The history of Bow Tie Cinemas begins back in the year 1900, in the era of the Nickelodeon, when B.S. Moss began his long and illustrious career providing popular entertainment to the public.
The business of operating street front Nickelodeons quickly gave way to Vaudeville, which was the heart of B.S. Moss Theaters until the 1930s when B.S. Moss sold his last Vaudeville theater and dedicated himself fully to building and operating motion picture theaters.
B.S. Moss’ Theaters were the springboard of many famous vaudevillians. The former Colony Theater on Broadway was home to premieres and exclusive engagements of early Walt Disney films. The cartoon that launched Mickey Mouse to the world, Steamboat Willie, had its first showing here. The Colony also premiered Disney’s Fantasia, followed by an exclusive run of that film for more than a year in “Fantasound” a revolutionary sound process for the time.
In 1936, B.S. Moss opened the Criterion Theater, known then as The Theater of Tomorrow, on Broadway in the ‘bow tie’ of Times Square. The Criterion was the first motion picture theater built exclusively for the exhibition of talking motion pictures. It operated continuously for 63 years and was the home of several major New York film premiers including Sleeping Beauty, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Lawrence of Arabia and Alien.
Throughout the 20th Century, B.S. Moss Theaters provided entertainment to many, becoming what was then the largest independently-owned theater circuit in the New York Metropolitan Area.
Today, Bow Tie Cinemas, now a four generation family-owned company, is dedicated to “Bringing Style and Elegance Back to the Movie Going Experience(R)” . In each of its 55 locations and close to 400 screens, Bow Tie Cinemas provides the best possible presentation and service to its patrons, continuing in the tradition of its founder.
In November, 2004 stylish movie going returned to Downtown New Haven, CT, with the grand opening of the Criterion Cinemas(R). Twice expanded, the Criterion now boasts nine screens of first class entertainment in a classic 1936 building.
In 2006, Bow Tie Cinemas expanded again with the purchase of twelve theater locations in Connecticut and Maryland, and in the spring of 2007, first-run movies returned to Downtown Schenectady, NY with the opening of Movieland. In the fall of 2007, movies returned to the town center of West Hartford, CT, with the opening of Criterion Cinemas at Blue Back Square.
