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| Address | 10 S Lewis Ave, Tulsa, OK 74104 |
|---|---|
| Location | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Construction | |
| Opened | July 15, 1928 |
| Renovated | 2013 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Circle Cinema is anon-profitarthouse movie theater located in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood ofTulsa, Oklahoma, on the corner of Lewis Avenue and Admiral Boulevard.[1] As the city's oldest movie theater, it supports four auditoriums, aconcession stand, and anart gallery, as well as a functioningRobert Mortonpipe organ and awalk of fame.
The cinema was built in 1928 on the1926-1932 alignment ofU.S. Route 66.[2] It is a cinema hub for Oklahoma'sGreen Country, serving as a Satellite Screen for the 2021Sundance Film Festival.[3] It is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[4]
The cinema opened as The Circle Theatre on July 15, 1928, as a single-screensilent picture house. Its opening night show was theWarner Bros. filmAcross the Pacific.[5]
In 1978, due to a decline in business in the neighborhood, the cinema converted to anadult movie theater under the name The New Circle Theater. In the late 1980s, the theater reopened as Cine Centro with a focus on Hispanic-language films.[6]
The building was featured in the opening scene of the 1983Francis Ford Coppola filmThe Outsiders, based on theS.E. Hinton bookThe Outsiders.[7]
In the Mid-1990s, the theater closed and remained dormant for a decade until it was reopened in October 2004 as Circle Cinema by thenon-profit The Circle Cinema Foundation, which continues to operate it today.[8]
After many years of fundraising and renovations, the restoration project was completed and the cinema celebrated its grand re-opening on July 15, 2013, its 85th anniversary.[9]
The cinema is open year-round and seats a total of 800 patrons in all four theaters. The programming is a mix offirst-run art, independent, and foreign films as well as eventrepretory screenings. The theaters are equipped with high-quality digital projection, and its main theater is equipped to operate35mm prints.
In addition to cinema operations, the Circle Cinema Foundation runs an annual youth film camp and a localfilm festival.[10]
The exterior has a renovatedneon sign and neon-lit marquee in reference to the cinema's former 1952 appearance. On the front sidewalk is anOklahomaWalk of Fame featuring the likes ofWill Rogers,Hoot Gibson,Tim Blake Nelson,Kristin Chenoweth, andSterlin Harjo[11] as well as a commemorative plaque fromThe Outsiders House Museum dedicated byDanny Boy O'Connor and Tulsa mayorG.T. Bynum in 2021.[12]
