Historic Movie Theaters in All 50 States

There is something special about walking into a movie theater that has been welcoming audiences for generations. The screen may be digital now, and the seats are probably a lot more comfortable, but some of these places still look and feel like a trip back in time.

The history of film stretches back to the late 1800s. One of the earliest surviving motion-picture recordings, the brief Roundhay Garden Scene, was filmed in Leeds, England, in 1888. Within a few decades, dedicated movie theaters were opening across the United States. Some of those early cinemas survived, even as the entertainment business changed around them.

We picked one historic movie theater from every state, noting its opening date, location, and what makes it notable today. This is not a definitive list of the single oldest continuously operating cinema in each state. Some theaters have closed temporarily, been rebuilt or changed names, while others now focus on concerts and live performances. If you are planning a visit, check the theater's current schedule first.

Movie Theater: Capri Theatre (formerly the Clover Theatre). Opened: 1941. Location: 1045 E Fairview Ave, Montgomery, AL 36106. The theater began life as the Clover and later adopted the Capri name.

Movie Theater: Porcupine Theater (formerly the Homer Theatre). Opened: 1956. Location: 106 W Pioneer Ave, Homer, AK 99603. The longtime Homer cinema took the Porcupine name under new ownership in 2024 and now hosts movies and other events.

Movie Theater: El Rio Theatre. Opened: 1915. Location: 15 W Main St, Springerville, AZ 85938. This small-town theater still schedules regular movie screenings.

Movie Theater: Scott Theater. Opened: 1930. Location: 281 S Main St, Waldron, AR 72958. The theater identifies itself as the oldest operating movie house in Arkansas.

Movie Theater: Minor Theatre. Opened: December 3, 1914. Location: 1001 H St, Arcata, CA 95521. This Arcata landmark dates to the silent-film era.

Movie Theater: Historic Park Theatre. Opened: 1913. Location: 130 Moraine Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517. The historic cinema continues to host movies and special events.

Movie Theater: Bantam Cinema & Arts Center. Opened: 1927. Location: 115 Bantam Lake Rd, Bantam, CT 06750. This venue has operated under different names and programming models over the years.

Movie Theater: Clayton Theatre. Opened: 1949. Location: 33246 Main St, Dagsboro, DE 19939. The single-screen theater is a longstanding fixture of Dagsboro.

Movie Theater: Tampa Theatre. Opened: October 15, 1926. Location: 711 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602. The landmark movie palace completed a major auditorium restoration in 2026 and continues to screen films and host events.

Movie Theater: Plaza Theatre. Opened: 1939. Location: 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306. The Plaza is a longtime independent cinema in Atlanta.

Movie Theater: Historic Palace Theater. Opened: October 26, 1925. Location: 38 Haili St, Hilo, HI 96720. The century-old movie palace screens independent, classic, and occasional silent films alongside live performances.

Movie Theater: Panida Theater. Opened: 1927. Location: 300 N 1st Ave, Sandpoint, ID 83864. The restored venue presents films alongside concerts and community events.

Movie Theater: Mar Theatre. Opened: 1937. Location: 121 S Main St, Wilmington, IL 60481. A longstanding community movie house in downtown Wilmington.

Movie Theater: Historic Artcraft Theatre. Opened: November 1, 1922. Location: 57 N Main St, Franklin, IN 46131. The theater is known for classic films and special screenings.

Movie Theater: State Theatre. Opened: May 14, 1897. Location: 123 E Washington St, Washington, IA 52353. Guinness World Records recognizes the State Theatre as the oldest continuously operating cinema theatre.

Movie Theater: Plaza 1907 (formerly Plaza Grill and Cinema). Opened: May 22, 1907. Location: 209 S Main St, Ottawa, KS 66067. The theater still shows films and is recognized for its exceptionally long cinema history.

Movie Theater: Kentucky Theatre. Opened: October 4, 1922. Location: 214 E Main St, Lexington, KY 40507. The historic Lexington theater remains a film and cultural venue.

Movie Theater: Prytania Theatre. Opened: January 15, 1915. Location: 5339 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115. This neighborhood movie house remains an important part of New Orleans film culture.

Movie Theater: Alamo Theatre. Opened: 1916. Location: 85 Main St, Bucksport, ME 04416. The historic building was restored and is associated with Northeast Historic Film; it has not operated without interruption since 1916.

Movie Theater: Senator Theatre. Opened: October 5, 1939. Location: 5904 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212. Baltimore’s Art Deco movie palace continues to show films.

Movie Theater: Somerville Theatre. Opened: 1914. Location: 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144. Originally a theater for stage entertainment, the Davis Square landmark later became known for movie screenings.

Movie Theater: Michigan Theater. Opened: January 5, 1928. Location: 603 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The restored movie palace is a landmark of downtown Ann Arbor.

Movie Theater: Comet Theater. Opened: 1939. Location: 102 S River St, Cook, MN 55723. The cinema suffered serious flooding in June 2024 and resumed limited screenings in 2025; current movie schedules may be intermittent.

