Nashville’s oldest operating movie theater turns 100 this year! Belcourt Theatre first opened in 1925, and while it’s gone through many changes over the years, it’s still a thriving local institution, with approximately 190,000 visitors annually. Here’s a glimpse into the Belcourt’s 100-year history.
🎞️ The Belcourt Opens
When the Belcourt opened its doors on May 18, 1925, it was called Hillsboro Theatre, and had an entrance on 21st Avenue, where The Villager Tavern sits today. Moviegoers on that first day watched the silent film “America” on Nashville’s largest stage, sitting in one of 800 leather-covered seats, with a Kimball organ as accompaniment. It wasn’t Nashville’s first movie theater. Alhambra Theatre opened in 1909, Princess Theatre in 1912, and Bijou Theatre — exclusively for African American patrons — in 1917. However, the Belcourt was the only theater that lasted, due to popular programming, reinvention, and community support.
📻 The Belcourt’s Early Years
From 1934-1936, the Grand Ole Opry recorded at the Belcourt, still called Hillsboro Theatre. Because the theater was small, performers often performed twice to separate audiences at night. The Nashville Children’s Theatre, the nation’s oldest youth theater, also performed at the Belcourt in the 1930s.
In 1937, the Belcourt was renamed Nashville Community Playhouse, where it hosted numerous community events and performances.
🏗️ Transformations & Renovations
In 1927, the Belcourt’s 21st Avenue entrance was sold, and a box office was built on what is now Belcourt Avenue. In the 1950s, French Quarter flourishes were added, while seating was decreased.
In 1966, Fred Massey purchased the theater and renamed it Belcourt Cinema. He returned it to its original purpose of showing films by building a second auditorium, making it the city’s first two-screen movie theater.
The theater hit a major snag in the ’90s. The Carmike chain leased it until the mid-1990s, and it was bought in 1997 by a group of investors who planned to use the theater to generate funds for the Watkins College of Art and Design’s new film program. However, two Regal Cinemas opened nearby within a year, and the group was forced to close the Belcourt in 1999, unable to keep up with the competition.
The Belcourt is a popular community hangout. (Courtesy of the Belcourt Theatre)
👫 A Community Rallies
In response to its closure, Hillsboro-area residents launched a campaign called Belcourt YES! Initially, the nonprofit group leased the theater, but it soon became apparent that buying was a must to save it amid growing real estate investments. One of the group’s founding members, Tom Wills, bought the theater in 2003, retaining its nonprofit status, and it was officially renamed the Belcourt Theatre in 2007.
However, the Belcourt was crumbling, and needed many renovations. Thanks to donations from the community, new seats, draping, carpeting, and aisle lighting were added. Then in 2015, the Belcourt Campaign launched, and the theater closed down once more, this time for major renovations and the addition of a third screen. It reopened on July 22, 2016.
🎥 The Belcourt Today
Today, the Belcourt is a thriving theater showing more than 300 movies a year, focusing on independent, international, and classic films. I’ve seen many movies there over the years, and I especially enjoy seeing CatVideoFest with my daughter, the theater’s annual team-up with Nashville Cat Rescue, showing hilarious cat videos. To kick off its 100th year, the Belcourt is showing “Nashville” from May 31-June 2, and launching a seminar series.
