History of Movie theater in Timeline

A movie theater, or cinema, is a commercial business with auditoriums designed for public viewing of films. These establishments operate by selling tickets to the general public. Colloquial terms include movie house, picture house, and simply 'the movies'. Occasionally, movie theaters will also host premieres or special screenings of popular television series episodes.

March 1900: End of Pantomimes Lumineuses screenings

In March 1900, Émile Reynaud concluded his Pantomimes Lumineuses animated movies screenings at the Musée Grévin in Paris, which had been running since 28 October 1892. Over 12,800 shows were given to a total of over 500,000 visitors during the entire run.

1901: Construction of L'Idéal Cinéma

In 1901, the building that would become L'Idéal Cinéma in Aniche, France, was built as l'Hôtel du Syndicat CGT.

November 1905: First Film Shown at L'Idéal Cinéma

On 23 November 1905, the L'Idéal Cinéma in Aniche (France), which was built in 1901, showed its first film.

1905: Rise of Nickelodeons

Around 1905, small and simple theaters, known as nickelodeons, began to flourish in the United States, charging five cents for admission.

August 1908: Opening of Korsør Biograf Teater

In August 1908, the Korsør Biograf Teater in Korsør, Denmark, opened as the oldest known movie theater still in continuous operation.

1915: Decline of Nickelodeons

Around 1915, the nickelodeons which were at their peak since 1905, started to decline in popularity.

1918: Gasthaus Sello becomes Pankower Lichtspiele

In 1918, the Gasthaus Sello in Pankow (Berlin), where Max and Emil Skladanowsky demonstrated their motion pictures with the Bioscop in July 1895, was exploited as the full-time movie theatre Pankower Lichtspiele.

1922: Princess Theatre features "stadium seating"

In 1922, the Princess Theatre in Honolulu, Hawaii, featured "stadium seating", sharply raked rows of seats extending from in front of the screen back towards the ceiling.

1925: Pankower Lichtspiele becomes Tivoli

In 1925, the Pankower Lichtspiele, formerly the Gasthaus Sello, in Pankow (Berlin) was renamed Tivoli.

1940: RCA Develops Fantasound

In 1940, RCA developed Fantasound for Disney's Fantasia, an early interlock system.

February 1953: Premiere of James Mage's Triorama Program

In February 1953, James Mage premiered his Triorama program using his 16 mm 3D Bolex system, featuring four shorts: Sunday In Stereo, Indian Summer, American Life, and This is Bolex Stereo.

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September 1953: Start of decline in theatrical 3D craze

The first decline in the theatrical 3D craze started in August and September 1953.

1957: Elgin Theatre becomes first two-screen theater

In 1957, the Elgin Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, became the first venue to offer two film programs on different screens when Canadian theater-owner Nat Taylor converted it into a dual-screen theater.

1963: Pioneering the multiplex

In 1963, Stanley Durwood of American Multi-Cinema pioneered the multiplex in the United States.

1964: Durwood divides Roxy

In 1964, Stanley Durwood divided his Roxy to create 2 or 3 screens.

1967: Mobile cinema units launched

In 1967, the British government launched seven custom-built mobile cinema units as part of the Ministry of Technology campaign to raise standards.

1972: Sol Cinema Caravan Built

In 1972, the caravan used for the Sol Cinema in the UK, the World's smallest solar-powered mobile cinema, was built.

1977: Closure of L'Idéal Cinéma

In 1977, the L'Idéal Cinéma in Aniche, France, originally built in 1901, was closed.

November 1988: Reopening of Studio 28 as a megaplex

In November 1988, Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, reopened with 20 screens and a seating capacity of 6,000, becoming the first megaplex in the U.S. based on an expansion of an existing facility.

1993: Demolition of L'Idéal Cinéma Building

In 1993, the building that formerly housed the L'Idéal Cinéma in Aniche, France, was demolished.

1994: Tivoli closes

In 1994, the movie theatre Tivoli, formerly the Gasthaus Sello, in Pankow (Berlin) closed.

May 1995: Opening of AMC Grand 24

In May 1995, the AMC Grand 24 in Dallas, Texas, opened as the first megaplex in the U.S. built from the ground up.

1995: Carmike was the largest chain in the United States

In 1995, Carmike was the largest chain in the United States.

