Connecticut’s Oldest Continuously Operated Movie Theater Reopens

The pandemic basically killed movie theaters for the better part of the past 18 months. Most of the major chain theaters have reopened, but my favorite theater in Connecticut, the state's oldest, continuously run one, has not. Until now.

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I just got a great e-mail from the owners of the Bantam Cinema, which is located at 115 Bantam Lake Road, and they're going to open up again on Halloween weekend and offer their first public movie showings since March 2020.

Bantam Cinema is my favorite movie theater, not only due to its tiny size, and great location, but they also only offered the finest independent or highest quality mainstream films. Obviously, we're just seeing the movie industry get its legs underneath them after suffering such devastating losses over the pandemic, so the films that have been released in theaters haven't exactly got me to leave my couch yet. Bantam Cinema has chosen to go classic for it's first public showings.

For Halloween weekend 2021, Bantam Cinema will reopen to present two showings of George A. Romero's cult classic Night of the Living Dead. On Friday and Saturday, October 29 & 30, 2021, at 7 PM.

This is just the first step in a grand plan for the Bantam Cinemas, the new board of directors have announced on bantamcinema.org that their expansion plans include guest speakers, discussion panels, theme-nights, film specials and more. The board also hopes that by the end of 2022, they will be able to offer live events - music, comedy nights, and cabarets.

I love seeing the arts and establishments come back. It's been way too long.