NextAct Cinema

921 Reisterstown Road,
Pikesville, MD 21208

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NextAct Cinema (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Horizon Cinemas Inc., JF Theatres

Architects: John F. Eyring

Functions: Movies (First Run)

Styles: Art Deco

Previous Names: Pikes Theatre, Next Act Cinema at the Pikes

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 443.548.3783

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News About This Theater

NextAct Cinema

The 617-seat Pikes Theatre opened March 25, 1938. Designed in an Art Deco motif that has survived the years. It continued to show movies until closing in 1984.

There were discussions after its closing on developing it into a performing arts center, but they never materialized. It has been turned into a restaurant and catering business. They have done a great job at restoring the exterior to its original Art Deco style with the same color scheme. The marquee has been restored and is used by the restaurant/catering business. The restaurant closed by 2004.

It reopened as a twin screen cinema and dining experience on November 1, 2013 as the NextAct Cinema at the Pikes. The two screens each had 80 seats. It was closed at the end of 2016.

It was reopened March 27, 2019 as NextAct Cinema owned by African-Americans, Anthony Fykes & Robert Wright. It was renovated in late-2023 and operates as a first run boutique cinema, with each screen now having 43-seats.

Contributed by Chuck Van Bibber

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

JackCoursey
JackCoursey on March 20, 2011 at 7:19 am

Fantastic piece of period architecture. The exterior has been relatively well preserved with some remnants of auditorium (e.g. wall details) still in place. Photos from March 2011: Photo 1, Photo 2

randytheicon
randytheicon on November 10, 2013 at 8:53 am

The Pikes has been remodeled and REOPENED as a movie theatre, with two 80-seat stadium auditoriums in the front, and a smaller diner in the rear. Reopening was on 11/01/2013; the operator is former JF Theatres booker Ira Miller, who also runs the expanded Rotunda Cinemas and Beltway Movies 6.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 26, 2018 at 4:52 pm

The Saturday, April 9, 1938 issue of The Film Daily listed the Pikes Theatre in its “Theater Changes” column as a new theater opened on March 25.

BigScreen_com
BigScreen_com on March 19, 2019 at 1:16 pm

The theater had closed in September 2016, but is now open again under new ownership as the Next Act Cinema at the Pikes.

Pikesville, MD: Pikes Theatre Closed [Oct 9, 2016] Pikesville, MD: Pikes Theatre Reopens [Mar 19, 2019]

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on April 20, 2019 at 9:18 pm

BlackBusiness.org article about Next Act Cinema and the Official Website link which should be updated. Address shows as 921 Reisterstown Road.

https://www.blackbusiness.org/2019/04/next-act-cinema-family-opens-only-black-owned-movie-theater-baltimore-maryland.html?fbclid=IwAR1Tuhw21TgQnfE_4RZ7ZwassUzYGWqIrWlya2JaErzcHu7e1pRAPYnOgdw

https://www.nextactcinema.com/

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on June 13, 2020 at 12:49 pm

The theatre operated as the Pikes Theatre from 1938 to September 3, 1984. Renamed the Next Act Cinema at Pikes Cinema. It relaunched after being home to restaurants on November 1, 2013 with “Gravity” playing in 3D. It closed at the end of 2016.

The theatre re-emerged as the only Black-owned theatre in the Northeast when Anthony Fykes rebranding it as the NextAct Cinema at the Pikes on March 7, 2019 with an official grand opening ceremony on March 27, 2019.

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