WESTBROOK, Maine — All Cinemagic locations are now permanently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to sources.
The New Hampshire-based company had previously announced the temporary closure of all locations until spring, writing, "It’s just intermission though, we’ll be back in the spring!” in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
According to several sources, those closures are now permanent.
This includes theaters in Saco, Westbrook, and South Portland, as well as the following locations in New Hampshire and Massachusetts:
- Salisbury, MA
- Sturbridge, MA
- Hooksett, NH
- Merrimack, NH
- Portsmouth, NH
Zyacorp Entertainment, Cinemagic's parent company, released the following statement Monday:
After more than 20 years’ operating movie theaters in ME, NH and MA, and with a heavy heart, Zyacorp Entertainment has closed its Cinemagic Movie Theaters with no plans to reopen. To the thousands of "Cinemagicians" who have joined us in providing the magic of movies on the big screen over the past two decades and the generations of movie goers who we have served, we thank you for being part of our family. It has been an honor and a privilege to provide our communities with the magic of cinema.
Sincerely,
The Cinemagic Family
NEWS CENTER Maine obtained an email sent from the management of the Westbrook location that said the following:
“Hey Folks-
Hoping we can all get together tomorrow night at 7:00pm (Feb 19) for a goodbye celebration to Cinemagic Westbrook.
Though it is not public knowledge yet, and please keep our secret until Friday, It’s been decided that we are permanently closing all of our theaters on Friday.
I miss you all terribly already, but let’s get together for some food and fun for one last time in our building.
If you are still friends with any past employee, invite them along too.
Best,”
"Hopefully there will be perhaps maybe even some stimulus money that could support this and maybe get (the employees) back on their feet as well, we just have to learn a bit more about it and we'll take it from there," Dan Stevenson, economic development director for the City of Westbrook, told NEWS CENTER Maine. "We certainly have the best wishes for people that work in that industry, especially finding out that those are lost jobs."
According to the Associated Press, the North American movie biz had a five-year run of revenues exceeding $11 billion. In 2020, the COVID impacted totals came in at a 40-year low, of around $2.3 billion. The AP reported that revenue was down 80% from 2019, according to information they received from data firm Comscore.
A GoFundMe for the Westbrook Cinegmagic's general manager has been created by former employee Jamie Kennedy.
"This is a massive and sudden career shift for Pat and although it would be nice, with everything going on in the world, for her to safely take her time in starting a new career, reality in the form of medical bills, insurance, and life expenses may not let that happen," Kennedy wrote on the GoFundMe page. "So I'd love to create as much as a buffer as possible and chip in to give this wonderful woman a break."
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