Mt. Kisco Theatre Eyes Soft Opening; Full Schedule to Return Shortly
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
The wait for the revival of the Mt. Kisco Theatre is nearly over. The operators of the beloved movie house, AB Cinemas, hope to hold a “soft opening” later this week with the screening of two movies, “Halloween Ends” and the Harry Styles film “Don’t Worry Darling,” to let the community know that the regular operation of the venue is imminent.
About two weeks after that, once the finishing touches are placed on the facility, the five-screen theater will be fully operational, showing five first-run movies daily.
“The soft opening is just to get people to come in, welcome (them) back to the Kisco theater that they loved for so long – but it was closed, obviously – to just let them know that this place is back,” said manager Stephen Foisy. “I know when COVID happened, a lot of people were worried that this place would never reopen.”
A soft opening had been planned for last weekend, said Mount Kisco Building Inspector Peter Miley, but troubles with one of the projection cameras canceled what would have been the first screenings at the theater in more than two-and-a-half years.
Originally opened in 1962 at 144 E. Main St., it closed at the start of the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020. About six months later, the former operator, Bow Tie Cinemas, announced it would not be reopening.
A year ago, it was learned that a new operator had signed a lease to bring the theater back.
Last Friday afternoon, before last weekend’s soft opening was called off, the candy counter was fully stocked, the carpet in the lobby was plush and vacuumed and there was even a delivery of a few movies in boxes.
Foisy said most of the time there will be evening screenings on weeknights, while on weekends there will be afternoon and evening shows. The exception could be during school vacation weeks when the theater might be open throughout the day provided help is available.
Everything from children’s films to PG-13 and R-rated movies will be shown, he said. All will be new releases.
The theater’s interior needed extensive refurbishing because it had fallen into disrepair, Foisy said. The operators also hope that they can utilize the building’s roof to house a café or bar so it is more than a place to see movies. Foisy said they want to bring patrons “a café-esque vibe” but must first obtain approvals from the village for the café.
“So they do want to expand the building to make it an attraction not just for cinema but just somewhere if people want to hang out and get a cup of coffee they can also do it here, or it they’re waiting to go see a film that they can get together and meet up and relax here,” Foisy said.
Miley said that there is currently no plan submitted to the village for a rooftop café, but AB Cinemas confirmed to The Examiner that use will be sought in the future.
Mount Kisco Mayor Gina Picinch said she’s ecstatic that the theater will be returning. A few generations of local residents fondly remember the thousands of movies that were shown and called it “a rite of passage” for youngsters to finally be allowed to go without their parents.
It also promises to bring people to the village’s downtown, which can only help the Mount Kisco economy.
“It’s a place where people gather and it’s another great form of entertainment,” Picinich said. “We are absolutely thrilled to have it back in the community.”
Foisy, a Mount Kisco native, knows what the movie theater has meant to the local area as much as anyone.
“Coming to this theater was like a treat, obviously, on weekends,” he recalled. “Our mom would bring us over; dad would bring us. So when it closed down, I was like, ‘Uh what is there do to except go out to dinner.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
