Rebranded Sayville Theater has reopened under new ownership 

Sayville Cinemas, which closed briefly last month after a rent dispute, has reopened under new ownership and a new name.

The longtime cultural institution in the hamlet closed unexpectedly in early February after former owner Matthew Latten failed to pay rent for nearly three years, prompting the building's landlord to take ownership, the theater's new property manager told Newsday. This is the second time in nearly three years the locally owned four-screen theater has closed and reopened. It temporarily shuttered in March 2020 during the pandemic — when it closed  for an extended time for the first time in its 70-year history — and reopened 20 months later. 

Devin Fickling, the new property manager, said he is focusing on upgrading equipment and a deep cleaning of the building, which is now named Sayville Theater.

“Once we have everything going, we're going to roll out renovations and make the theater much nicer than it is now,” he said.

Plans for the theater include acquiring a liquor license to permit the sale of beer and wine in “limited settings, and in a kid-friendly way,” Fickling said. Beer and wine will be sold only at late shows and special events, he noted.

"The movie theater experience has definitely changed over the last 10 or 20 years. We want to offer that classic cinematic experience, but we also want to do those live events for the community,” including theater, he added. 

Eileen Tyznar, Sayville Chamber of Commerce president, said the chamber is sad to see Latten go but “the show must go on.” She highlighted the theater’s history in Sayville and its community value. She said she is working with Fickling on programs residents would like to see at the theater.

“It's a huge hub for children and adults, and it's affordable entertainment,” she said. “It's a staple and there's not too many theaters left.”

The ownership transition, however, was not smooth — many in local Facebook groups expressed confusion about the theater’s apparent closure, and at least one event was forced to relocate.

Dix Hills artist Kurt Damas said he was forced to move the Feb. 16 premiere of his independently produced film “Speak to Me” to Movieland Cinemas in Coram after frustrating emails from the theater's new owners. Fickling called later to apologize, Damas said, but the damage was done. 

Latten, who occupied the venue for 16 years, signed an agreement surrendering his occupancy of the building following a court battle over nearly three years of unpaid rent, Fickling said.

Newsday obtained a copy of the settlement agreement between Latten and his landlord, Landmark Plaza Properties Corp., which was signed on Feb. 2 and filed with the Fifth District Court of Suffolk County. 

Rosemary Perry is listed as president of Landmark Plaza and runs the family business with her son Devin Fickling. 

The court settlement also assigned Latten responsibility for canceling and refunding any booked events at the theater. Latten has agreed to pay the landlord thousands of dollars, according to Fickling. The details of Latten's debt from unpaid rent are not included in the settlement.

Latten did not respond to requests for comment.

The theater closed for 20 months during the pandemic and reopened in November 2021. The business received federal pandemic-relief assistance totaling $934,440 from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, Newsday has previously reported. 

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.