The former general manager of Marblehead’s Warwick Theater is publicly accusing the movie house’s ownership group of failing to pay employees, movie studios and vendors despite bringing in more than $500,000 in ticket and concession revenue during the first eight months of 2026. Former GM Tim Nasson shared with the Current a performance report supporting that $500K figure. (See the document at the bottom of this article.)
Nasson, who says he left his position Sept. 1 after repeated disputes over unpaid bills and wages, alleges that the theater and its operators, including Johnny Ray and ANH Restaurant and Entertainment Group LLC, have accumulated more than $150,000 in outstanding obligations to movie distributors and other businesses.
Nasson says the theater generated more than $500,000 between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, not including revenue from special events.
His central question: Where did the money go?
Nasson said the theater continued generating revenue while falling further behind on payments to the companies that supply its movies, concessions and other services.
Among those allegedly owed money are major movie studios, Coca-Cola and the theater’s popcorn supplier. Nasson said a check to Coca-Cola bounced and that the company had not been paid in approximately three months. Emails from several movie companies and Coca-Cola complaining about overdue payments were shared with the Current.
He also alleges that employees, including teenagers hired for the summer, went without wages they earned.
According to Nasson, three young employees were each owed approximately $1,000 at one point last summer. He said the theater’s financial situation became so precarious that he had to pay his teenage workers directly from cash register after their shifts.
“It’s not run like a business,” Nasson said.
Owners respond to allegations
Saturday afternoon, The Warwick posted to its Facebook page the following message:
“We sincerely apologize for any recent interruptions or delays in service as we transition into a new business model. We are aware of the rumors and speculation circulating on Facebook and want to assure our friends, neighbors, and loyal patrons that Warwick Cinemas is NOT closing, and neither is The Beacon Restaurant & Bar! In other words, to borrow a famous phrase, ‘The rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated!’”
It is signed: “The Management and Staff of Warwick Cinemas and The Beacon Restaurant & Bar.”
Ray, one of the owners of ANH Restaurant and Entertainment Group LLC, which operates the Warwick and The Beacon restaurant, did not directly address Nasson’s allegations about unpaid employees and vendors.
“It saddens me to see the commentary on social media regarding the businesses I helped build,” Ray wrote in a text message to the Current. “I can tell you that since moving on to other ventures over a year ago, my role at the Beacon has been significantly diminished, so I feel it would be more appropriate for those currently running the business to speak to you directly about anything that’s happening now. I do know that there are no plans in place to close either business. Regarding the theater, I’ve been advocating for the Warwick to transition to nonprofit status for the past couple of years. I sincerely hope this possibility will finally be given serious consideration, as I believe it would better serve itself and the community that way.”
Co-owner Edgar Alleyne acknowledged past payroll problems but said the company has addressed them and is working to stabilize its businesses.
In an interview with the Current, Alleyne said he separated his responsibilities from those of his partners in January, focusing primarily on The Beacon while Ray and Nasson oversaw theater operations.
“Johnny and Tim are running the theater,” Alleyne said.
Alleyne said he was stunned by some of the allegations and public comments surrounding the business.
“I’m at a loss for words,” he said. “I was absolutely floored by some of it. I don’t even know how to react.”
He characterized Nasson as disgruntled and said the financial dispute between Nasson and Ray was for them to resolve.
“That total amount owed to Nasson is for him and Johnny to hash out,” Alleyne said.
Addressing allegations that employees had not been paid, Alleyne said his family had invested additional money in the company to resolve outstanding payroll obligations.
“My family infused the company with dollars,” he said.
Alleyne maintained that employees who had been owed money months earlier had been paid and said ensuring workers receive their wages remains his top priority.
He acknowledged that the company sometimes falls behind on payments to vendors.
“Sometimes, we’re late,” he said.
Alleyne estimated it would take 36 months to get the business on stable financial footing, although he did not elaborate on specific financial goals.
“The Beacon is doing OK,” he said. “The Beacon has gotten itself out of a hole.”
He added, “There’s nothing to hide here.”
Dispute over theater’s future
Nasson, who operates his own company booking films for theaters around the country, said he initially believed he could help turn the Warwick around. Instead, he became increasingly frustrated by what he described as a pattern of broken financial commitments.
He estimates he is personally owed tens of thousands of dollars.
“I thought if I could save it, it was worth losing $40,000,” he said.
Nasson said he ultimately offered to take over the theater’s operations and pay ANH $7,000 a month, but Alleyne rejected the proposal.
Ray suggested that this isn’t the first time Nasson has had trouble with a theater owner.
He pointed to a September 2024 report in The Justice, Brandeis University’s student newspaper, about a dispute involving Nasson and the Embassy Theater in Waltham.
That dispute involved contractual obligations, control of digital accounts and conflicting public statements about whether the Embassy had permanently closed. The theater’s owner, Smaranda Maria Albeck, challenged Nasson’s statements and actions, according to the report.
Ray said he saw similarities between that dispute and the current controversy at the Warwick.
Nasson disagrees and maintains that his concerns about the Warwick stem from unpaid financial obligations and the theater’s long-term viability.
At the Warwick, Nasson said he spent months negotiating with vendors and looking for ways to address mounting debt.
Now, he says, he is focused on recovering what he is owed and drawing attention to employees and businesses he believes have been left unpaid.
Ray said he had heard the Warwick would resume operations later this month with classic horror movies.
He reiterated his support for converting the theater into a nonprofit, arguing that the change could help preserve it as a community institution.
Fundraiser payment dispute
The controversy comes amid a separate complaint involving The Beacon.
Victoria Addonizia recently accused the restaurant in a Facebook post of failing to forward proceeds from a June 6 fundraiser honoring her late brother, Austin, to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“It has been nearly four months since June 6th, when The Beacon Restaurant in Marblehead hosted a fundraiser honoring my late brother Austin, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has still not received the promised proceeds,” Addonizia wrote.
She said her family had repeatedly contacted the restaurant seeking payment.
“Our family has reached out to their management more than five times to resolve this privately,” Addonizia wrote. “Each time, we were brushed off with excuses to ‘give it another week.’”
Addonizia described the emotional impact on her family and the community members who participated in the fundraiser.
“Our community showed up with full hearts to honor Austin, celebrate his life, and support the critical mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,” she wrote. “Every single dollar raised in Austin’s memory is vital to helping individuals living with CF. It is incredibly painful that a business would profit off our family’s loss and continuously ignore their commitment to a cause that means everything to us.”
Addonizia subsequently reported that The Beacon paid the outstanding proceeds and then matched the amount to total $800 after she publicized the complaint.
“I would never do business with them again,” she told the Current.
