Killingly Center Cinemas Reopens in Killingly, Connecticut

A small movie theater tucked away in the back of a shopping center near Interstate 395 has come to life once again. The Killingly Center Cinema, once owned for years by Hoyts Cinemas, is located off Route 101 near its intersection with Route 12 and is near Interstate 395 exit 93. Its address is 738 Hartford Turnpike in the Dayville section of Killingly, a town in northeastern Connecticut.

The shopping center it is located in is slowly dying and was previously home to an Ames Department Store, which according to Ames Fan Club, has been vacant since 2002, and a Beit Brothers Supermarket which according to the Norwich Bulletin, is expected to close at the end of July 2008 citing tough economic times.

According to Cinema Tour, the theater was once owned by Ray Welch when he owned a small chain of cinemas in eastern Connecticut which also included Norwich, Jewett City, and Willimantic.

It originally opened as a three-screen theater until Welch divided one auditorium into two making it four screens and renamed it the Dayville Digital Movieplex. The auditorium on the left was divided making for an odd entrance to both auditoriums since moviegoers for both movies must enter the same door to the theater auditorium entranceway and those going to the auditorium to the left must make a sharp left turn.

At that time, the theater's auditoriums were upgraded to include cupholders between seats and new seats replaced older worn out seats.

Customers to the theater were few and far between as many went to larger cinemas and I recall watching The Exocrism of Emily Rose here and me and my ex were the only ones in the theater and it was the 9:40 p.m. showing on a Friday night.

After Welch went bankrupt, the cinema was bought and named Wishing Star Cinema 4 until the owners also ran out of money.

A marquee letter board on the rear of the building and one on Route 101 announces the movies showing at this theater which has seen its better days.

It announces that the reopened theater will have daily matinee showings along with evening show times.

The theater has a website where information about current movies, show times, and promotional offers is available.

According to the website, tickets for daily matinees before 6 p.m. are $5 for adults while after 6 p.m. adult tickets are $7.

Senior citizens 62 years old and older and children 12 years old and younger are charged $5 for both matinees and evening movies.

The cinema also has early bird shows at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays which cost only $1.99.

Movies with early bird times typically have been out for weeks and are not new.

It appears that currently most movies have four showings a day, many which start between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. with the last showing of the night starting between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Each week, the theater has five different movies with staggered times allowing two movies to share the same auditorium.

The theater showcases newer movies and since there are less screens here than major theaters, it is expected that movies will not stay at the theater as long to make way for newer movies.

Unlike newer theaters, this theater still has non-stadium style seating and its carpeting and walls have shown their age.

The ticket purchasing window faces the parking lot and customers purchase tickets standing outside the building and then enter the building and walk to the other end of the counter to purchase refreshments. Under previous owners, one person sold tickets and concessions while another assisted with concessions, started the movies, and cleaned the auditoriums.

With few tenants on the back end of the center, there is plenty of parking for customers.

The owners on the website admit this on their blog stating, "Our goal at the Killingly Center Cinemas is (to) try to save our patrons time and money. We know that everybody likes the stadium seating, the fancy sound...but, do you like spending your whole paycheck for your whole family on those amenities. If you don't, think of us. The Killingly Center Cinemas does not have all that fancy stuff. But, we do offer discounted, inexpensive prices, and the most outstanding customer service (with a smile)."

The new owners hope the nearby Killingly Commons Shopping Center will bring new business their way.

The new shopping center, only a ½ mile east on Route 101, currently consists of Lowe's Home Improvement and Super Stop and Shop with a People's Bank.

The center will also feature a Target Department Store in October and other stores expected to open include Petco, Bed Bath and Beyond, Michael's, Staples, T.J. Maxx, Game Stop, Ninety-Nine Restaurant, McDonald's, and Starbuck's Coffee.

The owners are aware that far-away larger cinemas could affect their business.

Specifically, some residents in the region travel to several different places to see the latest on the big screen including Cinema North Mansfield Movieplex 6 at the East Brook Mall in Mansfield (anchored by Kohl's, J.C. Penney, and T.J. Maxx) 20 miles away, Lisbon Landing Cinema 12 at the Lisbon Landing Shopping Center in Lisbon (anchored by Wal-Mart Super Center, Home Depot, and Kohl's) 18 miles away, and National Amusements 14 at the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury, Mass. (anchored by Target, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls, and Barnes and Noble) 35 miles away.

Seasonally, the theater competes with the Mansfield Drive-In located about 20 miles away in Mansfield.

The cinema website blog states, "if you live in a five or ten mile radius of the Killingly Center Cinemas you would be wasting your time and gas going to any other cinema."