Both SOMA theaters to reopen

The movies are coming back to South Orange and Maplewood.

A company called Box Office cinemas will reopen and operate both theaters with movies likely to be shown at SOPAC as early as January.

“Box Office Cinemas has acquired the lease for the cinemas at SOPAC,” said James Kula, president of Box Office Cinemas, in a statement. “We expect to open Box Office Cinemas at SOPAC on or before Jan. 16, 2026, with additional upgrades continuing after opening. We are eager to reopen this location and excited to be part of their next chapter.”

Box Office Cinemas has more than 40 years of experience operating movie theaters and currently runs multiple locations across New York and New Jersey. The Box Office Cinemas at SOPAC will be the company’s fifth location in the region.

“The reopening of our downtown movie theatre reflects both the strong voice of our community and the dedication of the SOPAC Board,” said Sheena Collum, mayor of South Orange. “Over many months, families reached out urging us to find a new operator, sharing how deeply they value having a cinema in South Orange—particularly for children and family outings. Through a careful and responsive recruitment process, we are proud to welcome Box Office Cinemas. A thriving movie theatre also supports the vitality of our downtown, generating additional activity for local restaurants and shops and strengthening our small businesses. Maintaining a vibrant arts center at the heart of our community includes offering a quality movie-going experience, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the theatre this January.”

SOPAC members will enjoy special benefits and discounts at Box Office Cinemas South Orange, with additional details to be announced in the coming weeks.

“We are thrilled to bring the movies back to South Orange,” said Lana Rogachevskaya, executive director of SOPAC. “Reopening the cinemas allows us to fully activate the SOPAC campus once again, offering a complete cultural experience that includes film alongside our live performing arts programming, Arts in Education programming, and exhibitions in the Herb + Milly Iris Gallery. We know how much the community has missed the cinema over the past several months, and we look forward to this long-awaited return.”

Kula has reopened theaters in other locations including Paterson and Sparta. He could not personally be reached for comment but in a 2001 interview with The New York Times about a movie theater he had taken over in the Westchester County town of Pelham he said the theater was making money and “’It’s the old-fashioned way that’s working.”

Kula told the Times that he selects movies that appeal to children and young adults because they are more likely to spend money on concessions, which are 70 % of the theater’s revenue.

The movie theaters at SOPAC may open as soon as Jan. 16.

Tom Arnold, director of operations for Box Office Cinemas, said the target date to open the SOPAC cinema is Jan. 16 but it is contingent on getting supplies and the necessary permits to open before then.

“Theatre upgrades are going to be done once we’re open,” Arnold said. “We were planning to have new seats and carpeting installed before opening, but we were given a three to four month window to receive the products and we don’t want to miss any summer movie openings.”

Arnold said that Kula saw an opportunity to reopen many of the theatres that recently closed and decided it was time to expand the company.

“ It just makes sense to reopen theatres that are loved in the towns they operated in for many years,” Arnold said. “Our goal is to continue the long history these two locations have and bring movies to the next generation of moviegoers.”

Box Office operates theaters in Sparta and Middletown, N.Y. and is in the process of reopening a theatre in Paterson and another in Carmel, N.Y. Both should be open in the first quarter of next year.

“Maplewood is going to be extensively remodeled,” Arnold said. “New everything…That will take longer, so we don’t have a target date for that site yet.”
Operating both locations, that are only a short distance from one another, gives the company flexibility to expand its movie offerings, Arnold said. The screen counts will remain the same; SOPAC has five screens and Maplewood has six.

“The theatres won’t be in competition with one another, like in the past, so we won’t have to show the same blockbusters in both locations,” Arnold said. “That leaves room to show small independent or foreign films. We’ll have to experiment to see what fits.”

The Maplewood Film Society, which had been advocating for a movie theater in town, released a statement saying their community of more than 800 were thrilled to hear about the news of the movie theaters being leased. Hundreds of comments were shared on social media, with locals expressing appreciation to the theater’s owners and reminiscing about seeing movies in town.

“I remember seeing a movie the week before the pandemic at the theater with my daughter who was in kindergarten,” wrote Pam Goldman. “Can’t wait for her to go with friends as a middle schooler. Best news!”

Lisa Cohen, co-founder of the non-profit MFS said, “We are grateful to the lessee. At a time when the news around movie theaters has felt discouraging, we’re incredibly thankful for their vision and commitment to the moviegoing experience.”

Angela Matusik, the other MFS co-founder, agreed.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Box Office Cinema into our community,” she said. “We have learned so much this past year by engaging with SOMA movie lovers. We can’t wait to talk film with the new theater tenants and help ensure both the SOPAC cinema and the Maplewood Theater are thriving for years to come.”