The Fascinating History of Movie Theaters

The theatre is a place where people may go to enjoy an opera, ballet, play or a movie. Other forms of entertainment have taken place for centuries but going to the theatre to see a movie first made it's mark in the early part of the 20th century. Throughout history, theaters have traditionally been places that people go to for entertainment. Of all of the forms of entertainment that take place in the theatres, movies are a newer art form.

One of the first movie palaces was built in New York City in 1913. A movie theater was originally called a movie palace. They were beautiful structures where silent films were shown and then later, films with sound. During this time, most theater productions were Vaudeville acts which were more expensive and harder to get seats than going to the movies. The success of movie palaces were based on its low admission price and unreserved seating.

Popcorn was first served in movie theaters in 1912 as a cheap and delicious snack. Between 1914 to 1922 there was an expansion of movie palaces. In 1907 a movie cost only five cents. This is actually where the name "Nickel"odeon came from when referring to movie palaces. There were approximately 4,000 new theaters built in the United States built during this time. The drive-in theater was very popular during the 1950's and 1960's but they have now diminished to a few hundred around the United States. The first multiplex for movies was built in 1963. This complex had two full screens and 700 seats. The first air conditioned movie theater was built in 1922.

Many other venues were built to show movies. The first drive in theater was built in 1933 and was in the state of New Jersey. There are only a few drive-in movie theatres available today. Drive-in movie theatres became very popular during the 1960's. Moviegoers would watch the films either in their cars or on top of the hood of their car .These were outdoor theaters were cars parked in front of an outdoor screen. They were provided with portable speakers to hear the sound or in some cases the sound came from an FM radio frequency.

In 1905 in Pittsburgh, the first nickelodeon was built. This theater had five cent movies hence the name nickelodeon. The first permanent movie house was built in 1902 in California. This theatre was a storefront setup that was part of a factory building. They soon became very popular and spread throughout the United States. In Canada, the first large scale movie theater in the world was built. This was the first time multiple movies were shown in one facility.

During the 1950's and 1960's, many theaters were built across the country due to their growing popularity. The screens became bigger and the facilities became more elaborate. The theaters were built to attract more patrons. The theaters included more comfortable seats, air conditioning and stereophonic sound systems. The number of seats a theater could hold increased.

As the popularity of the movie theaters continued to go, so did the size of the facilities. Multiple restrooms and concession counters were installed. The seats were built on an elevated floor to provide visibility for all seats. Large multi-plex theaters were built around shopping centers. The lobby sizes expanded to capacity other theater rooms within the complex. The theaters had stadium seating with multiple balconies.