The Sun and Surf Cinema opened on 143rd Street and Coastal Highway in August 1972. A favorite rainy day experience for both locals and summer visitors, the popular theater featured first run movies for over 50 years. Movies such as Jaws, The Godfather, Forrest Gump and Top Gun Maverick were only a few that were shown over the course of its existence. The highlight for the Sun and Surf occurred on April 11, 1986 when it hosted the world premiere of “Violets are Blue,” the Sissy Spacek movie filmed on location in Ocean City.
The Sun and Surf Cinema closed forever on Sept. 5, 2022, leaving Ocean City with just one movie theater, the Fox Gold Coast on 113th Street, but another in West Ocean City called Flagship Cinemas. In July 2023 the Sun and Surf building was demolished with plans to construct 56 townhouses on the former site.
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