Rochester area's largest movie theater closes its doors

Marcia Greenwood, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Updated ·3 min read

The suggestion has been out there for a while that the Rochester area's largest movie theater was in danger of closing.

Now it actually has.

The 18-screen Regal Henrietta, which opened 26 years ago during a nationwide movie-theater boom, went dark after evening screenings Wednesday, June 7.

By Thursday morning, the marquee had been stripped bare and signs on the doors directed people to the only remaining Regal Cinemas theater in this market, the 13-screen Regal Eastview in Victor.

The Regal Henrietta shutdown comes as Regal Entertainment Group’s parent company, U.K.-based Cineworld Group, continues to grapple with massive debt that in September 2022 caused it to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The 18-screen Regal Henrietta, billed as the largest movie theater in New York state when it opened in 1997, has closed permanently.
The 18-screen Regal Henrietta, billed as the largest movie theater in New York state when it opened in 1997, has closed permanently.

In April, an email went out to Regal Crown Club members saying the Henrietta theater would close for good on April 16, but it didn’t happen.

Prior to that, Cineworld had not identified the Regal Henrietta as being targeted for closure in connection with its bankruptcy case. However, earlier this year, the 75,800-square-foot venue, which sits on nearly 12 acres on Marketplace Drive between Jefferson Road and Hylan Drive, was listed for sale on LoopNet.com.

Calls to the New Jersey-based listing agent were not returned, and Regal did not respond to an email seeking more information.

Regal Henrietta history

The Regal Henrietta was billed as the largest movie theater in New York state when it opened in March 1997, about nine months before the release of “Titantic,” which reigned as the highest-grossing film of all time until 2010, when it was surpassed by “Avatar.”

Just three months prior to the Regal Henrietta’s launch, two other multiplexes opened here: the 10-screen Movies 10 in Brighton and Tinseltown in Gates, which has 16 regular screens and an IMAX Theater.

Plans for a Regal theater in Irondequoit and a Hoyts Cinema in Greece were being developed at that time, but concerns about market oversaturation were dismissed by a Regal spokesperson, and most of the focus among community leaders was on potential traffic tie-ups.

Other local Regal closings

In March, Cineworld’s restructuring claimed the 12-screen Regal Greece Ridge (which started out as the Hoyts) at The Mall at Greece Ridge. A new owner was announced two months later: New England-based Apple Cinemas, which plans to turn the 60,265-square-foot venue into a luxury dine-in theater.

Apple Cinemas also bought the 27,452-square-foot Pittsford Cinema 9 after it closed in June 2022 and is in the throes of remodeling it for the same purpose.

In March 2020, the 16-screen Regal Culver Ridge in Irondequoit closed under New York state-ordered temporary shutdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic and never reopened.

Even before COVID-19 arrived in the United States in March 2020, the movie business was dealing with lower demand as at-home viewing options multiplied, Gallup reported. But the pandemic dealt a sharp blow to the industry, not only forcing theaters into extended shutdowns but disrupting film production and delaying motion picture releases.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Regal movie theater in Henrietta NY closes its doors