Coolidge Corner To Reopen After More Than A Year Amid Pandemic

BROOKLINE, MA — Movie theater lovers rejoice: For the first time since the beloved Coolidge Corner Theatre closed more than a year ago amid the pandemic, the iconic cinema will begin to open its doors.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre is reopening May 13, with a screening of a movie that has special significance for the theater, the nonprofit announced Thursday.

“This has been a long journey, and it is especially meaningful for us to be reopening with Spike Lee’s masterful 'Do the Right Thing,' which was one of the first films screened at the theatre after a dedicated group of community members saved the theatre and reinvented it as a nonprofit, back in 1989," said Katherine Tallman, the executive director and CEO of The Coolidge Theatre.

Amid the pandemic closure, the theater kept connected to the community through a virtual screening room, a partnership with the Sundance Film Festival, and a series of online education programs.

"The support of our community has sustained us during this difficult period, and we are so excited to welcome them back with this exciting lineup of Big Screen Classics," said Tallman. "While our return will be gradual, we are relieved and happy to once again be able to share movies together, as part of our collective recovery from this pandemic."

While the building was closed, the theater upgraded its HVAC system with high MERV-rated filters and new, state-of-the-art Continuous Infectious Microbial Reduction Systems technology, among other improvements, according to the theater.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre, which Time Out Magazine recently named one of the world's most beautiful cinemas, welcomes more than 225,000 patrons per year, during normal times.

Originally a Universalist church built in 1906, it was redesigned in 1933 as an Art Deco movie palace, Brookline's first movie theater, according to town documents. At first, the movie palace had one screen. Later it was divided into two and additional theaters were added. In 1988, when the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre was facing financial ruin and was on the cusp of being demolished, a film aficionado named David Kleiler championed to raise funds to purchase the theater and found a nonprofit called the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation.

Also set to be on the big screen soon after opening weekend:

• a 35mm screenings of "Vertigo."
• "2001: A Space Odyssey,"
• "Top Hat,"
• "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

The theater will also host a special screening of the new Pedro Almodóvar short film "The Human Voice," which is playing with "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."

The full May lineup of films will be announced next week, and tickets are set to go on sale on May 7, according to the theater.

Look for screenings of first-run independent films to return in June.

Opening weekend shows will take place in the art house's 440-seat theater, which will be limited to 15 percent capacity, or 68 seats, to allow for ample distancing. Masks will be required at all times. For now, concessions will not be available.

During the first phase of the reopening, the Coolidge will be open from Thursday through Sunday only. Tickets are $14.75 or $11.75 for members. The Coolidge’s other screens, the 217-seat Moviehouse 2, the 45-seat Screening Room, and 27-seat GoldScreen are available for private rental bookings until the rest of the theater reopens to the public, according to the announcement.

Related:

Tell Congress To Save Your Cinema: Coolidge Corner ...

Coolidge Corner Theatre Still Closed Amid Pandemic..

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.