Johnny Ruoff, a manager at Entertainment Luxury Cinemas in South Portland, vacuums the floor inside the lobby where posters of movies from years ago hang on the wall. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer If you need a reason to go to the movies, Maine theater operators are happy to try to give you one. There’s been a lot of change in the Greater Portland movie theater scene in the last four or five years, so don’t feel bad if you’re not up to speed.
The Cinemagic chain went out of business early in the pandemic and two of its former locations – in Saco and Westbrook – are now run by Apple Cinemas. A third, in the Clarks Pond plaza in South Portland, re-opened as Entertainment Luxury Cinemas in August. The Nordica Theater in Freeport closed as well, though its owners say it might re-open someday.
The upside of all this change is that the people who show movies around here are trying to add value to the theater experience, to get folks to come out instead of stay home and stream. Some have added improvements, like bigger or better seats, new concessions or price specials. Here is a look at some Greater Portland movie theaters and what they offer.
NICKELODEON CINEMAS , Portland Portland’s venerable downtown theater has been in the same spot on Temple Street, and under the same ownership, for more than 25 years. It’s movie fare includes first-run mainstream films, but off-beat, foreign and local films, too. Maybe the most impressive thing about the venue is th.
