Island Theatre

2875 Richmond Avenue,
Staten Island, NY 10314

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ridethectrain
ridethectrain on November 8, 2021 at 6:41 pm

Please update, theatre closed August 13, 1987 with Adventures in Babysitting and Full Metal Jacket. Theatre closed soon after UA open the The Movies At Staten Island

rivest266
rivest266 on November 6, 2021 at 12:50 pm

Two screens on June 25th, 1975. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on November 6, 2021 at 11:21 am

The Island theatre was opened by Fabian Theatres on June 29th, 1966. Grand opening ad reposted.

ridethectrain
ridethectrain on July 20, 2021 at 8:58 am

Please update, theatre closed sometime in late 1987

AdamBomb1701
AdamBomb1701 on September 30, 2013 at 1:14 pm

To Jimmyhank – Yes, I’m sure you did see “Mary Poppins”, “Snow White” and other Disney flicks during the summers in the mid-‘70’s at the Island. I noted in my post above that the Island ran the Disney festival. I think that 1975 was the first year, and that continued for three or four straight summers.

jimmyhank
jimmyhank on August 27, 2013 at 9:40 pm

also I believe I saw Snow White and the seven dwarfs at this theater in the mid 70’s.

jimmyhank
jimmyhank on August 27, 2013 at 8:05 pm

Does anyone recall if this is the twin theater in staten island that showed Mary Poppins back in the Mid 1970’s??? I also remember the chaos of when Jaws was at this theater and yes it was a nightmare but what an exciting movie to see when you are a kid.

AdamBomb1701
AdamBomb1701 on August 30, 2012 at 8:48 am

The K-Mart closed in January 2012. It’s now torn down; it’s supposed to be replaced by a Target. The tire center is supposed to be replaced by a restaurant. In fact, the whole shopping center is supposed to be re-done and improved. Unfortunately, no new movie theater is coming in. I saw “Rocky Horror” at the Island back in ‘78 or ‘79. Once. I wasn’t too enamored by the film, possibly because I had to stand throughout. That made the experience a bit uncomfortable for me. I also saw “The Other Side of Midnight” at the Island in the summer of 1977. For a buck. (Remember the Wednesday matinees at the Staten Island theaters that cost a dollar?) I probably caught one of the worst colds I ever got from that screening.

AdamBomb1701
AdamBomb1701 on November 2, 2011 at 10:05 am

That picture brings back memories. I saw “E.T.” on a preview at the Island a few days before the flick opened; the main feature was “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.” That was possibly my last trip to the Island. When I was working on Staten Island and wanted to see a movie when I was done, I’d truck off to the Amboy Cinemas in Jersey, as they had matinees year round. Something that didn’t start on Staten Island until the UA theater opened in ‘87. That whole shopping center is changing. The K-Mart Auto Center near the theater is long closed, and now, the K-Mart store, that has been there since the early 1970s, is closing. The early buzz was that the K-Mart would be torn down and a Target would be built. The K-Mart will probably be gone by this Thanksgiving; the “Store Closing” sign is up. I haven’t heard any recent news about what’s coming in, though.

AdamBomb1701
AdamBomb1701 on November 15, 2007 at 11:02 am

I remember when the theater ran “Jaws”; the way the theater handled the crowds was very poor. The theater was just reopened after twinning, but “Jaws” ran in only one part; the other half was dark. I waited over two hours to get in, and barely got a seat. It turned out that the film was oversold; blocks of tickets were counted as one seat, and some people had to stand. The second half of the theater was reserved for some festival of Disney flicks they ran a few summers in the mid-1970’s. I had no kids back then, and I considered that a waste of space.

Bill Hebner
Bill Hebner on August 24, 2007 at 10:28 pm

When did you go to Rocky Horror? I was there 84 through 86-87.

AnthonyS1957
AnthonyS1957 on May 8, 2006 at 9:03 am

This was my favorite theater on Staten Island. I remember seeing “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” there.

Garth
Garth on October 7, 2005 at 11:41 am

i recall seeing “jaws” and “the stone killer” here , it was a decent theatre. as for the travis multiplex , it appears about to close soon. however i don’t think it ever was decreased by half , it has had 14 screens for a number of years now.

bogusbaxter
bogusbaxter on August 27, 2005 at 5:16 am

Robert, how you have discovered that photo is truly amazing.
Yes indeed, the surely is the Island Theater, once located on Richmond Ave. The theater closed in 1987 upon the opening of SI first 10-13 plex theater in Travis. Later the multiplex in Travis decreased their size to half of what they originally opened with.

RobertR
RobertR on July 19, 2005 at 8:41 am

Could this be this Island?
View link

Zed
Zed on June 21, 2005 at 7:18 am

One of the two reopening movies at this theatre after the twinning was “Jaws”. After demolition, it was replaced with an extension of the adjacent KMart Shopping Plaza

Tommy
Tommy on July 5, 2004 at 12:13 pm

There was another Island Theater.
On Hollis Avenue in Queens between 204th Street and 203rd Street.
Now a church of some kind.