WILTON, NY — Exciting news for movie fans in the Capital Region. The Wilton Mall will once again have a movie theater.
With a planned opening in February 2024, Scene One Entertainment (formerly Bow Tie Management) plans to reopen the Wilton Mall movie theaters, marking the company's second movie theater in upstate New York, following Scene One Movieland in Schenectady.
Joe Masher, owner and CEO of Scene One Entertainment, said he is excited about the reopening and that it appears to have been in the works for years and is almost complete – with only a few things left to do, like waiting for an upgraded screening . parts, remains to be done before opening.
“I always wanted this theater to reopen its doors. The landlord here — we're their good friends and we sat down at the last International Council of Shopping Centers meeting and started drafting the lease. Finally, we got it signed at the end of the year and we can’t wait to reopen it,” Masher said. “It’s really exciting.
“There are a lot of great things happening here at and around Wilton Mall and we are very excited to be a part of it.”
The theater, previously owned by Bow Tie Management, opened on October 25, 2013 and operated for many years before being closed due to the pandemic in March 2020.
Today, after what Masher calls a “four-year nap,” he has bought out the other partners and transformed the company into Scene One Entertainment, and operates numerous theaters across the country, as well as other venues like Huck Finn's Playland amusement park. in Albany, and he can't wait to add Wilton's to his repertoire.
The theater itself has eight auditoriums, one of which is the large format auditorium that seats 250 people, featuring a 2,000 square foot screen and enhanced Dolby Digital surround sound. Four of the cinemas are also able to show 3D films, expanding the types of cinema experiences that can be shown. Within the cinema room there is also a private room which can be booked for hosting cinema birthdays or other personal events.
However, it's not just films that Masher hopes to showcase once the theater opens.
“We are looking at doing eSports in cinemas,” Masher said. “These are really exciting things where people come and watch other people play sports on screen. I don't know exactly how it works yet, but we're going to do it and we're going to do a lot of other things like concerts.
“We’re hoping to maybe even do a live comedy event or two.”
Another thing the theater hopes to get involved in is community events. Masher shared that the cinema wants to be community-oriented and there are plans to reach out to charitable organizations to host partnership events, fundraisers and other things of that nature.
Masher also shared that there are hopes of eventually expanding the food and drink offerings and perhaps even expanding to the food court with a small seating area.
Some dining opportunities available through the concession stand are chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, fries, hand pizzas, hot pretzels and more, as well as soft drinks and ICEEs from Coca-Cola products. Cola. Of course, like any good movie theater, there will be popcorn – but what sets this theater apart from others is that real butter will be put on the popcorn.
Masher wanted to highlight the great care the mall had taken in maintaining the theater, expressing gratitude for the condition it was in. He explained that he didn't have to do much to redevelop the space, because due to its “pristine” state, it had been preserved over the years.
“We are very excited to be able to open it (the theater) under Scene One Entertainment and that it will feature film screenings and possibly other entertainment such as comedy, live music, etc.,” said the Wilton Mall general manager Mike Shaffer. . “It will definitely be beneficial for the mall.
“This is one of the most requested services back to the Center and we expect it to drive traffic to the Centre, particularly given the number of hours the theater is open.”
Bringing the theater back into the mall is part of the thoughtful redevelopment of the entire property, according to Shaffer. He also said he believed the addition would benefit the entire property, noting that the old theater was the source of frequent traffic to the mall, especially in the evenings and on weekends.
Shaffer also believes it will increase traffic to the food court and create good business for tenants.
The theater will have three full-time positions and approximately 25 part-time positions. In the coming weeks, the cinema is looking to hire staff, with those interested able to visit. www.btmcinemas.com and apply.
“”The theater meant something to me, it opened on my birthday in 2013,” Masher said. “I'm really excited to open it and can't wait to welcome everyone back At the movie theater.”
