By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
In the weeks since the announcement of its closure, the Route One Cinema Pub has seen a surge in customers.
But for owner Chris Ballarino, the late bump in business doesn’t change the math that led to the decision.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater averaged about 800 customers a week. Today, that number is closer to 350, a drop of more than half amid costs that have climbed sharply.
“It’s just not enough to sustain it,” Ballarino said of the business.
After 27 years in operation, the longtime dinner-and-a-movie destination will close May 31, with gift certificates honored through that date.
While the closure has been known for weeks, the final stretch has brought a wave of community response — underscoring the role the Cinema Pub has played in town for nearly three decades.
Saying goodbye
Ballarino said business has picked up roughly 30% since the announcement, with many customers returning one last time.
“These aren’t people who are suddenly going to start coming every week,” he said. “They’re coming in to say thank you.”
That support has been visible both in person and online, where a Change.org petition urging efforts to save the business has drawn more than 1,200 signatures, calling upon community leaders and potential investors to explore ways to keep the Cinema Pub open.
“I don’t know what the plan would be,” he said. “But I appreciate people trying.”
Inside the theater, Ballarino said the reaction has been more personal.
“People are coming in with tears in their eyes,” he said. “They’re telling me their kids were raised here, that they had birthday parties here.”
He pointed to longtime regulars who have made the Cinema Pub part of their routine for years.
“I have a family that’s been coming twice a week for 27 years,” he said. “It’s their home away from home.”
Ballarino said the challenges facing the Cinema Pub extend beyond local factors, pointing instead to changes across the movie industry that have accelerated since the pandemic.
Studios are holding films longer before releasing them to smaller theaters, he said, and once they do arrive, many are already available — or soon to be available — on streaming platforms.
“By the time I get some of these movies, they’re already on streaming or about to be,” he said. “People know they can just wait and watch it for free on Netflix or (Amazon) Prime.”
At the same time, competition from nearby chain theaters has made it harder to secure certain titles, limiting the ability to consistently draw larger audiences. This pushed the Cinema Pub to independent or niche films — an audience that exists, Ballarino said, but is harder to reach.
“If it’s not something people are seeing advertised everywhere—they’re not coming out for it,” he said.
End of an era
Like many small businesses, the Cinema Pub has faced rising costs in recent years, particularly for food and operations. Ballarino said some expenses have increased by 30% to 40%, forcing price adjustments while still trying to keep the experience affordable.
Menu items generally range from about $6 to $14 — part of what he said has long set the Cinema Pub apart from larger theater chains.
“I’m not going to price out my regulars,” he said. “That was never the point.”
Federal relief funding helped keep the business afloat in the years immediately after COVID-19, but that support has since run out.
“I used that money just to stay open the last four years,” Ballarino said. “Now it’s gone.”
Ballarino opened the Cinema Pub in 1998 after spotting a vacant Route 1 property — a former grocery store — and deciding to bring the business model to the area after seeing its popularity elsewhere.
Similar venues were common near where Ballarino attended college in Florida, and he saw an opportunity to introduce something different locally. Over the years, he said, the business became less about the movies and more about the people who kept coming back.
As the final weeks approach, he said that’s what stands out most.
“Some things just come to an end,” he said. “I just appreciate all the people who have supported us for all these years.”