Forestville Theaters
815 Pine Street,
Bristol,
CT
06010
815 Pine Street,
Bristol,
CT
06010
5 people
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First operated by USA Cinemas, then Loews, then Sony, and finally Loews Cineplex until closing in June 2000. At the time, it was known as Loews Bristol 8.
Independent operators reopened the theater as “Movieland” in January 2002. Unfortunately despite having eight screens, only six 35mm projectors were functioning. Two of the 35mm projectors broke down as reported by management. The management ended up using one of the two screens with a pair of 16mm projectors to show classic movies, while the other screen remained unused.
The theater closed again on May 26, 2002 but only for two months. It reopened again under the name Forestville Theaters on July 12, 2002, and remained like that until its final closure on October 2, 2005.
This opened on June 12th, 1987 by USA Cinemas. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
I loved this place! The owner ran it by himself sometimes during the slow weekdays because he COULD do EVERYTHING. He counted the people in the theaters and checked it against the sales so if people were sneaking in he would have adapted to it. He knew what he was doing !
I have pics from 01 — I should post them.
I re-opened this theater in 2002, after it had been closed for two years. Many of the lights were out, there was garbage and dust everywhere … speakers had been stolen from behind one screen (the robbers cut the screen), and one of the projectors in another auditorium required expensive repairs. It took me several months, and a lot of elbow grease and LONG hours to get this monstrosity up and running. I opened on four screens, and later expanded to six. I was very proud of what I accomplished (see the pics)! The theatre neither made, nor lost money for me —– my rent was $8,000.00 per month (the owner wanted $16,500!!!), and I had about ten employees. I couldn’t see any reason to continue to work for free (the landlord wouldn’t reduce the rent) so after three months I walked away (Note: I had previously attempted to re-open the Kensington Cinemas, but couldn’t get a necessary permit). Had I opened the Kensington, I doubt this theater would have EVER been re-opened. Sadly, the operator who succeeded me put NO money into the place … his only knowledge of theater operation was what he gleaned from hanging around me … had 0 employees … overslept the door opening time on occasion .. yelled at customers … had underage boys working for him for free … etc., etc. I later went on to operate the State Theatre Twin in Jewett City. A patron base never developed there, and we were forced to close, leaving some employees, and bills unpaid (regrettably). The gentleman who took it over tried art films, but failed also. Since been gutted. The day of the discount cinema is LONG GONE!
to think we got away with that. I wouldn’t do that at any other theatre or anything, but with the way this place was run we thought whatever.
i’m not even kidding about that last comment. We walked out and the manager wasnt even at his front desk.
The last time i came here it was kind of s#$$ty. Only had one person here and it was the manager. Movie was Team America, my 3rd time seeing the flick, me and my friend were the only people in there, no one checked. We smoked w33d in there just cause whatever it was like no one was there anyway. We thought why not you know? No one came in to check on us. The auditorium smelled like grass and no one checked. Pretty well run place won’t you ask me/
It was closed because the landlord would not extend the lease. He does not want a theatre in there. He wants to turn it into retail.
This was originally built by Sack Cinemas and opened under the USA Cinemas label. The cinema did not close immediately when Loews opened the Plainville 20, but was operated by Loews as a second run house for a few months before closing. Dave Lounder, who later operated the State Theatre in Jewett City, reopened it as Movieland in January of 2002, but was forced to close it in May of that year. it reopened as Forestville Theatres with Gary Gibson as its operator in July of 2002 and last until october of 2005 when it was forced to close because the landlord wants to use the building as something other than a cinema. Under the Forestville Theatres label it became quite dilapidated and was poorly run. The owner was frequently the only staff member in the building and when he was upstairs turning on the projectors it made it easy to walk in downstairs without buying a ticket for the movie.
The correct name for the film series there was Hollywood at the Bijou. the theatre did operate as a six screen house as Movieland and Forestville. The Bijou series used a seventh screen for its 16mm series while the final screen was vandalized during the period after Loews closed the theatre and was unusable.
You can find photos of it when it was operating as Movieland at http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=439
Formerly a Loews Theater, then Sony – which closed when Loews Plainville 20 opened. The complex had two owners opperating under Movieland and Forestville Theatres, it closed earlier this year for good as a discount house. Frequently they’d show anything they could, Think Film and Lion’s Gate actually gave first run status to a few films there, Alone in the Dark played there opening weekend (at the discount rate), as did Punisher and Diary of a Mad Black Women. Think Film released the Assisination of Richard Nixon here the same weekend as it opened at Hartford’s commerical art house Cinema City.
The theater also housed the Hollywood at the Bayou program, a 16MM showcase of old Hollywood films. In its last reincarnation the theater had scrapped two 35MM projectors, opperating on 6 35MM cinemas and the Hollywood at the Bayou screen.