Cross Island Cinemas

movieman69 on June 24, 2024 at 5:43 pm

I saw The Shining, 9 To 5, Fatso, Apocalypse Now, Friday the 13th part 2, How To Beat The High Cost Of Living. It had a very small lobby and concession area. The auditoriums were a bit small as were the screens. This theater had odd start times like 8:06pm.

Ed Solero on September 20, 2007 at 6:14 pm

Just because I’m a pathological completist, I found myself compelled to bring my camera along to snap some shots of the former Cross Island Cinemas when I knew I’d be in the vicinity a couple of weeks ago. As has already been discussed, nothing much of interest here – just a corner space in a shopping center that has since been gutted and re-fitted for drug store use:

This photo is of the Eckerd Pharmacy that now occupies the space. I believe the main portion of the drug store occupies the space to the left of where the theater entrance and lobby were. This view shows the right-most end of the Eckerd which angles in a bit and where I believe the original entrance was located. You can see the side-wall of the theater going back along that alley on the right. A set of stairs leads down that alley to street level behind and below the theater where exit doors were located for each of the twin auditoriums. This is an image of the back of the theater at the bottom of that alley with the exit doors visible. Here is an alternate view of the back wall.

Seems to me that the fire exits at the rear of the each auditorium must have lead to a set of stairs, depositing patrons at the bottom of the hill on 14th Road behind the shopping center. I assume all of this only because I never attended a movie here, so I really don’t know for sure.

Ed Solero on August 21, 2007 at 9:41 am

Hey Jason… I don’t think photographs would show you anything of distinction or interest. This was basically a non-descript twin tucked into the corner of an L-shaped strip of attached stores with an interior architectural style that would best be described as “concrete bunker.” The shopping center is still in existence and the exterior probably looks more or less the same as it did when the theater occupied the space. Next time I’m in the area I’ll try to remember to snap a couple of photos and post them here.

Feuillade on April 17, 2007 at 3:45 pm

This theater opened around Christmas, 1979. One of the two opening films was a revival of “Fiddler on the Roof.”

I lived within walking distance of the theater and I remember being pissed that a local theater was being built just as I was about to go away to college (in January of 1980).

I saw quite a few films there during its brief existence. The one I remember the most was Walter Hill’s “The Long Riders.”

Ed Solero on December 2, 2005 at 5:45 am

I think the address should be corrected to “Cross Island Parkway.” Unless “Expressway” is used on the service road signage?