Coming soon: Tribeca Cinemas.

Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, three of the co-founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, have acquired The Screening Room located at 54 Varick St. and have set up a new business entity, Tribeca Cinemas, that will operate The Screening Room.

Tribeca Cinemas has acquired the business assets of The Screening Room from previous owners Henry Hershkowitz, Steven Kantor and Nancy Yaffa. Tribeca Cinemas has entered into a long-term lease arrangement with the landlord Mazda Realty Associates, LLC for the 14,000 square foot space that has been occupied by The Screening Room for the past seven years of operation. Tribeca Cinemas will have the option to renew the lease through 2023.

The space contains three screening rooms, the largest of which seats 130 people, in addition to a 101-seat theater and a smaller, 15-seat space. The facilities also include a full-service restaurant. De Niro's nearby Tribeca Film Center, located at 375 Greenwich Street, currently operates a 70-seat screening facility.

"The location and the facilities of the Screening Room area perfect strategic fit for all of our activities," said actor and entrepreneur Robert De Niro.

Tribeca Cinemas partner Craig Hatkoff, added, "The transaction will preserve the legacy of the previous owners, as well as The Screening Room's landlord Amram Nowak's desire to maintain the facilities' current use.

"The previous owners built The Screening Room into a signature New York dining and film-viewing experience. We intend to carry on that tradition." The only immediate modifications to the space are expected to be cosmetic, as the space remains in excellent condition. Currently Tribeca Cinemas does not expect to operate a full-scale restaurant but rather support screenings with a unique hospitality and catering capability.

"In addition to its commercial potential, The Screening Room will also enable us to help support the non-profit Tribeca Film Institute and the growing needs of the Tribeca Film Festival," said Jane Rosenthal. "The acquisition of The Screening Room will provide some of the much-needed additional capacity for screenings and hospitality events during the Tribeca Film Festival that last year attracted 325,000 visitors to the streets of Lower Manhattan."

"This will also enable us to expand the Institute's programming of screenings, panels and other educational and cultural events on a year-round basis," Rosenthal continued. "It is a vote of confidence in the ability to renew downtown as a major cultural center for the arts."