Nitehawk Cinema • Established 2018 • Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Nitehawk Cinema is New York’s premier dine-in theater, pairing exemplary first-run and repertory film programming along with tableside food and beverage service.

Nitehawk strives to enhance the cinematic experience with a creative framework by providing a specialty menu with fresh, local ingredients inspired by the films we love; archival 35mm projection; and special guest Q&As.

Our weekend brunch and midnite repertory screenings span a wide range of films, from 35mm rarities to new independent features. Each of our screenings begin with a house-made thirty-minute “pre-show” filled with content inspired by the film.

Nitehawk Prospect Park houses seven screens, with theaters ranging in size from 48 seats to 194 seats. Nitehawk’s upstairs bar offers full-service food and drinks, and features handcrafted cocktails, local brews and spirits from regional distillers.

The history of 188 Prospect Park West
One of the oldest buildings in New York that has continuously housed a movie theater, this location originally opened in August 1928 as The Sanders Theatre with 1,581 seats and a single screen. The Sanders existed until 1978 when it closed and the building sat unoccupied for nearly two decades.

The building was renovated and reopened as The Pavilion Theatre in 1996 with three screens, 600 seats and a cafe on the second floor. The capacity was eventually expanded to nine screens with 1,350 seats and the building was included in the 2012 Park Slope Historic District Extension by the Landmark Preservation Commission.

After closing in 2016, the Pavilion underwent an extensive two year renovation, reopening in December 2018 as Nitehawk Prospect Park, with seven screens, 650 seats and in theater table service, as well as two bars. Many original aspects of The Sanders have been preserved, including marble stairs that were hidden beneath carpeting, original plasterwork and a balcony dating back to the 1920s.

We Changed the Law
Setting a historical precedent, Nitehawk Cinema is single-handedly responsible for the groundbreaking overturn of the prohibition-era New York State liquor law that made serving alcohol in motion picture theaters illegal. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the new law allowing moviegoers to enjoy an adult beverage at their theater seats a mere three months after the Cinema’s opening date; and thus, a new era of boozy film viewing in Brooklyn (and beyond) began!

Nitehawk opens 30 minutes before the first showtime of the day.