Cross River Cinema

dallasmovietheaters on September 29, 2026 at 6:45 pm

The Cross River Shopping Center was announced in 1969 to be constructed at 20 North Salem Road, Cross River, NY 10518. In the third iteration of the still unapproved plaza in 1971, it was announced that a 350-seat, 4,200 square foot single-screen, fully automated Jerry Lewis Cinema would join D'Agostino’s Grocery and Chase Bank as the first tenants.

By the time the Cross River Shopping Center was ready, Jerry Lewis Cinema and Network Cinema Corporation had already megaflopped and was in bankruptcy. D'Ags opened first with its supermarket followed by the non-Jerry Lewis now United General Cross RIver Cinema launching April 11, 1973 with “A Separate Peace” and “The Son of Lassies.” The first 1,000 adults got what you’d expect at the opening - a free disposable cigarette lighter. United General was sued and it, too, went out of business and the theater closed. A second operator went into independent operation as the Cross River Cinema before closing on November 30, 1976.

On October 7, 1977, the venue got decidedly trippy new operators Mel and Jeri Barboff complete with a pop art logo and some matching midnight repertory films including Magical Mystery Tour, Pink Floyd Concert Movie, Heavy Traffic, Yellow Submarine, The Harder They Come, and others under the name of the Cross River Repertory Cinema. The cinema had operated for around four years prior to them and, according the new operators, already had broken projection gear and 50 broken seats out of 350. Makes one question the United General workmanship.

The Barboffs also mixed in cult classics from the 1930s. Improvisational dance troupes were featured sporadically in the lobby as part of the pre-show. Leopard skin Victorian sofa and a hand painted sky ceiling were in the lobby as well regularly-schedule yoga classes. The concession stand featured herbal teas along with dried fruits and frozen yogurt before that had really taken off. But the Barboffs closed after just nine months on July 9, 1978.

On August 4, 1978, the venue was taken on by Florin-Creative and they converted it back to mainstream, contemporary fare. They folded at the end of lease on September 30, 1981 (though advertising some unplayed dates in the first days of October).

Florin-Creative likely got very favorable leasing terms reopening as a second-run, discount house on June 17, 1982. And they closed it again on Feb. 2, 1984 with “The Man Who Loved Women.” The showing of “All the Right Moves” was cancelled. The space was converted for other retail purposes as diminutive, single-screen theaters were well out of favor in the multiplex era of cinema exhibition.

Jeffrey1955 on April 7, 2009 at 10:03 pm

I could swear that I posted information about this theater a couple of years ago, and my posts have disappeared…