‘Worst movie theater in USA’ reborn as swank dine-in cinema

For years, residents of Park Slope could not stop talking about the Pavilion Cinema, but their chatter was for all the wrong reasons. Topics of conversation often centered around the joint’s busted projectors, bedbugs living in the seats, rodent sightings and theaters that were freezing in winter and stifling in summer. The movie house was a dump and, short of Harvey Weinstein’s private screening-room, one of the world’s worst places in which to watch a flick.

The year 2016 marked a second inglorious end for a neighborhood movie-theater that opened as the elegant Sanders in 1928, then got shuttered in 1978 when it served as a money laundering front (the owners claimed to have a thriving business there when they didn’t). After being abandoned for more than a decade, the theater reopened in 1996 as the Pavilion. After puttering along, the small theater became a target of Yelpers, who were not shy in expressing opinions on the rapidly deteriorating place. “This theater just sucks … I’ve never walked into a clean theater [there],” wrote one. Another crowned it “the worst movie theater in the USA — the manager is an idiot.”

But that has all changed. Today marks the opening of Nitehawk Prospect Park, a state-of-the-art, seven-screen theater behind Pavilion’s landmarked facade. The Nitehawk’s flagship is in Williamsburg and it ranks among the pioneers of the dine-while-you-watch movie concept, complete with comfy seats and thoughtful programming. Nitehawk founder Matthew Viragh oversaw the two-year gutting and renovation of the Pavilion.

He’s outfitted the place with 35 millimeter projectors — used for showing vintage films made in the larger, superior-to-view format (at a pre-opening preview, “The Godfather Part II” looked exquisite) — and put in a lounge that contains disco-worthy speakers. The revamped theater now stands as a place where you actually want to be, thanks to comfy seats and top-flight screening equipment.

Through the course of the redo, new owner Viragh discovered that the rodents were more than just a nasty rumor.

“There were giant rats — and they did not scatter when the lights went on,” he tells The Post. “They sauntered down the hallways as if they owned the place. It was scary! They had been living there for years.”

While a screening of rat-centric “Ben” is not in the offing, Viragh does plan on using the 35 millimeter projectors — one of which was purchased from Martin Scorsese — to maintain a robust program of classic films. Vintage posters adorning the walls might hint at what we can expect: There’s a promo for “Blow-Up” and another for “Casino Royale.” A “Star Wars” one-sheet has pride of place and the most interesting provenance.

“It originally hung in this theater,” says Viragh. “Our general manager in Williamsburg used to work at the Pavilion and he took the ‘Star Wars’ poster, frame and everything, when he quit. But he gave it back to us.”

The food menu is promising: queso-topped Tater Tots, fish tacos and Dr Pepper-braised short ribs. Plus, there are dishes, such as the “Aquaman” Surface vs Sea, with beef and shrimp sliders, that specifically tie into movies. Cocktails include the Green Book, made with old-school Cutty Sark. The high-tech payment system allows in-seat meals to be charged directly to your credit card, negating the presentation of bills just as movie-action peaks.

More retro touches include the Sanders’ original marble stairs (formerly buried under layers of carpeting) made from the same material as the steps of Grand Central Terminal. Ornate ceiling details have been uncovered as has the original balcony that dates back to the 1920s. The marquee is time-tripped to an approximation of its original state, complete with red neon lacing.

“This theater was a sleeping giant,” says Viragh, whose first movie viewed at the new place was “Drive” with Ryan Gosling. “We just needed to peel back the layers.”