This Abandoned NY Cinema Will Reopen Under New Local Ownership

Montgomery County has been missing a year-round movie theater since 2019 when Emerald Cinemas closed in Amsterdam. I personally remember seeing some great movies at this place back in high school. The popcorn was extra buttery and the seats were super comfy! Fortunately, thanks to a local pair of young businessmen, there are plans for Emerald Cinemas to reopen sometime in the near future...

Lifelong friends, filmmaker Jeff Knite and game store owner Misael Gomez, are joining forces to breathe life back into the old abandoned movie theater. The plan is to rebrand the 10 screen movie theatre, located in the Perth Plaza on Route 30, as Dark Knites Cinemas. Gomez will also move his video game store into the movie theater's lobby (Ashley Onyon, The Daily Gazette).

The pair believes tapping into their individual areas of expertise to combine films and video games will create diverse profit streams and will mesh perfectly together with movie tie-in merchandise to be sold at the game store and an arcade to be re-established. -Ashley Onyon, The Daily Gazette

It's going to take a lot of work to successfully renovate the theater, an estimated $1 million worth! According to the Daily Gazette, aside from roof repairs necessary because of water damage, the screens, projectors, and sound systems all need to be replaced with updated technology.

Dedicated to helping his local community, Knite plans to not only show new releases, but also older films, as well as works from local independent artists and film students from Fulton-Montgomery Community College.

I would give everything to have that place back... People are asking for this, our kids have nowhere to go basically. -Misael Gomez (Ashley Onyon, The Daily Gazette)

The new reopening isn't set to happen until next year, so stay tuned for any updates.