Tampa movie theater sees bright future ahead in 2026

At a time when it seemed like curtains for the movie theater industry, Tampa cinema owners Shana David-Massett and Tim Massett made going to the movies cool again with their unique, boutique Sun Ray Cinema. 

Their PeeWee’s Playhouse-themed movie palace is tucked into the unlikeliest of places: unattached and to the west of the former University Mall, behind Sprouts and Portillos at 12322 University Mall Court. 

Sun Ray Cinemas opened its quirky doors to Tampa’s University area around Christmas 2024. The business spent the year gathering a cult following of its own, screening a carefully-curated mix of obscure, arthouse titles and blockbuster releases. 

It was a risk opening a new movie theater post-Covid, particularly in a part of Tampa that’s seen multiple failed redevelopments. But the couple had “proof positive” that their concept could work, they say: their first Sun Ray Cinema in Jacksonville, which has a “Florida movie monster theme,” has been a date-night destination for nearly 15 years. 

The couple were already looking to expand when the old Look Dine-In Cinemas, which had been closed since Hurricane Milton, went on the market in late 2024. They not only took over the lease, but signed a 20-year extension. 

David-Massett admits there are times when the ever-changing plans for redeveloping University Mall become frustrating, but “good things take time — and I’m learning that’s a phrase that’s true,” she says. The latest plan is to turn the mall into a mixed-use development dubbed RITHM at Uptown with retail, entertainment, hospitality, education, medical, office space and residential units. 

Despite delays, David-Massett is thankful developers have opted to keep the mall and its existing tenants open throughout the entirety of the redevelopment process, she says. 

“Every mall in America is changing right now and I think this one, University Mall, is doing it in a way that makes sense,” David-Massett says. “It’s just a place that people have been going to forever and even as the stores exit they still keep coming back, and that’s why we were so confident in taking over this location for the long haul. We are continually impressed by how many people we see coming to the movies week after week.”

Big investment

Over the coming year, the Massetts look to invest up to $2 million in upgrades to the theater and have spent more than $500,000 already by swapping out recliners in five auditoriums and upgrading the sound system. The business has 25 employees. 

The funds are a combination of SBA loans and their own personal investment, as well as reinvesting nearly every dollar made back into the theater.

The duo has also overhauled the existing production equipment in the cinema, upgrading digital projectors and becoming the only theater in Tampa with both 35 millimeter and 70 millimeter projectors — a feat that has attracted a cult-like community of cinephiles from across the Tampa Bay area, David-Massett

“That way when directors like Christopher Nolan shoot a film specifically to be shown on 70 millimeter film, we’re one of like five or six theaters in the whole country where you can actually see it as he intended,” David-Massett says. “It’s really a proprietary thing where we can show you art films, independent films, experimental films that you couldn’t possibly see in your home or even at a big name movie theater anywhere else.”

Lots of choices

Equal attention is paid to Sun Ray Cinema’s concessions. , Cinephiles dine on Sun Ray’s full-service bar and menu favorites like The People’s BBQ Tofu Bahn Mi, a kimchi K-Pop hotdog, “swamp fries” smothered in kimchi, egg, queso, marinara and spirulina and sweet treats including vegan milkshakes. Once you order your concessions, Sun Ray staff will deliver your meal directly to your theater seat. 

Goals for the year ahead include replacing the seats in their final two auditoriums; installing a new 16 millimeter projector; and redesigning spaces where the theater can host large events like special screenings with the stars — a niche avenue for Sun Ray since it has the rights to show licensed content to the public. 

The couple is also working with USF to establish an internship program at Sun Ray Cinemas for their film and music nonprofit, Sleeping Giant. 

The rise of streaming platforms like Netflix don’t frighten Sun Ray owners. If anything, they say it’s given them more movies to choose from than ever before. 

“If we can just put those trailers for the movies that you wouldn't know are available in front of folks, and we can convince them that we're not going to rip them off when they go out and they’ll actually enjoy that movie, then we can go a long way,” David-Massett says. “We’re in the ‘going out’ business and going out will never go under. Everybody wants to go out, everybody wants to have a great experience when they do, and in 2026 I see us delivering on that promise better than ever before.”