1995: Opening of Centre Culturel Claude Berri

In 1995, the "Centre Culturel Claude Berri" was built in Aniche, France, integrating a new movie theater called the Idéal Cinéma Jacques Tati.

1995: Eden Theater Closed

In 1995, the Eden Theater in La Ciotat, where L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat was screened on 21 March 1899, closed.

2004: Decline in ticket sales in the US

In the US, between 2004 and 2013, the number of tickets sold fell nearly 11%, while box office revenue increased 17% due to increased ticket prices.

2006: Movie watching habits

A Pew Media survey from 2006 found that movies watched at home versus at the movie theater was in a five to one ratio and 75% of respondents said their preferred way of watching a movie was at home, versus 21% who said they preferred to go to a theater.

May 2008: Datasat Digital Entertainment purchases DTS's cinema division

In May 2008, Datasat Digital Entertainment purchased DTS's cinema division.

2008: Cabiria Cine-Cafe Opens

In 2008, the Cabiria Cine-Cafe, the smallest purpose-built cinema measuring 24 m (260 ft) with a seating capacity of 18, was built by Renata Carneiro Agostinho da Silva in Brasília DF, Brazil.

2009: D-Box Releases Motion Seat System

In 2009, D-Box Technologies first released its motion seat system to theaters, with Fast & Furious being the first feature film supporting the system.

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2009: Increased interest in 3D film

In 2009, movie exhibitors became more interested in 3D film leading to an increase in the number of 3D screens in theaters.

2010: Growth in movie theater revenue in Canada

In 2010, Canada saw an 8.4% growth in movie theater revenue which totalled $1.7 billion in 2012.

2010: Mention of Cabiria Cine-Cafe in Guinness World Records

In 2010, the Cabiria Cine-Cafe was mentioned in the Guinness World Records.

2010: Growth of RealD screens

In 2010, the RealD company expected to have 15,000 screens worldwide.

2012: Movie theater revenue in Canada

In Canada, the total operating revenue in the movie theater industry was $1.7 billion in 2012, an 8.4% increase from 2010, which was mainly due to growth in box office and concession revenue.

2013: Eden Theater Re-opened

In 2013, the Eden Theater in La Ciotat, which closed in 1995, re-opened.

2013: Average movie ticket price in the US

In 2013, the average price for a movie ticket in the United States was $8.13.

2013: Decline in ticket sales in the US

In the US, between 2004 and 2013, the number of tickets sold fell nearly 11%, while box office revenue increased 17% due to increased ticket prices.

2014: Concerns in the movie theater industry

In 2014, the practice of releasing a film in theaters and via on-demand streaming on the same day (for selected films) and the rise in popularity of the Netflix streaming service has led to concerns in the movie theater industry.

2015: Screens in China

In 2015 China had a total of 31,627 screens.

2015: Number of screens in the United States

In 2015 the United States had a total of 40,547 screens.

2015: Introduction of "IMAX with Laser" format

In 2015, IMAX introduced a new "IMAX with Laser" format, using 4K resolution laser projectors.

2015: Online and kiosk ticket sales

In 2015, some movie theaters started selling tickets online or at automated kiosks located in the theater lobby.

2015: Sol Cinema Featured in Lenovo Advert

In 2015, the Sol Cinema in the UK was featured in a Lenovo advert for the launch of a new tablet.

2016: Expected number of screens in China

China is expected to have almost 40,000 screens in 2016.

2016: End of Observation of IMAX Projection Booth

Until 2016, visitors to the IMAX theater attached to the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, could observe the IMAX projection booth via a glass rear wall.

December 2022: Largest permanent IMAX cinema screen verified

On 6 December 2022, the largest permanent IMAX cinema screen, measuring 38.80 m × 21.00 m, was verified in Leonberg, Germany, achieved by Traumplast Leonberg.

January 2025: D-Box Installations Reach 23,000 Seats

In January 2025, D-Box Technologies stated that it had over 23,000 seat installations at 1,000 screens worldwide.

July 2025: Exhibitors Consider Joint Brand for PLFs

In July 2025, it was reported that a group of exhibitors were considering establishing a joint brand or certification mark for their PLFs to better compete with IMAX.