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Moviegoers Love Their Indie Theaters!

Uptown Attends Nat’l Conference for Best Practices and Trends

by Renee Cho

If you still think movie-going is dead and there’s no future for arthouse cinema, think again…

Art house theater attendance grew nine percent in 2025—and independent theaters that are part of Art House Convergence, a national coalition of independent exhibitors, reported an 8.8 percent rise in yearly grosses last year, with a 38 percent increase since 2019.

  • Adeline Monzier and Barbara Twist at Ind/Ex Conference
    The Uptown team was "in the house" at the recent 2026 Ind/Ex conference in Chicago, when reports were released about the resurgence of moviegoing. Here's Uptown vice president Adeline Monzier with Barbara Twist, Uptown advisory council member.

The sharp growth in movie-going was noted in results of a 2026 National Audience Survey, conducted by Art House Convergence and released at the recent Independent Film Exhibition Conference in Chicago (Ind/Ex). Among the attendees at this year’s conference were Uptown execs Ira Deutchman, Adeline Monzier and Beth Krieger.

National Audience survey results are based on responses from over 27,000 U.S. moviegoers from more than 50 independent cinemas, with questions about moviegoing preferences and experiences at their favorite indie theaters. 

More than 70 percent of respondents said their preferred art house theater was “very” or “extremely valuable” to their quality of life; 88 percent called it a “cultural hub of the community.” These moviegoers attended more than ten movies a year at their indie theaters, saying they valued the “unique and high-quality films,” interesting programs, and events.

Moreover, of those surveyed, 25 percent of filmgoers began going to their favorite art house theaters in the last three years. These moviegoers had an average age of 40—11 years younger than the average age of all those surveyed. And of these recent attendees, 68 percent were younger than 45. In addition, 43 percent of respondents said they joined their theater’s membership programs to support the theater and get members-only screening and event perks. 

The increase in arthouse movie-going audience bodes well for independent theaters across the country, but it is particularly meaningful for the Uptown Film Center. “When we first started fundraising in the fall of 2024 to purchase the former Metro theater, one of the biggest challenges was convincing donors that people would go back to movie theaters following the pandemic years,” recalls president Ira Deutchman. “But in only two years’ time, there’s been a significant rise in grosses at independent theaters, and a marked growth in the younger audience—which speaks volumes about the future of our business. People WANT to get out of the house, they want communal experiences, and they want to be in the conversation.  We can’t wait to open to fulfill that need!”

ALSO READ:

‘There’s excitement in the air’: how America fell back in love with indie cinemas | Movies | The Guardian

Art House Theaters Beloved by Local Audiences; Younger Filmgoers Grow/Variety

Wait, Moviegoing Isn’t Dead? Our Critic Explains/New York Times

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Meet the Uptown Film Center team at the Community Resource Fair, July 24

 

The Uptown Film Center will be joining the West 90th Neighborhood Assn. and other local organizations for a Community Resource Fair at 96th Street and Broadway, on Friday, July 24, 10am to 4pm. Come say hello! You’ll be able to ask questions about our mission, our progress, and upcoming screenings. Learn about our Light Up the Uptown fundraising campaign and sign up for our newsletter. We’ll also be selling our limited-edition UPTOWN TOTES!

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Uptown Architects Look to Sustainable Strategies

 

VMA architect Isabella Bartenstein (left) and Sennah Loftus, VMA Director of Interiors (at screen) review design and material options with Uptown’s Beth Krieger and Ira Deutchman.

By Renee Cho

The Uptown team is deep into design development this summer; the original architectural renderings are now being refined–from measurements and material choices down to the wires and venting.  For architects Voith & Mactavish (V&M), which has restored and renovated several historic movie theaters,  it also means sustainable strategies are crystallizing.

 “The concept of traditional design and sustainability have always gone hand in hand,” says John Cluver, lead architect on the project. “If you think about what traditional architecture is, it’s designing to the climate, designing to the environment that you’re in, use of natural strategies of ventilation and use of natural materials.”

John and colleague Elie Zeinoun are aiming for Silver LEED certification for the Uptown, which signifies a project that has gone significantly beyond basic green building requirements and standard local building codes, and is making a verifiable commitment to environmental stewardship. 

For the Uptown, this entails reusing as much as possible of the existing building and structure. “This in itself is a huge sustainability boost, because you are avoiding new materials, and avoiding both the outsourcing and the transportation of the material,” explains Elie. “There’s a life cycle impact and carbon reduction that’s tied to that.” The roof structure, exterior walls and center floor will be reused, but all exterior surfaces will be insulated to modern levels of insulation for thermal efficiency.

New sustainable, Red List-free materials [the gold standard for material health and safety] will be used throughout. This means that all paints, carpets, wall coverings, insulation, adhesives, and other materials will be devoid of toxic materials, such as volatile organic components. Restrooms will be equipped with low-flow toilets and fixtures. Water fountains will have bottle fillers.

