Showtime Cinemas is Officially Closing its Doors

By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones

NEWBURGH – In just a few days Showtime Cinemas is shutting its doors for good. The theater that brought people joy since 1987 under the names of Newburgh Cinemas 10, Hoyt Cinemas, and eventually became Showtime Cinemas in November 2003 will be officially closing on September 15th.

“I just found out today because we were actually at a birthday party in Middletown and I was like, ‘Let’s go to the movie theater… Oh my God, the prices are so outrageous up there…. Let’s go to Showtime.’ We don’t live too far from here… It’s near the house. It’s convenient. Prices are reasonable. [We] come down here. I’m looking to see what time the movie starts. I see they’re closing on the 15th… ‘No way! Unbelievable!’… Now you have to go to those expensive movie theaters. And it’s outrageous, the prices… Now you have to travel. If you don’t have a car it’s kind of hard. This was the best place to go… We were coming here at least once a month to see different movies… It’s very, very sad that they’re leaving,” said Jacqueline Vazquez who likes to go to the movies with her husband and reminisced about the times she’s had at Showtime.

“We’ve been coming for years since my kids were small. I actually did birthday parties with my kids when they were small… They used to have a little spot in the corner there and we were able to cut a cake for them and eat pizza. And then after they cut the cake, then everybody went to the movie theater to watch a movie.”

Vazquez hoped that another movie theater would come. However, a self-storage facility bought the location. After 17 years of working at Showtime Cinemas, Christopher Bistor bought it in January 2020, right before the pandemic. He has gone through a lot just to keep it open.

“[We did a] drive-in [and had] food sales. We did private theater rentals for a while… We were closed ‘till Memorial Day 2021… And then we were able to get… the theater grant that came out, which took a lot longer than it was supposed to… That [was the] final kickstart to get back to covering all the expenses… That was what got us through,” said Bistor who also worked a second job to make ends meet and will miss the customers who have supported him through the years. “After 20 years of doing this, you’ve met a lot of people. So, a lot of them have become family for us. People that are here two, three times a week… They all have nicknames… We see them driving in their car and we know what their order is.”

Bistor also appreciates all of the staff that have worked at Showtime Cinemas through the years. Enrique Bermudez is an employee who enjoyed working there for two years during high school and now is a freshman at SUNY Orange in Middletown.

“Everybody who I worked with was really great to work with… It was close to home. It paid nicely. The free movies were a great benefit and the discounts for the snacks were great,” said Bermudez who shared that it was his first job. “I’ve been looking at other places, applying. But you know, it’s not this place.”

Showtime Cinemas has also received an outpour of love on social media. They are selling Showtime Cinemas shirts, movie seats, the popcorn machine, and other memorabilia until the final flick on September 15th.
Journalist Ms. Jones