Stepping into Alpine Cinemas is like stepping into the past.

While the movie on the big screen is new, the newly renovated theater is very old. Alpine opened in the Silent Movie era in June of 1921.

Nicolas Nicolaou bought the Bay Ridge institution 16 years ago and says it’s the oldest movie theater still open in the five boroughs.

What You Need To Know

  • Alpine Cinemas opened in 1921 during the silent movie era. The first film to every play there was "City of Silent Men"

  • Alpine boasts some of the lowest ticket prices in all of New York City. The most expensive is $10, but on Wednesdays, tickets are as low as $6

  • Alpine was closed for 15 months during the pandemic with no revenue coming in

  • The owner secured a low-interest loan and made some long-awaited renovations

“It’s a nice thing to sit down in a movie theater with 200 or 300 people,” said Nicolaou. “You don’t even know who they are, but you have a shared experience.”

It’s been a labor of love, but a difficult one. The building on 5th Avenue showed its age when he bought it.

“This place needs a lot of money, and I don’t have that kind of money,” said Nicolaou. “I’m gonna take a big mortgage, but I will not let the oldest movie theater in New York close the door and nobody cares.”

And the pandemic shut down made things tougher with no revenue stream for 15 months.

“In my 40 years of business, this is the first time that I thought I’m going under,” said Nicolaou.

But COVID did provide an opportunity: low interest federal loans and an empty theater where renovations could occur without interruption.

“We ordered in all the theaters these acoustical panels to give you the better-quality sound,” said Nicolaou.

Open to the community once again, Alpine is dealing with more pandemic fallout: an increase in people streaming from home and inflation.

But Nicolaou says he refuses to give up, “I came here with nothing and I’m still here. I have to be thankful to New Yorkers. This city is very special to me. I know how to survive, and I will.”

And he says that will mean keeping his ticket prices at $10 maximum.

“That’s the top price you’ll pay when you come to see Black Panther or any other movie. You can come here on Wednesdays. All tickets are $6,” said Nicolaou.

Retro prices in an old time renovated Bay Ridge theater for the whole city to enjoy.