New Haven’s Criterion Cinemas to close in October
PHOTO | New Haven Assessor
Criterion Cinemas in downtown New Haven will permanently close after movie showings conclude the evening of Thursday, Oct. 12.
New York City-based Bow Tie Partners, owner of Temple Square where the theater is located, announced the closure in a press release Sept. 26. The company indicated the theater is no longer viable and cited the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bow Tie Management operates theaters in several states, including Criterion in New Haven, which originally opened in 2004.
The company indicated it is pursuing redevelopment of the space where Criterion Cinemas currently operates, at 86 Temple St.
Tickets are still on sale for showings through Oct. 12 for movies like “A Haunting in Venice,” “Saw X,” and “The Creator.”
Ben Moss, CEO of Bow Tie Partners, a real estate development and entertainment company, thanked local customers who came to the New Haven location to see movies for the past 19 years.
“We are very much looking forward to remaining a part of the vibrant and exciting downtown New Haven business community and look forward to announcing our future plans when we have finished our analysis of alternative uses,” Moss said, in the announcement.
Bow Tie is evaluating potential different uses for the movie theater space, including possible entertainment-related offerings, the company indicated. Meanwhile, Temple Square Apartments will continue to operate, and may benefit from portions of the movie theater space being converted into additional amenities for residents.
Garrett Sheehan, president and CEO of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce, said, "It’s disappointing to lose a movie theater in downtown New Haven, but it’s easy to see that this is part of a larger landscape shift in the film industry. We are excited that the owners continue to see New Haven as an important market, and we look forward to an exciting new venue that will add to the downtown experience.”
The theater closure means dwindling options for New Haven-area patrons wanting to see movies on the big screen.
The Cine-4 movie theater, which formerly made its home on Middletown Avenue in New Haven, closed last year, with plans underway to renovate it to be part of a childhood learning center campus.
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