While there’s only a teaser to go on, it appears at least one shuttered movie theater in southern Maine may soon reopen for business under new ownership.
The former Cinemagic Stadium Theater, at 183 County Road, Westbrook, is advertising for workers at the site, where a banner says Massachusetts-based Apple Cinemas is “coming soon.”
Portland radio station WJBQ-97.9 FM on Monday night posted a photo of the sign via Facebook, and reported that a similar sign was displayed at a former Cinemagic in Saco. By Tuesday morning, the post had received over 430 reactions and been shared nearly 200 times.
“I miss going to the movies, sitting in a theater,” a Facebook user commented in reaction to the post. “To me this is exciting!”
In addition to the two sites, Cinemagic previously operated a theater in South Portland. The chain in February permanently closed all three, which together showed first-run films on 35 screens. Cinemagic also closed its five other theaters, in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Like nearly all movie houses, the theaters were forced to shut down in March 2020 as COVID-19 was first sweeping throughout New England. Cinemagic reopened four months later despite the fact that movie audiences everywhere were a mere fraction of previous crowds.
The theater chain’s owner, Bedford, N.H.-based Zyacorp Entertainment Cos., did not immediately respond to inquiries from Mainebiz, nor did Apple Cinemas.
Apple, operated by Jaas Media Inc., of East Walpole, Mass., currently has a theater in Cambridge, Mass., and six in Connecticut, according to the chain’s website.
