The Main Art Theater was a movie theater located at 118 North Main Street in downtown

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along th ...

, at the corner of Main Street and 11 Mile Road. Opened on August 7, 1941 by Robert Anthony, it was originally a single-screen theater with 800 seats. In 1983, the original 800-seat theater was split into two theaters during renovations, and a third theater was added to the building in 1993. The Main Art specialized in art films and independent movies, and regularly held midnight showings of classic films on Friday and Saturday nights. The theater showed mainstream films prior to its arthouse renovation in 1983.

Landmark Theatres Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film, independent and foreign film, foreign films. Since its founding in 1974, Landmark has grown to 35 Indepe ...

operated the Main Art from 1997 until its closure in 2021. In May 2022, A.F. Jonna Management & Development gained approval from the Royal Oak City Council to demolish the theater for a mixed-use building. The Main Art was officially demolished on the afternoon of July 25, 2022.

History

The Main Art Theater was first opened in 1941 by Robert Anthony as a single-screen, 800-seat theater that specialized in mainstream films. In 1983, renovations and changes were done, which included the original single-screen theater being split in two to make two separate theaters. This was when the Main Art began to show art films and independent films. The Main Art was again renovated in 1993 to add a third theater. In 1997,

took over the Main Art and operated it until its closure. In summer 1999, the Main Art was one of only 15 theaters in North America showing ''

The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (director), Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Mic ...

'', and every show on the schedule was sold out with people coming from as far away as

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to see the movie. As part of Landmark's Midnight Madness series, the Main Art also specialized in midnight showings of classic films from the early 20th century to present day such as ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to ...

'', ''

The Goonies ''The Goonies'' is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astori ...

'', and ''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'', along with cult films like

Tommy Wiseau Thomas P. Wiseau ( or ) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2003 film ''The Room'', which has been described by many critics as one of the List of films considered the worst, w ...

's ''

The Room ''The Room'' is a 2003 American drama film written, produced, executive produced and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. The film centers on a melodramatic love triangle between amiable ...

''.

Due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic, the Main Art temporarily closed its doors in March 2020 before reopening on Christmas Day later that year. In April 2021, the Main Art closed temporarily once again due to financial constraints. On June 12, 2021, the Main Art closed down permanently when Landmark Theatres ended their lease of the building and returned the property to A.F. Jonna Management & Development. Immediately after its closure, a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

group called Friends of Main Art Theater formed with the intention of preserving the historic building; the group's goal, according to the site description, "is to foster and develop public appreciation of independent film and the arts, and to preserve the Royal Oak Main Art building as a movie theater for the enjoyment of the greater Metro Detroit community." In May 2022, the Royal Oak City Council voted to allow A.F. Jonna Management & Development to demolish the Main Art Theater and construct a mixed-use apartment complex on the theater site with the theater's old marquee. The Main Art was officially demolished on the afternoon of July 25, 2022.

Photo gallery

File:MainArtLobby.jpg, alt=The main lobby of the Main Art Theater in 2019, The main lobby of the Main Art in June 2019 File:MainArtTicketAndSnack.jpg, alt=The ticket and snack stands of the Main Art Theater in 2019, The ticket booth and snack stand in June 2019 File:MainArttheaterbooth1.jpg, alt=Theater 1 of the Main Art Theater in 2019, Theater 1 during a midnight screening of ''

Howl's Moving Castle ''Howl's Moving Castle'' is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York. It was a runner-up for the annual Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and won the Phoenix Award twenty years ...

'' in June 2019 File:MainArtLounge.jpg, alt=The inside sitting room of the Main Art Theater, The sitting room in June 2019 File:MainArtTheaterMarquee.jpg, alt=The marquee of the Main Art Theater, The Main Art's marquee in June 2019

References

{{Reflist Royal Oak, Michigan Metro Detroit Cinemas and movie theaters in Michigan

History

Photo gallery

See also

References