Is the Nostalgia for ‘Mystic Pizza’ Still Alive in Connecticut?

One of the most famous movies ever made about and in Connecticut is 1988's Mystic Pizza. Almost 40 years after its release, has Connecticut's nostalgia for this late-80's classic worn off?

'Mystic Pizza' came out in 1988, and t's been a part of our culture and closely identified with Mystic since. The movie was filmed in Mystic, Stonington, Pawcatuck, Watch Hill, RI, and Noank. It was not a box office smash, earning only $14 million during its theatrical run from a $6 million dollar budget. It was a major Hollywood production though, so we latched onto it in Connecticut. It's still replayed on local and national stations since. Over the past two months it's been replaying on HBO almost every day.

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Quite a few unknown actors in starring roles. The most famous at the time were the female leads: Julia Roberts Lili Taylor, and Annabeth Gish, with mostly unknown actors in the male leads. Vincent D'Onofrio and Matt Damon went on to carve out nice careers afterwards, but the movie became part of Connecticut's identity for almost the past 40 years.

In the years following the release, Mystic Pizza remodeled their location to resemble the movie's set, and they went national with a frozen version of their famous pizza for grocery stores.

My point is, it's 2025, and I cannot find a single frozen Mystic Pizza in any grocery store in Western Connecticut. I was on a mission this weekend to find one, and I struck out at Big Y, Stop & Shop, Market 32, and Bantam Market. The frozen pizzas are still on the Mystic Pizza website, but I think I have to take a ride to New London County to find one?