Chipotle coming to former Long Beach Cinemas, city officials say

Long Beach’s only movie theater, which had shuttered and reopened twice since Superstorm Sandy before closing for good in 2023, is being transformed into a Chipotle Mexican Grill.

City officials confirmed that an outlet of the fast-casual chain restaurant will take over part of the long-struggling Long Beach Cinemas building.  

New signage was posted outside the former movie theater Wednesday, at the corner of Long Beach Boulevard and Park Avenue, just over the Long Beach bridge. There is no scheduled opening date for the new Chipotle, which joins other franchises in Oceanside, Merrick, Lawrence and Valley Stream.

A RIPCO Real Estate listing states that multiple retail tenants are being sought for the remaining space in the 8,500-square-foot building. The asking rent was not disclosed. The property includes a rear parking lot with 25 spots, in addition to street parking.

The movie theater is being transformed after several failed attempts, including flooding from Sandy 13 years ago and a two-year closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The four-screen movie theater was rehabilitated and first reopened in 2015, three years after floodwaters from Sandy inundated the theater, damaging seats, carpets and movie screens.

The independent theater closed again in 2020 during the pandemic and the owners of 20 years, from the Manhattan-based real estate firm Philips International, resisted selling to a larger movie chain after Sandy.

After being closed during the pandemic, the theater didn’t open again for two years. Despite a new grand opening, the theater closed permanently a year later.

In its absence, Long Beach moviegoers have had to travel to Lynbrook or Rockville Centre to see movies on a big screen.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.