Historic Movie Theater In NJ Is Reopening Soon: 'The Bellevue Is Back'

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A beloved, century-old movie theater in Montclair that has been shuttered for nearly a decade is about to be reborn.

On Friday, Montclair Film announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement to operate the Bellevue Theatre, a historic cinema at 260 Bellevue Avenue that closed its doors in 2017.

The Bellevue Theatre will become a nonprofit cinema and will be programmed and operated by Montclair Film, in concert with The Clairidge. Once reopened, the venue will operate as a full-time cinema, showing popular current releases as well as art house, independent, documentary, classic and foreign language films.

Montclair Film said it hopes to launch this fall – just in time for the 2025 Montclair Film Festival. Full operation is scheduled to begin in early November ahead of the holiday season.

“We are so excited to be able to bring the movies back to the Bellevue Theatre,” said Evelyn Colbert, president of Montclair Film’s board of trustees.

“Our community has been clear in sharing their desire to see the Bellevue Theatre thriving again, and we are counting on that passion and enthusiasm to help us re-establish the Bellevue as a destination for new memories and experiences,” Colbert added.

The agreement was signed Friday by Montclair Film @ The Bellevue LLC – a single-member, nonprofit LLC that is wholly owned by Montclair Film – and Jesse Sayegh, the owner of the building in which the theater operates.

The agreement was unanimously approved by the Montclair Film Board of Trustees. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in a statement about the reopening.

The Bellevue Theatre joins Montclair Film’s growing cinema portfolio. It will be programmed and operated by Montclair Film in concert with The Clairidge – Montclair Film’s six-screen, nonprofit cinema in downtown Montclair – and Cinema505, Montclair Film’s microcinema, performance and event space.

Sayegh, the property owner of the Bellevue Theatre since 1996, also trumpeted the resurrection of the beloved local landmark.

“Not only do we honor the memories of so many patrons over the past 100 years of the theater’s existence, but we now have the opportunity to continue that tradition and create new memories for years to come,” Sayegh said.

Ilmar Vanderer, a longtime Montclair resident and former town council candidate, said the reopening is more than a historic preservation milestone.

“As important as it is for towns such as Montclair to preserve architecturally significant buildings, in this day and age it is even more crucial to remind people of the value of a thriving community space,” Vanderer said.

“Besides being valuable artistic and cultural assets, historic theaters are also proven community revitalizers and economic drivers that catalyze other business development, create jobs, and improve the local quality of life,” Vanderer added.

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Montclair Film is kicking off a fundraising campaign to invite individual, sponsor, and community support for the reopening and operation of The Bellevue. All contributions are tax-deductible and will directly support the organization’s work to reopen the theater.

To learn more, contact Montclair Film development director George Brennan at George@MontclairFilm.org or visit MontclairFilm.org.

“Community support is crucial to sustaining a nonprofit movie theater, and as the continued growth at The Clairidge has demonstrated, Montclair is a thriving community for filmgoing,” Montclair Film artistic director Tom Hall said.

“The Bellevue Theatre will allow us to expand and diversify our programs, delivering more opportunity for filmmakers and distributors to share their films, and offering us tremendous new flexibility to grow the impact of cinema in our community,” Hall said.

BACKGROUND ON THE BELLEVUE

Designed by architect J.H. Phillips, The Bellevue Theatre has been a cornerstone of the Montclair community since it opened its doors in 1922.

In the decades that followed, people across generations experienced films and personal milestones at the cinema, events like first dates, birthday parties, and life changing movie experiences. When the Bellevue Theatre closed its doors in 2017, nearly a century of memory-making magic came to an end.

Plans to revive the theater have been in the works for years.

After the lease of former tenant Bow Tie Cinemas expired, community members rallied to save it. Thousands of fans signed an online petition to prevent the venue from “wasting away into another gentrified retail or office space.”

• See Related: Montclair’s Bellevue Theater Closing; Local Landmark Is ‘Iconic’

Their wishes took a leap towards becoming reality when Sayegh signed a new lease with a group dedicated to returning the theater to its former glory. The company's backers reportedly included some big names in show business, including producer Luke Parker Bowles and actor Patrick Wilson, as well as real estate developer Steven Plofker.

• See Related: Montclair Movie Theater Rises Like A Phoenix After Almost Closing

There were plans to do a huge renovation, including installing a bar on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor, which would have required approval from the local Zoning Board of Adjustment. But the group eventually announced that it hit a major speed bump amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The zoning board application was withdrawn in 2021. Read More: Plan To Save Beloved Montclair Theater Put On Ice Amid Pandemic

The theater’s supporters later announced that a plan for a lower-key revival was being launched.

• See Related: Plans To Revive Beloved Montclair Movie Theater Back On Track
• See Related: New Plan For Bellevue Theater Gets A Green Light

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