PJ Cinemas reopening on Friday

PJ Cinemas, the Port Jefferson Station multiplex owned by Phil Solomon since 1982, will reopen Friday.

"Fresh Coca-Cola and candy products have arrived," Solomon said. "We’re all set."

Like all theaters on Long Island, PJ Cinemas closed its doors in March of 2020 under the COVID-19 pandemic. Solomon reopened the venue in October, but slow foot traffic and a dearth of new films forced him to close again in mid-December. Now, with vaccines rolling out widely, capacity restrictions for businesses being lifted and a steady trickle of new movies coming down the pipeline, Solomon said he is ready to risk reopening once again.

The seven-screen cinema will open with four titles: Disney’s live-action "Cruella," the horror film "A Quiet Place Part II," the inspirational drama "Dream Horse" and the family film "Tom & Jerry."

Fewer films mean fewer options for audiences. "Too bad we don’t have a real good arty movie or even a foreign film," Solomon said. "You want to have one of each so you can bring a wide variety of moviegoers in."

Still, Solomon said, Memorial Day weekend traditionally sees strong box-office turnout, and the summer season could be promising. "This is the time of year we in the movie industry live for," he said. "It seems like there’s a measure of optimism in the air. You can smell it, you can feel it."