Southampton Playhouse Opens Its Doors, Brings IMAX to the Hamptons

The hotly anticipated new local movie theater, Southampton Playhouse, opened its doors to the public last weekend with screenings of Captain America: Brave New World and Paddington in Peru.

Attendees included Southampton Playhouse Executive Director Maria Ruiz Botsacos, Artistic Director Eric Kohn, Southampton Playhouse Board Member Jack Heller, Southampton Mayor William Manger Jr, Deputy Mayor Leonard Zinnanti, and Trustee Robin Brown.

Located at 43 Hill Street in the home of Southampton’s longstanding movie theater — before it closed during the pandemic in March of 2020 and never reopened — the new Southampton Playhouse has four screens, including three state-of-the-art cinemas and the only IMAX theater in the Hamptons, which is showing Blue Angels starting this Sunday, February 23.

The theater, which first opened in 1932, is back under the stewardship of owners Aby and Charlie Rosen, in partnership with Alex Black, who have big plans for the space, beyond simply showing movies.

“Our focus will be bringing the local community the biggest and brightest in first-run films, but we also want to pair that with repertory programming,” Charlie Rosen told Dan’s Papers in November. In addition to the films, Southampton Playhouse will host live events, such as comedy nights, readings and children’s performances. And the IMAX technology brings a viewing experience that’s more immersive than anything currently available from Westhampton to Montauk. “IMAX has been such a great partner, and the ability to bring the experience to Southampton is truly a gift,” Rosen added.

An advisory board of qualified local people will help usher in an exciting array of future shows and experiences for the community, with a special focus on attracting area youth.

Captain America: Brave New World and Paddington in Peru are playing now, along with Blue Angels in IMAX, as of Sunday. Upcoming films include 1932’s Scarface (repertory), Mickey 17 starring Robert Pattinson, Novocaine with Jack Quaid, and Disney’s Snow White in IMAX. Visit southamptonplayhouse.com for showtimes and tickets.