Two cinemas sit across US-41 from each other at Vanderbilt Beach Road. Only one of them is showing films right now. The second-floor theater at Mercato has been dark since Alamo Drafthouse Cinema closed its only Florida location there on Sept. 9. Through the holidays, Paragon Theaters is running all ten screens at The Pavilion, 833 Vanderbilt Beach Road.
For a household in Pine Ridge Estates, this season is unusual. One building handles nearly all of the nearby moviegoing at its full ten-screen size. In early 2027 the same company opens across the highway, and The Pavilion gets smaller. Prices and formats will match on both sides of US-41, so after that the decision is mostly about which side of the road you want to spend the evening on.
Ten Screens at The Pavilion, for Now
Paragon kept The Pavilion at full size for the holidays on purpose. In a Naples Press interview, co-CEO and co-owner Michael Whalen explained the plan:
"We are still operating those four screens probably minimally until the end of the year because Mercato probably won't open until December or January. So, we'll continue to operate the 10 screens at Naples through the holiday."
The Pavilion already offers much of what will come to Mercato. Paragon's Pavilion showtimes page lists Axis15 Extreme, Luxury Recliners and a Directors Room screening. The Pavilion menu includes MyPi pizzas, bottled and draft beer, wine and a range of spirits. Pizza and a drink at your seat are already available on the north side of Vanderbilt Beach Road this season.
Why the Mercato Screens Went Quiet
The Mercato space has changed operators twice in about two years. Silverspot Cinema left in 2024, Alamo Drafthouse took over, and Alamo closed on Sept. 9. On Oct. 21, Mercato's leasing agent announced the next tenant. According to Gulfshore Business, Paragon will run an 11-screen cinema in the 33,700-square-foot space on Mercato's second floor and expects to open in early 2027. The Naples Daily News reported the same 2027 opening.
That date pushes the Mercato reopening past the holidays. As a result, the busiest weeks of the season will run through The Pavilion alone.
What the Second Floor Will Become
Gulfshore Business described a setup close to what Paragon already runs at The Pavilion.
- Lux Box seating: heated recliners with full table service
- MyPi Pizza: Paragon's in-house concept, made to order with dough made fresh daily
- A full bar: craft cocktails, wine and beer
- Two Axis15 Extreme premium large-format screens: tilted screens, 4K laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound
- The Director's Room: a private theater you can rent for personal screenings, sports viewing parties, corporate events and other gatherings
- Pricing: in line with Paragon's nearby locations, including $5 Ticket Tuesdays
Because pricing matches Paragon's nearby locations, a $5 Tuesday ticket will be available on both sides of US-41 once Mercato opens. The Director's Room will also give Mercato a private screening room for rent. It suits a holiday party, a family gathering around a big game, or a client evening, with Mercato's restaurants one floor down.
The Pavilion After Mercato Opens
Once Mercato is open, The Pavilion gets smaller. Whalen told Naples Press that his goal is 11 screens at Mercato and six at The Pavilion, 17 in Naples overall, which he called "the sweet spot."
The four screens being cut are in a separate 9,850-square-foot freestanding building at the rear northwest corner of the center. A hallway near the bar connects it to the main theater. The building has a long history of changes. It started as part of a ten-screen theater, shrank to six screens when Tuesday Morning moved in, and went back to ten after Paragon took over the former Tuesday Morning space.
Its next use is still open. Andrew Pressler, a leasing agent for The Pavilion's owner, Regency Centers, told Naples Press the center has the option to take the space back and lease it to another tenant. Whalen mentioned an indoor soccer operator, extra inventory space for the cycle shop already at the center, and a golf simulator business Paragon might run itself. Paragon finds the simulator idea attractive because the theater's kitchen, bar and restrooms are already in place, connected by that hallway.
The smaller Pavilion could also become a better fit for one annual event. Whalen said the Naples International Film Festival could use either location next year. In his words, a six-screen Pavilion "could just rent the whole place out." This year's festival ran Oct. 22 to 25 with Artis Naples.
Screenings That Aren't at a Multiplex
Between now and mid-January, these screenings have set dates:
| Date | Screening | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, Nov. 17, at dusk | Films Al Fresco, A Christmas Story | The Piazza at Mercato |
| Monday, Nov. 30, 4 p.m. | Four O'clock at the Movies, The Odyssey | Daniels Pavilion, Artis Naples |
| Tuesday, Dec. 1, 4 p.m. | Four O'clock at the Movies, The Odyssey | Daniels Pavilion, Artis Naples |
| Tuesday, Dec. 15, at dusk | Films Al Fresco, A Christmas Story | The Piazza at Mercato |
| Jan. 11 and 12, 4 p.m. | Four O'clock at the Movies, title to be announced | Daniels Pavilion, Artis Naples |
Films Al Fresco is Mercato's family movie night under the stars on the third Tuesday of every month. Mercato's calendar is the place to confirm each month's film before you go. The Piazza screenings run outdoors at the center while its indoor cinema is closed.
Four O'clock at the Movies runs as a late-afternoon series in Daniels Pavilion at Artis Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard. A 4 p.m. start leaves the evening open for dinner.
Regal Naples, at 6006 Hollywood Drive, is the other conventional multiplex in the area, with current listings and presales on its official page.
Starting on Pine Ridge Road
A matinee can start with brunch close to home. EJ's Meridian Cafe, at Meridian Marketplace, 3375 Pine Ridge Road, changed hands on Sept. 27. The new owners kept the name, the menu and the staff. "Everybody's staying. We're not changing anything," co-owner Danielle Desrosiers told Naples Press. The paper noted the eggs Benedict and her favorite, the Huevos Rancheros, as menu staples.
From there, the drive north to either theater ends on Vanderbilt Beach Road, which is under construction. Collier County is widening a 1.8-mile stretch from east of US-41 to near Fontana Del Sol Way, from four lanes to six, and rebuilding the intersections at Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank Road. Construction began in early June 2026 and is expected to take about two years. The county has scheduled a box-culvert phase for spring 2027. For about two months, it will cut traffic to one lane each way between Strada Place and Goodlette-Frank. That window could overlap with Paragon's early-2027 opening at Mercato. Before then, approaching from US-41 avoids that stretch. The county's project page has the current phase, and our earlier post on the Shoppes at Vanderbilt and the road work covers the timing of that corridor in more detail.
At The Resop Team, we follow how small changes like a lease signing or a lane closure affect evenings out across North Naples. If you're thinking about how places like The Pavilion and Mercato fit into a Pine Ridge Estates routine, The Resop Team would be glad to talk it through. Book an Appointment.
