Coram’s Movieland space is becoming a retro cinema hub — with an arcade and game store

A Coram entertainment landmark is getting a second life — and this time, it’s bringing friends.

The owner of Game On, a popular retro arcade currently operating at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, announced this week that he has purchased the former Movieland Cinemas at Pine Plaza on Route 112 — and plans to transform it into what he’s calling “a giant retro hub.”

While injecting new life into the struggling plaza, the project will reunite the community with a beloved movie house and bring Game On’s arcade games to Coram, following the closure this spring of the arcade’s Smith Haven Mall location.

The plaza’s three new attractions will be located at the south end of the plaza. Retro Cinemas — promising to showcase 1980s blockbuster hits — will hold court in the corner spot formerly occupied by Movieland, while a large arcade and a retro game store will fill vacant storefronts left behind by a pharmacy and La Bonita restaurant.

The arcade and store are expected to open first. A timeline for the theater has not been set.

“I’m not sure anyone was crazy enough to take this on but me,” Game On and Retro Cinemas owner Tristian Whitworth wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday, confirming weeks of rumors that had swirled through the community.

Movieland closed in September 2023, with general manager Nicole Rapp citing high rent and declining foot traffic. The theater had a long history at Pine Plaza, originally opening as the Pine Cinema in 1973. It became Movieland of Coram in 1995 and eventually grew to seven screens.

The new owner said the space was broken into and vandalized during its years of vacancy, and he plans to gut and rebuild the interior into a “retro inspired theater you won’t believe.” Movie programming will focus on 1980s and 1990s films, alongside curated new releases, with a stated goal of keeping ticket prices as low as possible.

“Our goal here is to bring back entertainment on Long Island that’s meaningful and families can afford,” he wrote.

The arcade will offer unlimited play for a $15 all-day pass and will feature, he claims, more games than any mall arcade on Long Island.

“I grew up coming to Movieland my whole life,” she said. “I’m happy that they’re actually doing something with it.”

Rothar, who now lives in nearby Breton Woods, said she can’t wait to bring her 5-year-old daughter Ava — a huge Ninja Turtles fan. The owner’s Instagram post mentioned plans to screen classic films.

To drum up some excitement he displayed movie posters at the location, promoting the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie, along with titles like “The Goonies,” “The Karate Kid,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “The Sandlot,” and “Three Ninjas.”

The owner also announced a second expansion: a new Game On Retro World store opening “very soon” next to the existing Riverhead arcade.

_{Top: Brian Harmon photos}