplex 2 miles away. After movies are done there, they go here. Why? Here the prices are cheaper because there is no stadium seating, cupholder armrests, or reclining seats. Matinees are only on the weekends but I have never seen a lot of cars at this theatre. Plus the theatre’s heating system doesn’t work right, be sure to have a coat on in the winter!