On March 8, Sean Nekhaila, the new co-proprietor of the Tavernier Cinema 5, seemed on in amusement at moviegoers from behind the food stuff counter. A couple who had just acquired tickets to “The Batman” experienced acquired popcorn and were joking around.
“Hey, are you likely to give me some of that?” the person requested his woman companion.
“No,” she replied. She clutched the overflowing bag of popcorn to her chest with a mischievous glint in her eye and tiptoed away.
“Give me a little popcorn then,” he claimed to the theater’s counter staff, sighing in mock exasperation.
These times are just what the Nekhaila family members preferred to see immediately after finalizing their invest in of the Tavernier Cinema 5 3 months prior from the B&B Theatres franchise, the sixth most significant cinema chain in the U.S.
The Islamorada-dependent Nekhaila loved ones also possess other enterprises in the Keys (Island Grill, Dairy Queen, Wendy’s) and in other states, so they are utilised to the strategy of growing their empire. But Sean pointed out a sentimental explanation to purchase the theater.
“My dad desired to revive it for locals to have a thing to do on the weekends and come to feel risk-free,” he stated. “No a single was coming. B&B shut it down through COVID and the film theater enterprise was slower. But when (locals) know a community operator runs it, they’ll arrive in.”
Tavernier Cinema 5’s new operator, and Sean’s father, is Sam Nekhaila. He agreed with his son about the motion picture theater company recently currently being tough on franchises.
“B&B made the decision to pull out of the Keys,” Sam reported. “I was the initial proprietor, and I was approached or it would have shut. I determined we would acquire the time to make a lovely cinema and return it to the group. There is not a great deal to do for the little ones and the aged who may not be boating lovers. It is a nice number of hrs to spend in a interesting natural environment with electronic projection and Dolby surround seem. We owned the cinema from 1991 to 2001 as a two-plex, then expanded as a five-plex in 2001, which took about a 12 months and fifty percent to construct. In 2009, I diversified my organization, and I was no extended equipped to dedicate the time to the cinema in 2009. So I sold it to the operator B&B.”
Sam is satisfied with their order, as he has fond recollections of the former time he owned the cinema. “Seeing happy faces and kids taking pleasure in animated flicks like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Toy Story’ introduced me pleasure,” he mentioned.
Sean also has great memories from that time, all through which he was a youthful boy heading to Upper Keys schools.
“I was in the history as an 8-year-outdated and watching how items operate, this kind of as the 3D projector. That was neat,” he explained.
Father and son also agree on their all-time preferred motion picture: The Spider-Man movie series. But remember to, not with Andrew Garfield as Spidey.
“Tobey Maguire is the greatest,” Sean mentioned, smiling.
Tavernier Cinema 5 re-opened on March 1. New food offerings include things like warm canines, pizza, hamburgers and pretzels served by the similar employees. For approaching film-exhibiting schedules, go to the new internet site at taverniercinema5.com.