Movie Theater: Hattiesburg Saenger Theater. Opened: Thanksgiving Day, 1929. Location: 201 Forrest St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401. Originally a movie palace, the Saenger now primarily hosts stage performances and occasional film screenings.

Movie Theater: Hi-Pointe Theatre. Opened: 1922. Location: 1005 S McCausland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117. This neighborhood movie theater has served St. Louis for more than a century.

Movie Theater: Roman Theater. Opened: 1917. Location: 120 Broadway Ave S, Red Lodge, MT 59068. The Roman continues to screen movies in Red Lodge.

Movie Theater: Dundee Theater. Opened: 1925. Location: 4952 Dodge St, Omaha, NE 68132. The Dundee is a restored neighborhood cinema with a long history.

Movie Theater: Fallon Theatre. Opened: 1920. Location: 71 S Maine St, Fallon, NV 89406. The historic theater is the subject of an ongoing community restoration effort; event and film schedules may vary.

Movie Theater: Colonial Theatre. Opened: 1915. Location: 2050 Main St, Bethlehem, NH 03574. This historic venue offers film and other seasonal programming.

Movie Theater: Dunellen Theatre. Opened: May 1922. Location: 458 North Ave, Dunellen, NJ 08812. The current building opened as Hosford’s Theatre; although films were shown in Dunellen as early as 1911, the venue today primarily hosts live music.

Movie Theater: Fountain Theatre. Opened: 1905 (films by 1912). Location: 2469 Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla, NM 88046. The historic venue began with stage shows and later added movies; it now hosts independent and other specialty films.

Movie Theater: Manlius Cinema. Opened: December 6, 1918. Location: 135 E Seneca St, Manlius, NY 13104. The theater continues to screen new releases and repertory films.

Movie Theater: Gem Theatre. Opened: December 31, 1936. Location: 111 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081. The theater was later rebuilt following a fire, so its current structure does not date entirely to the original opening.

Movie Theater: Scenic Theatre. Opened: 1911. Location: 419 Main St, Lisbon, ND 58054. This theater is a historic part of downtown Lisbon.

Movie Theater: Athena Cinema. Opened: 1915. Location: 20 S Court St, Athens, OH 45701. A longstanding art-house cinema in downtown Athens.

Movie Theater: Liberty Theatre. Opened: 1917. Location: 9 W Main St, Carnegie, OK 73015. The theater still screens films and bills itself as Oklahoma’s oldest continually operating movie house.

Movie Theater: Avalon Theatre. Opened: 1935 under the Avalon name. Location: 3451 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97214. Earlier known as the Sunnyside Theatre, the venue was reintroduced as the Avalon in the 1930s and combines movie screenings with amusement games.

Movie Theater: Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre. Opened: 1934. Location: 4540 Shankweiler Rd, Orefield, PA 18069. One of the country’s oldest surviving drive-in movie theaters, it represents a different kind of historic cinema.

Movie Theater: Avon Cinema. Opened: February 1938. Location: 260 Thayer St, Providence, RI 02906. The building previously housed the short-lived Toy Theatre in 1915; the Avon has operated under its present identity since 1938.

Movie Theater: Sylvia Theater. Opened: 1939. Location: 27 N Congress St, York, SC 29745. This York landmark has served moviegoers and audiences for decades.

Movie Theater: Strand Theatre. Opened: December 23, 1916. Location: 703 Main St, Britton, SD 57430. A historic cinema serving the community of Britton.

Movie Theater: Strand Theatre. Opened: 1915. Location: 222 Church St, Tiptonville, TN 38079. The theater continues to post movie showtimes and describes itself as Tennessee’s oldest operating movie theater.

Movie Theater: Cliftex Theatre. Opened: 1916. Location: 306 W 5th St, Clifton, TX 76634. Known earlier as the Queen Theatre, it remains an active cinema and is often cited as the oldest continuously operating movie house in Texas.

Movie Theater: Casino Star Theatre. Opened: 1912. Location: 78 S Main St, Gunnison, UT 84634. This century-old theater remains a prominent Gunnison landmark.

Movie Theater: Playhouse Movie Theatre (originally the Strand). Opened: August 4, 1919. Location: 11 S Main St, Randolph, VT 05060. The purpose-built theater opened as the Strand and continues to show films as the Playhouse.

Movie Theater: Byrd Theatre. Opened: 1928. Location: 2908 W Cary St, Richmond, VA 23221. The ornate movie palace remains a favorite Richmond landmark.

Movie Theater: Ruby Theatre. Opened: 1914. Location: 135 E Woodin Ave, Chelan, WA 98816. The historic theater stands in downtown Chelan.

Movie Theater: Robey Theatre. Opened: 1911 at its current location. Location: 318 Main St, Spencer, WV 25276. Hamond Robey began presenting movies in 1907, but the current theater building opened in 1911.

Movie Theater: Oriental Theatre. Opened: July 2, 1927. Location: 2230 N Farwell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202. A historic movie palace now best known for independent and specialty cinema.

Movie Theater: Cody Theatre. Opened: 1936. Location: 1171 Sheridan Ave, Cody, WY 82414. Originally a movie house, the Cody Theatre is now used primarily for live productions, although the venue retains movie-screening equipment.