Union Theaters

990 Stuyvesant Avenue,
Union, NJ 07083

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Showing 1 - 25 of 33 comments

EsseXploreR
EsseXploreR on July 20, 2023 at 8:16 am

https://tfpnj.blogspot.com/2023/07/union-theater.html

Link to my blog which features photos from inside the building prior to demolition. I visited the building several times, hoping one day I would walk inside and all the interior partition walls would be gone. That never happened unfortunately.

markp
markp on April 21, 2023 at 12:57 pm

Demolished as of 4/19/2023.

misterrick
misterrick on March 11, 2022 at 4:29 am

The Township of Union, NEVER purchased or took ownership of the Union Theaters at least not according to the property records (See link below). Currently it is owned by a company called Stuyvesant Building LLC. out of Kings Point, New York (That’s Nassau County on Long Island) which purchased the property in 2015, previous to that it was owned by Mousa Kafash in 2014 and prior to 2014 it was owned by Spiros Papas of Westwood, NJ.

https://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/m4.cgi?district=2019&l02=20190290300016_____M

and by the way the Tap Into Union article was wrong. I don’t know where they got their information but Monmouth County maintains an extensive records of every property tax record in almost every county (Ocean County being the only exception) so I would go by that and not some online website which has no formal standing as a member of the press community, its just a bunch of residents writing articles for their local towns.

br91975
br91975 on November 25, 2021 at 9:22 am

After purchase by the city, the Union is awaiting demolition: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/union/sections/business-and-finance/articles/union-theater-to-be-demolished-what-s-next?fbclid=IwAR1VqlUspwbCWyviaunn5PGnTmmG_A72Bws5gNAifRNWy7IsamLeCytS31E

Guodone
Guodone on September 25, 2020 at 10:16 am

I saw a sneak preview (remember those?) of Raiders of the Lost Ark here. The theater was only about 25% full, this may be due to the fact that Nightwing was the featured movie and maybe no one had heard of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Needless to say, once Raiders opened, sell out crowds followed for a several weeks.

Frankiecinemafan
Frankiecinemafan on March 15, 2020 at 12:34 pm

The union theater closed on march 3, 2020. Fire, Health and Building Department violations and summonses, including non-working fire alarms, a failure to maintain in good working order all means of egress devices and safeguards, exposed pipes and a hole in the ceiling and not supplying adequate heat in the building.

markp
markp on March 22, 2019 at 12:17 pm

Not gonna last long at those prices. They will be getting movies after pay per view.

baysider73
baysider73 on March 21, 2019 at 4:24 pm

This is now a second run discount theater still operated by Empire Cineplex. The only one in the NY Tri State Area since the South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY also operated by Empire Cineplex has closed in Feb. Tickets are now $3.50. You can’t get this price anywhere in this area.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 13, 2018 at 6:40 pm

This became a twin cinema on March 17th, 1978. Ad in the photo section.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 9, 2018 at 3:07 am

Remodeled Late 1968. Ad in the photo section.

FrankieattheMovies
FrankieattheMovies on August 28, 2017 at 1:25 pm

I always like going here i seen tons of movies here like The Dark Knight, Scream 3, Marvel’s The Avengers and The Matrix just to name a few.

crazyformovies
crazyformovies on January 12, 2017 at 4:00 pm

I like this theater been going has a kid and still now. They got $5.00 all day tuesday.

shany94
shany94 on March 27, 2015 at 9:47 pm

Just passed by tonight, theater has reopened

John Fink
John Fink on March 20, 2015 at 7:32 pm

Looks like Empire Cinemas is taking it over: http://union.empirecineplex.com

shany94
shany94 on March 20, 2015 at 4:27 pm

Someone has been doing work on this theater in recent months. New tiling has been put down both inside and outside the lobby, and current movie posters have been installed inside the glass cases mounted on the main wall just past the entrance. The marquee also no longer says “For Sale”.

rrettino
rrettino on September 9, 2014 at 11:05 am

The theatre is now closed with a “for sale” sign on the marquee. It has been closed for several months now.

markp
markp on February 10, 2014 at 7:53 pm

Last time I worked here was in Dec 1997, just a day before Titanic came out. It was a twin then and the new owner was taking over the next day and went non-union. Shortly after he made it 7 screens. I know even when I worked there water would pour into the building after heavy snow. I wonder if this could be the reason for the unsafe condition mentioned by shany94.

shany94
shany94 on February 10, 2014 at 2:36 am

As of Feb. 2014 this theater is closed and for sale – a red sign on the front doors states that the building is unsafe for human occupancy … End of an era.

joker
joker on June 8, 2010 at 2:54 pm

a ok theater seen alot of movies there.

John Fink
John Fink on April 2, 2009 at 10:35 pm

I was sort of impressed by the size of the screen here – while it wasn’t like a multiplex, it was a good size give the theater I was in the other night to see Fados. Clean and well maintained with a neighborhood feel – it reminded me a bit of the theater the same owners run up in Westwood.

When you walk in there’s one screen to the right, then beyond it a long hallway leading to three screens to the right, and two to the left (2 being the largest I assume), and back in the lobby there is one screen straight ahead. A decent size lobby – no Cineplex Oden-style touches however. The bathroom seemed a bit dated as well (they also had a separate handicap room across the hall from the party room, which is behind the outside box office, to the left when you enter the building). I’d come back if they showed more art house films.

shany94
shany94 on July 21, 2008 at 12:20 am

I miss the big theaters myself sometimes. They would have been terrific on opening weekend for a film like “The Dark Knight”, but I also remember how utterly empty they could be during weekday matinees.

DavidMorgan
DavidMorgan on July 16, 2006 at 7:20 am

I recall an early ‘70s re-release of “Ten Commandments” there, as well as “Escape from the Planet of the Apes.” I think I also saw the “special edition” reissue of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” there in 1980.

pbubny
pbubny on April 25, 2006 at 9:51 am

Would like to have seen the Union prior to its subdivision, but I have to agree with RichardR about the “lousy twin job.” More recently, I went there in its 7-plex configuration, and it wasn’t bad. Wondering along with Jerseygirl4159 about where they could have crammed in seven screens. The Union as originally built couldn’t have been too much different in size from the old Maplewood and Clairidge theatres, and those are both 6-plexes with broom closets for auditoriums. Could the new owners have annexed space from adjoining properties?

teecee
teecee on March 2, 2006 at 5:04 am

Listed as part of RKO-Stanley Warner Theatres, Inc. in the 1976 International Motion Picture Almanac.

rrettino
rrettino on February 23, 2006 at 7:45 pm

I grew up in Union and every movie that shaped my moviegoing experience was seen at this theatre. The Dirty Dozen, In Cold Blood, Bonnie and Clyde,To Sir With Love, Cool Hand Luke and every Disney picture ever made I saw there.It was actually a pretty depressing place until RKO did a major facelift in 1968. They added 70mm and made it a major showcase theatre. They reopened with I Love You Alice B Toklas in December 1968. The 70mm was rarely used except for engagements of Sweet Charity and Tora, Tora, Tora, possibly one or two others. It was truly a great place to see movies. Saw the Wild Bunch there in 1969 and was blown away forever. In 1977 in the middle of it’s run of Close Encounters they did a
lousy twin job and the magic was gone.