Discount Tuesday No More: Middletown Theater Complex Sits Dark After Abrupt Closing

MIDDLETOWN, CT — On a day that had been known as "Discount Tuesday," The Metro Movies 12 cinema complex in Middletown was dark.

The theater closed without warning on Monday when a two-sentence declaration was posted on both social media and the complex website. It seems to have caught residents and municipal officials by surprise.

"Omg! We just went there in NYE!!! What a shame," one social media reaction said.

"Nooooooo," another post said.

The complex was located at 140 Main St. in the back of a plaza that was connected to plenty of places to eat and catch a movie.

One Cromwell recreation official used the word "shocking." He said the theater complex was a staple for rec department outings, particularly during day camp season. It was also popular with the Wesleyan University crowd.

In the 1990s, the space was a ShopRite supermarket in what was then called the Metro Square. The plaza, though, was mired in financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 1997.

Two years later, the plaza received a jump start when Destinta Theatres opened in the space.

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Thirteen years later, RC Theaters acquired the property, renamed it Metro Movies 12, and renovated the place.

Then, on Monday, after 27 years as a theater, it closed. Tuesday would have marked another discount day, when movie tickets were just $6.

As late as Sunday, the theater was promoting features like the new Zootopia movie.