Music Box Theatre
3733 N. Southport Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60613
3733 N. Southport Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60613
69 people
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Music Box Theatre (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Louis I. Simon, Edward Steinborn
Functions: Movies (Classic), Movies (Film Festivals), Movies (Foreign), Movies (Independent), Movies (Silent)
Styles: Atmospheric, Spanish Renaissance
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
773.871.6604
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- May 27, 2014 — 70mm Film Festival returns to Chicago
- Apr 9, 2013 — Music Box Theatre makes for great movie-going
- Mar 16, 2013 — Celebrate "Mary Pickford, Queen of the Movies" at the Portage and Music Box in Chicago
- Dec 26, 2008 — 70mm "West Side Story" in Chicago
- Mar 5, 2008 — Airline Magazine by Ross Melnick features Historic Movie Theaters
- Sep 27, 2007 — Today's Newsreel
- Jul 16, 2007 — Music Box Theatre enters distribution
- Aug 23, 2006 — Music Box Theatre replicated by organist Mark Noller
- Feb 16, 2005 — Mercury Theatre To Be Auctioned On March 8th
- Nov 4, 2003 — Chicago's Music Box Theatre to Get New Management
Located in the bustling Southport area of Chicago’s Lakeview district. When it was opened on August 22, 1929 with Morton Downey in “Mothers Boy”, the 850-seat Music Box Theatre was considered small compared to the much larger movie palaces that were being built in Chicago around that time. Many of these larger theatres, like the Uptown Theatre, were often too large to stay in business throughout the rest of the 20th century.
The Music Box Theatre was designed in an Atmospheric style which was themed with a Spanish Renaissance style, the work of architects Louis I. Simon & Edward Steinborn. It was designed and opened as a ‘talkie’ theatre, but had provision for organ chambers to hold the pipes, which were not put to use until 1984 when a custom made 3 manual electronic organ was installed with its speakers housed in the organ chambers.
The Music Box Theatre later played mainly second and third-run movies as well as closing and reopening several times. The theatre had become more than a bit rough around the edges when it was closed on July 16, 1978 with William Holden “Omen II: Damien”. It then went over to screening Kung Fu movies when the last of these before closing on November 24, 1978 was Bruce Lee in “The Dragon Lives”. It then screened Arabic movies.
Renovated in 1982, the Music Box Theatre reopened on August 5, 1983 and has been showing an eclectic mix of classic, foreign, and art house films ever since. In 1991, a small theatre was built in an existing storefront adjacent to the lobby. This second screen was designed to echo the architecture of the main auditorium, as an Atmospheric style, but because of the 13-foot ceiling height, the feel is that of sitting under a garden trellis with stars in the night sky beyond.
The Music Box Theatres hosts several Film Festivals each year: Chicago Critics Film Festival, Chicago Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, 70mm Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.
Contributed by
Alan Van Landschoot, Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 86 comments)
The new marquee was created by Landmark Sign Group of Chesterton, Indiana. Art director was Jerry Lefere. Senior Technical Engineer was Terry Ambrosini. Many of the zinc castings were supplied by W. F. Norman Corp. of Nevada, Missouri and were identical to the originals. The center urn and scrolls were salvaged from the original marquee and reinstalled on the new structure.
Flickr link with a 1970’s black marquee photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lowellbeyer/2660219769/
TimeOut Magazine named Music Box one of the 50 most beautiful cinemas on the planet.
https://www.timeout.com/chicago/news/a-chicago-institution-was-named-one-of-the-worlds-most-beautiful-movie-theaters-030321?fbclid=IwAR1hNcoPX9T_dYJuO6hqcHg-6UYkWoNkHLisvOzUoX-hNfIyw3FRNxMoFx4
Video about how the Music Box coped with the pandemic.
Chicago International Film Festival logo projected on the facade of the Music Box, October 12, 2022. Credit Robert Loerzel on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/robertloerzel/status/1580390347212922880/photo/1
Reopened 40 years ago yesterday, August 5, 1983. Photos added credit Anne Cusack, Chicago Tribune.
I added a newspaper ad in the photo section of the Chicago newspaper ad for THE DRAGON LIVES; a kung fu movie that appears to be the last movie at the Music Box Theatre before closing. Friday, November 24, 1978. It more than likely was playing on a double feature; however, the Music Box did not advertise in the Chicago Tribune during its final year of operation before becoming an Arab-operated business.
Main auditorium will be closed August 12-September 5 for renovations, including new seats. Block Club Chicago story here.
Please update total seats 770 as per website.
Theatre 1 700
Theatre 2 70
Pluto TV will bring back its award-winning ‘Free Movie Weekend’ program this summer to support independent theatres by offering complimentary movie tickets on select weekends. Pluto and director Sean Baker (a champion of independent theatres) celebrate the theatre-going experience as an invaluable part of the film entertainment ecosystem.
Pluto TV’s ‘Free Movie Weekend’ originated after the Covid pandemic to encourage patrons to return to theatres, now including 50 free weekends at theatres in 30 states.
Director Sean Baker (“Anora” )partnered with Pluto TV to nominate local theatres, saying “Free Movie Weekend is a meaningful initiative that shares a cause close to my heart. Local cinemas are cultural touchstones, they are gathering places where communities come together to experience stories as they were meant to be seen: on the big screen. I’m honored to partner with Pluto TV to help spotlight the independent theaters that play such a vital role in sustaining the art of cinema.”
For this year’s ‘Free Movie Weekend,' Sean Baker nominated Los Angeles local theater Gardena Cinema. Gardena Cinema is the last family-run independent single-screen indoor walk-in movie theater in South Los Angeles that was built in 1946 and has been operated by the Kim family since 1976. Daughter Judy Kim continues to manage the 800 seat cinema after the matriarch, Nancy Soo Myoung Kim died on Mother’s Day in 2022 from complications of uterine cancer.
The list for this year’s ‘Free Movie Weekend’:
Gardena Cinema, Los Angeles: June 7-8
Tara Theatre, Atlanta: June 14-15
Music Box Theatre, Chicago: June 21-22
Redford Theatre, Detroit: June 28-29
Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, PA: July 5-6