The COVID-19 pandemic split most movie-going Americans into two groups: the nostalgia-seekers and the streaming converts.
For the former, the act of watching a movie in a theater, with limited titles to choose from, snacks that engage the senses, enveloping and transportive darkness, and the collective emotional experience, feels inexplicably simple. It was an activity that 1 in 3 three Americans said they really missed.
Perhaps it’s because the emergence of streaming services has made movie-viewing a more singular and isolating experience, focused on volume and convenience. A Nielsen survey from April 2022 found that nearly half of all streaming service customers find the increasing number of choices overwhelming. As of February 2022, there are more than 800,000 unique titles to stream across all platforms.
Despite the deluge of choices, nearly half of regular pre-pandemic moviegoers have not returned to the theater, and more than 60% of all Americans did not see a single movie in theaters in 2021, according to a Gallup poll.
Adults in the U.S. saw an average of 1.4 movies in a theater in the past 12 months compared to roughly five movies annually when the survey was last conducted. At the end of 2021, more than 600 movie theaters across the country remained closed due to the financial and operational impacts of the pandemic. About half of the shuttered theaters were small, with three screens or fewer.
Still, there are cinemas dotted around the country that survived and continue to bring new and old narratives to their communities, fostering a love for the art of film. Today, many theaters serve as cultural centers, not just movie theaters, bringing unique and diverse perspectives through film and expanding the use of their venues to host community events, lectures, and other performance arts.
Giggster compiled images of 15 unique movie theaters from around the country that continue to provide one-of-a-kind experiences for movie lovers of all kinds.
