The marquee at 430 Plandome Road is still blank, and nobody has announced an opening date. The paperwork has been moving, though. On October 23, 2026, a company called Assemble Cinemas LLC filed an application with the New York State Liquor Authority for that address under the name Manhasset Cinemas. The state's pending-license dataset shows it as application NA-0370-26-131677, with a status of "IntakeComplete."
That is an application, not a license, and it doesn't say what will be poured or when. It is still the newest dated step in a project that took about four months to go from a civic-association presentation to an operator lining up staff and state paperwork. Read in order, the filings show a theater getting ready to operate. What's still open is what kind of evening it will offer.
Four months, in the order it happened
| Date | Step | Where it was reported |
|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Jack Heller of Assemble Cinemas Holdings LLC presents a restoration plan to the Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations | Long Island Press, June 19 |
| July 27, 2026 | Purchase of the theater and the corner retail space next door closes for $3 million | Long Island Press, Newsday |
| Early August 2026 | Debris removal begins inside the closed building | Newsday |
| Fall 2026 | Assemble's site says "closed for renovations" and lists a jobs page | assemblecinemas.com |
| October 23, 2026 | Liquor Authority application received for 430 Plandome Road | NYS Open Data |
The June meeting is where the plan first went public. Long Island Press reported that Heller described upgraded projection and sound, filmmaker discussions, family programming and free community events. According to Greater Council President Andrew Schwenk, residents at the meeting supported the idea. The same report noted that parking and the connection to the area's new sewer infrastructure still had to be worked out.
By August the deal had closed. Newsday reported that Heller, who leads the film production company Assemble Media, paid $3 million for the 15,500-square-foot theater plus the corner retail space next to it, and that he had already started clearing debris from the building. Clem Coté of Sovereign Realty Group, who arranged the sale, gave Newsday a line that sums up why the project gets so much attention locally:
"For anyone who lives in this area, this is really the only place to go" to watch a movie.
Ninety years of operators, one address
The new owner is taking on a building with a long history. Long Island Press reported that the theater opened in November 1936 as a single-screen Art Deco house. Over the decades it was run by Skouras, Century, United Artists, Clearview and Bow Tie. At some point it became a three-screen theater, and that is how it stood when it sold.
Assemble is leaning into that history. Its homepage opens with "A movie theater since 1936" and asks residents to send in memories and photos of the theater, which it says it wants to honor "as part of what comes next." Heller described the purchase as a first step toward something bigger in a statement quoted by Long Island Press:
"This first phase of renovations marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, with a long-term vision to transform the property into a premier entertainment destination featuring best-in-class exhibition technology, elevated guest experiences, and a lasting commitment to serving and strengthening the local community."
The words "first phase" matter here. The reopening and the long-term plan are two separate things. A theater can open its doors before any of the bigger features arrive.
The Southampton template
Heller has done this once before, so there's a model for what "elevated guest experiences" can mean. Long Island Press reported that the Manhasset plan follows the restored Southampton Playhouse, another historic Long Island theater he helped redevelop.
The Southampton Playhouse schedule shows that model in practice. It mixes first-run releases with repertory titles and special events, including filmmaker forums, an East End cinema series and a free community screening. It advertises IMAX and Dolby Atmos showings. Its Monday Mystery Movie series sells tickets for $5.
Manhasset hasn't been promised any of those specific formats or prices. Here's what has been announced for 430 Plandome Road and what hasn't:
Announced
- Renovation under way, with the theater reopening as Manhasset Cinemas
- A "First Act" film lineup "coming in a matter of weeks"
- Upgraded projection and sound, filmmaker discussions, family programming and free community events, as described to the civic council in June
- A Liquor Authority application received October 23, 2026
Not yet announced
- An opening date or the first films
- Ticket prices
- Food, bar or concession plans
- Whether the three-screen layout will change
The quickest way to hear about the first lineup is the email sign-up on Assemble Cinemas' site, which promises "opening news." The company also posts on Instagram and TikTok.
The Miracle Mile is waiting on its own opening
The theater isn't the only big evening spot in Manhasset with a target instead of a date. On the Miracle Mile, Tony's Di Napoli is building out the former TGI Fridays at 1445 Northern Boulevard. It will be the family-style Italian restaurant's first location outside the five boroughs.
In July, Long Island Press reported that the restaurant was aiming to open "around Thanksgiving." Third-generation owner Stuart Wetanson told the paper the restaurant "will not be taking any holiday reservations at this location until we are more certain everything is tracking on schedule." The same report described a restaurant with more than 400 seats, multiple dining rooms, an oversized semi-open kitchen, a bar and lounge, private dining, a takeout counter and coat check. Wetanson said the bigger kitchen will let them make "some new dishes we never offered in the city." Gallery walls will show pieces from the race car memorabilia collection of his grandfather, Herb Wetanson.
So both projects are in the same spot. Each has a public target, Thanksgiving for Tony's and "a matter of weeks" for the theater's lineup, and neither has a date anyone can book. If both land on schedule, Manhasset could gain a 400-seat dinner room on Northern Boulevard and a working three-screen theater on Plandome Road within the same holiday season.
Dated plans for the weeks in between
While the theater and Tony's work toward opening, these Manhasset events already have dates on the calendar:
- Sunday, November 1, 2 to 3:30 p.m.: Diwali for Families Celebration in the Manhasset Public Library Community Room. The calendar lists it as a community event, not a library-sponsored program.
- November 2 to 7: Festival of Lights take-home craft kits for children at the library. Registration is required.
- November 5: The library's Book in a Bag group meets for a story-related game, prizes and snacks.
- November 21 and 22, 1 to 5 p.m.: A Tiffany & Co. ICONS Collection event at Americana Manhasset, 2060 Northern Boulevard.
- December 3 to 5: Champions for Charity at Americana Manhasset, where 25% of qualifying full-price purchases go to participating nonprofits chosen by shoppers.
As for the theater, Assemble says its First Act lineup is coming in a matter of weeks, and its sign-up list is where it promises opening news.
Plandome Road's storefronts set the tone for the whole town, and a lit marquee at number 430 changes how that block looks on a December evening. If you're thinking about how your own home on these streets would present to buyers this season, Amy Liu offers a free home valuation and staging consultation, in English or Mandarin, built around what's opening near you.
