Nitehawk Plans First Screening In Historic Pavilion Theater

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Nitehawk Cinema will open the doors to its long-awaited Prospect Park theater this weekend, but only for a select few. The company has planned a private screening for neighbors, family and friends to prepare for its grand opening in the next few weeks.

The screening is the first event Nitehawk has held inside the former Pavilion Theater since taking over the historic spot in 2016. It will serve as a kind of trial run for the new team of 150 staff members, a representative for the theater said.

"The upcoming private occasion is simply an opportunity for or team to hone service techniques and perfect how we provide our enhanced experience to seven theaters across three floors," Public Relations Manager Ashton Pina said.

Members of the 14th-Street Block Association, who have lived next to the theater's ongoing construction, have been invited to the special screening on Sunday along with other community members and family and friends of the new staff.

Pina said the exact date for a grand opening to the public will be announced "very soon" and will be in the upcoming weeks. He thanked the community for their patience and support, saying the team is applying the finishing touches to the 1920s space.

The private showing will appropriately feature a sequel theme, as the Prospect Park spot is Nitehawk's second location. It opened its first dine-in theater in Williamsburg in 2011.

Movies will include Magic Mike XXL, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doon, Adams Family Values and other sequels, Pina said.

Nitehawk first took over after a plan to turn it into a condo development was abandoned. Company owners have said the new spot will include 650 seats, seven screens, two kitchens and two bars once it opens.

Photo by Anna Quinn/Patch.