The Oldest Movie Theaters Still Showing Films In America

In a world of at-home streaming and 4D, vibrating La-Z-Boy cinemas, it's nice to know that some theatres are still screening films the old fashioned way. The oldest operating movie theater, not only in the United States but the outright Guinness World Record holder, is the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa.

Bringing motion pictures to mass audiences since May 14th, 1897, this stately red-brick theatre is approaching 130 years of continual operation. Many such single-screen theatres opened in America between the late 19th and early 20th century, but few of those industry leaders have survived the test of time.

Thankfully, a handful of these historic movie theatres are still standing, and still showing films to dedicated cinephiles. So silence your phones, grab some popcorn, and escape into the world of classic cinema, not only at the State Theatre, but other functioning theatres across America.

Enjoy the show!

State Theatre in Washington, IA - 1897

Rather than Hollywood or Broadway, the oldest movie theatre in America that still shows films resides in the heart of the Midwest.

Located two hours east of Des Moines, in the small city of Washington, Iowa, the State Theatre has been going strong since its first screening on May 14th, 1897 — when tickets cost between 15 and 35 cents! In fact, the State Theatre holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest continuously operating cinema.

This quaint, two-story, red-brick building with a branded and boastful marquee was originally called The Graham Opera House, and is now operated by locally and family-owned Fridley Theatres company, but other than a brief fire-related restoration in 2010-11, has served as an experiential time capsule for the town's 7,000 mostly-retired residents.

Catch an evening flick all throughout the week, or a range of matinees on weekends.

Park Theatre in Estes Park, CO - 1913

Another of America's oldest operating cinemas that just so happens to be far removed from the nation's expected entertainment districts is the historic Park Theatre in Estes Park, Colorado.

Rockin' in the Rockies since 1913, the Park Theatres unique oldest qualifier is sited as the oldest that is still in operation.

"The oldest single house motion picture theatre in the United States that was originally built as a movie theatre and is still operating today."

So even though its premiere was nearly two decades after Washington, Iowa's State Theatre, the Park Theatre was proudly built specifically for the booming film industry.

The enigmatic "Tower of Love" was added in 1929 on top of the frontier-style white and red clapboard facility, and in 1984, the Park Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, modern updates have been made to the audio-visual systems, and while Park Theatre still focuses on its bread and butter (or should I say, popcorn and butter), various live performances punctuate the weekly schedule.

Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX - 1915

Now known as one of America's entertainment capitals, The capital of Texas' penchant for the arts dates back over a century. On October 11th, 1915, along Austin's recently paved Congress Avenue, the Paramount Theatre sold 1,000 tickets for its vaudeville premiere.

Five years later, silent films began screening for five to ten cents a ticket. In 1935, the State Theatre (a different one from the Washington State Theatre) was built right next door, expressly in service of the movie industry. At the turn of the new millennium, these two theatres merged to form the Austin Theatre Alliance under joint management.

These days, the alliance hosts screenings that are part of South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) and the Austin Film Festival, but also new releases for the Austin everyman.

The Paramount Theatre, as part of its 1977 restoration movement, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and granted a state historical marker by the Texas Historical Commission.

Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, CA - 1922

Los Angeles, aka "La-La Land," aka "Tinseltown," call it what you want — the belly of the film industry, unsurprisingly, gives us one of America's oldest surviving movie theatres. The Egyptian Theatre is notable for having christened the not only the red carpet, but Hollywood as we know it.

This pharaoh-themed theatre opened in 1922 with lavish, Golden Age premieres, including a screening of the 1938 Robin Hood staring Errol Flynn.

The Egyptian is one of only five American theatres still able to project the nitrate film stock of cinema's early era. In addition to the standard digital formats of today, The Egyptian can also screen 35mm and the cinephile-preferred 70mm films.

As of 2020, Netflix and the American Cinematheque have partnered to restore the iconic movie palace and to program its weekly showtimes — everything from indie classics to Oscar-bait, to standard popcorn movies.

Avalon Theatre in Washington, DC - 1923

Ending, in a sense, where we began, though now in Washington, DC rather than Washington, Iowa, the Avalon Theatre still delights movie-goers over a century after its conception. Opened in 1923 as the Chevy Chase Theatre, this 1,200 person auditorium of the nation's capital has had quite a story.

In the wake of its boom years, the Avalon received air-conditioning, an art deco redesign, a second-floor auditorium, and a Roman mythology ceiling mural, to name just a few of its augmentations. Unfortunately, in 2001 the Avalon's operator declared bankruptcy, closing its doors and being stripped of its equipment.

Thankfully, in 2003, the community-led Avalon Theatre Project was able to re-open the theatre, and three years after that, purchase the historic building. To this day, the Avalon brings blockbusters and independent cinema to residents of the nation's capital and steady stream of international tourists.

HONOURABLE MENTION: Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, CA - 1918

The Million Dollar Theatre was built in 1917 (known then as Grauman's Theatre), for approximately one-million dollars (not adjusted for inflation, hence the name), in the elegant Churrigueresque architectural style. It opened on February 1st of the following year, screening the silent film, The Silent Man.

Though designed as a movie palace, this 1,996-seat theatre (including 805 balcony seats) was granted full stage facilities. By the 1930s, the Million Dollar Theatre shifted its focus to said stage shows, and in the 1940s, jazz and big-bands stole the spotlight.

Following additional identity shifts, the Million Dollar Theatre was designated by the city as a Historic-Cultural Monument.

So here's the rub: the Million Dollar Theatre does not currently offer regular showtimes. With that said, it does host special screenings and film premieres.

Keep On Movie-ing

It seems every few years media figures conclude that movie theatres are going the way of the dinosaurs. One weekend a Star Wars or Marvel movie will flop harder than an IHOP pancake, and the next an all-time box office record will be broken.

One summer blockbuster by a big-name director will fail to fill seats, and then the next a small-budget breakout sparks an Obsession (get it?)

Regardless of the ups and downs, and in some cases, because of these ever-evolving stories, historic theatres like the State and Egyptian, are still bringing American audiences to the big screen, over a hundred years after they premiered.

Perhaps, given their historical status and timeless, immersive atmospheres, the oldest movie theatres in America will keep projecting, streaming, or whatever the technology happens to be, another hundred years down the line.