Sun-Ray’s original location in Jacksonville’s 5 Points area. Credit: Photo via Sun-Ray Cinema/Facebook

A Florida-based movie theater with a focus on independent films, as well as big screen releases, will open next month at Tampa’s University Mall.

In a press release, Jacksonville’s Sun-Ray Cinema announced that it’s relocated to 12332 University Mall Ct. in the space formerly occupied by the recently-closed Look Dine-In Cinema.

Sun-Ray Cinema plans to open the new 10-screen theater next month, and like its predecessors, will also serve beer, wine and food from the space’s 4,000 square-foot kitchen.

“For years our ability to program all the films we wanted to play was severely limited by having only two screens. We now have TEN rooms to fill. CAN’T WAIT,” said Sun-Ray Cinema co-owner and programmer Tim Massett in a statement.

The space is currently being renovated, and will feature new upgrades like “comfortable recliners, new 4K laser projection in the larger rooms, an immersive sound system that will both play Atmos and DTS:x files as well as the installation of 16mm, 35mm & 70mm projectors,” says the release.

The new reel-to-reel projectors will make Sun-Ray Cinema the only film house in Tampa. As of today, Tampa Theatre currently has 35 mm projectors in the booth but they’re inoperable, a spokesperson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

Sun-Ray hasn’t released any information on food and drink offerings, but the previous location’s menu shows a wide range of pizzas and salads, as well as sides like fries, fried pickles, hummus, nachos and more.

The original Sun-Ray Cinema opened in Jacksonville in 2011, but was forced to close last summer after a developer purchased the property housing the theater.

The company says it will officially debut at its new home open on Wednesday, Dec. 11, with composer Jozef Van Wissem (“Only Lovers Left Alive”) performing a live score to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent, German vampire film “Nosferatu.”

Sun-Ray also says it also plans to show “Moana 2,” “Wicked” and indie films like the upcoming “Nightbitch,” starring Amy Adams.

Sun-Ray Cinema’s new home has played host to multiple movie theater companies over the years. Look Dine-In only occupied the space for about two years, and before that it was a Studio Movie Grill, which took over a failing Regal Cinema.

The University Mall is still undergoing a yet-to-be-completed, $100 million facelift, known as the Rithm at Uptown mixed-use neighborhood development.

The massive project already features a 359-unit USF off-campus housing development called Hub Tampa and Vū Tampa Bay; it will soon be home to the USF Institute of Applied Engineering, streaming agency Endorphinz and an extended stay Marriott hotel.

“Once complete, Rithm will be one of the largest innovation communities in the state with capacity for over 7 million square feet of development, including several thousand residential units,” says the company website.

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This article appears in Nov 21-27, 2024.