It's been over a year since the Bethel Cinema succumbed to the pandemic and closed their doors, but now the movie theater is set to reopen under new ownership.

It had been a staple for independent movies and features for the past 15 years. In April 2020, the owners of the Bethel Cinema, Pam Karpen and Ken Karlan made the announcement that the theater would be closing, but they were hopeful that someone would step up and take over the theater.

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Well this has happened as Bethel’s Jaimie Lockwood announced on Facebook the other day that she and her husband Frank plan on reopening the cinema, but with a name change. When it reopens, the new theater will be know as Greenwood Features.

Here's what Jamie Lockwood posted on Facebook to let the community know about the Cinema reopening:

Hi neighbors,
As some of you have heard, the theater will be returning to Bethel. My husband and I recently purchased the cinema and hope to re-open in a few short months.

According to newstimes.com, the Lockwood's are no strangers to operating a business. They are the owners of Reverie Brewing Co. in Newtown and as part of the plan for the new Greenwood Features, they intend on selling their brewery's beer at the new theater.

The former Bethel Cinema was one of the few independent movie theaters in the state, and the new plan, according to Lockwood's Facebook post, is to keep all the things people loved about the Cinema and also to make the space more memorable for movie goers.

The Lockwood's also have created a new Facebook page for people to be able to follow the transition, and get the latest Greenwood Features news.

Right now, there is no set date for the opening, but based on the local reaction around Bethel, people seemed to be very happy that the theater is returning to the town.

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