Editor's note: Over the next couple of months, MyhometownBronxville will be running articles from our archives about the movie theater in Bronxville. The theater has been a big part of the Bronxville community and is now likely to close or be converted into something entirely different. Mayor Mary Marvin has requested help from residents to save it. Please contact Mayor Marvin at Village Hall or send us a letter with your ideas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  The article below was written in May of 2012 by Richard Magat, a wonderful person and writer for MHTB who passed away in 2017.

By Richard I. Magat

May 2, 2012:  "Happy Birthday Jenny" read the marquee above the Bronxville cinemas on Kraft Avenue, right across from the train station, last week.

Dozens of Bronxville children have had their names emblazoned there.  That is a community relations effort, of course, but Clearview's Bronxville Cinemas is also one cog in a huge conglomerate.

The movie chain--47 houses including the famed Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway--is part of Cablevision, which paid $160 million to acquire it in 1994.  The theaters, which feature 243 screens, are located in Westchester and Rockland counties, Long Island, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

The Bronxville theater opened in the 1930s with a single screen.  United Artists bought it in the mid-1980s and converted it to a triplex.  "The Happy Birthday messages are a huge crowd-pleaser," said Kal Aridi, the theater manager.  Since he took the job five years ago, the most popular movies he has screened there have been Slumdog Millionaire and Sex and the City.

The theater also offers private birthday parties and free summer movies.  Selections include Zookeeper, Kung Fu Panda, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and Puss in Boots.  As are other theaters in the chain, the Bronxville theaters are being converted to digital cinema.  This will enable them to show live 2-D and 3-D sporting events and concerts, shorts, and cartoons.

The theater attracts tens of thousands of people each year, according to Mr. Aridi, but he did not disclose exact figures.  It pays $68,152 in village and school taxes.

The theater's auditoriums are sometimes filled to capacity.  Recent shows that have gone over the top include The Descendants, The Help, The King's Speech, and Julie & Julia.

Patrons from Bronxville and surrounding areas express a variety of opinions.  A woman from New Rochelle said she preferred Bronxville to other theaters "because it is small and has better movies."  A Tuckahoe patron called it "a cute little theater that is very reminiscent of the Malverne Cinema from my youth."   A visitor from New York City said he prefers the theater "because it appeals to an older crowd and couples so you don't get crying babies and people talking on their cell phones with no regard for anyone else."

A Mount Vernon customer said, "I'm here because my lady told me to, and I pay her attention."  Ditto a Yonkers patron, who said, "we love Bronxville, though in winter we rent movies and stay a home."  A New Rochelle customer pointed to convenience on the train line.

Few Bronxville patrons said they rent movies.  In fact, local stores that rent movies across the country are an endangered species, and none is left in Bronxville or Rockland County.  However, other sources remain--kiosks, mail subscriptions, video on demand, and online streaming libraries.

Of course, things may vary, but a Scarsdale patron said, "the staff is always very friendly.  The concession is always clean.  Popcorn is so-so.  The temperature inside the theater is perfect--a pet peeve of mine.  I hate freezing cold theaters."

One moviegoer gave the Bronxville cinemas four stars but said that "the screens are undersized for the auditoriums so that I would hesitate to use the place to see a big action movie."

Although ticket prices have risen inexorably--$11.25 general admission, seniors $9.00, and children $8.50--admission on Tuesdays is free with an Optimum rewards card.

Pictured here:  Clearview's Bronxville Cinemas on Kraft Avenue.

Photo by A. Warner