Acoustics in a multi-theater building are critical. The walls, ceilings and floor materials as well as wall coverings and upholstery affect how much sound is bouncing off and reverberating. “Acoustics are a huge part of the design, and there will be some spots where material will be both thermal and acoustic,” says John. “We are making sure that, where it’s appropriate, they can do double duty without compromising the performance of either.” And while laser projectors emit some heat, that heat can be captured and reused before it’s vented from the building.

The entire film center, including its systems and café equipment, will be electrified, which means no natural gas or fossil fuel will be used. Also, mechanical systems will be highly efficient to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Traditional construction is very durable, and that’s something we’re looking for as well,” notes John. “We want a building that is well built, is going to age well, and uses materials that are going to last a long time.”

While the timeline for construction is dependent on fundraising and permit approvals, the center hopes to begin the build-out next summer, with a targeted opening in winter 2028-2029.  

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Uptown Architects Receive ICAA Award

Uptown’s architects, Voith & Mactavish (V&M), are among this year’s recipients of the 2026 Arthur Ross Award for Excellence in the Classical Tradition, awarded by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA).

Voith & Mactavish, which won in the architecture category, was noted for “architecture that expresses innovation in the context of tradition.” The ICAA noted that V&M has stayed true to their vision “by designing environments that support contemporary uses and carefully respond to the cultural and physical contexts of each site.”

This is the 45th year that the ICAA has bestowed these awards, dubbed the Academy Awards of the design world. Awardees are selected from an international slate and receive the honor for a body of work and consistent advancement of design in traditional idioms.

Earlier this year, V&M senior partner John Cluver–lead architect on the Uptown project–was named to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, its highest membership honor.

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Uptown Announces “Tales of Summer” Pop-Up Series

Footloose
A screening of Footloose on July 21 will feature a Q&A with actor Kevin Bacon.

The Uptown has announced its 2026 pop-up film series Tales of Summer, with eight films screening in various venues across Upper Manhattan from June 3 through September 18.

The series includes three free outdoor screenings–in Morningside Park, Amsterdam Ave at 110th (as part of Open Streets), and Riverside Park, one premiere, and several films featuring Q&As with special guests.

“Summer changes the way we go to the movies,” says Ira Deutchman, Uptown President. “The days are longer, routines are looser, and moviegoing feels more relaxed and communal. In programming Tales of Summer, we were intentional about bringing together films that reflect that same sense of freedom, discovery, nostalgia, and escape.”

For the film schedule and tickets, go to uptownfilm.org/calendar

The Tales of Summer series is supported, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) in partnership with the City Council and the office of New York City Councilperson Shaun Abreu. 

Films are being presented in partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, Maysles Documentary Center, the Bronx Independent Cinema Center, Columbus/Amsterdam BID, Friends of Morningside Park, Riverside Park Conservancy, West 111th Block Assn., and New Friends of Metro Theater.

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New Name, New Vision, New Banners!

We finally got to switch out our original marquee banners to show off our NEW NAME, NEW VISION. Thanks to volunteer photographer Randy Enochs for documenting yet another step in the transformation from the former Metro to the UPTOWN FILM CENTER.

©Randy Enochs

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Uptown’s Lead Architect Named to AIA College of Fellows

Uptown's Ira Deutchman with Architect John Cluver (right)
Architect John Cluver (right) reviews schematics with Ira Deutchman, Uptown president.

The Uptown is thrilled to announce that our lead architect, John Cluver, a Senior Partner with Voith & Mactavish Architects, has been named to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, its highest membership honor. This distinction is awarded to architects who exemplify excellence in practice and who have made a lasting impact on architecture and on society at large.

“John has been with us since the first time we started contemplating purchasing the former Metro, to determine whether it was a viable space for a five-screen film center,” says Uptown president Ira Deutchman. “Still, when it was time to hire a firm, we solicited bids and concept drawings from several other architects before determining that John’s expertise in preserving and transforming historic arthouse cinemas was invaluable to our mission. This recognition from the AIA confirms what we have seen in John all along.”

Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP, where John is Senior Partner & Director of Historic Preservation, is a Philadelphia and New York-based team of forty architects, planners, and designers. The firm is led by founding partner Daniela Voith and four additional partners — making V&M Philadelphia’s longest-continuously operating woman-owned architecture practice.

In addition to his role at V&M, John serves on the City of Philadelphia’s Historical Commission Architectural Advisory Committee, the Board of Advisors for the Master of Science in Historic Preservation program at Notre Dame, and the Board of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site. He is also a member of the Association for Preservation Technology and holds a Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design in addition to his professional degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. John has published articles on sustainability and window restoration in the Association for Preservation Technology Bulletin and has presented for the Preservation League of New York, SCUP, and APPA. In 2006 John volunteered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in New Orleans to complete urgent conditions assessments in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and in 2008 was honored by the American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter as Young Architect of the Year.

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100+ Neighbors Get a Sneak Peek at the OLD Metro, NEW Uptown

Tour spots for our first Hard Hat Tours on Saturday, March 21, filled up so quickly when sign-up was announced in our last newsletter–20 minutes, in fact–that even adding a fifth tour for the day didn’t satisfy the dreams of all those waitlisted! But we’re pretty sure those who managed to join us for a look at the cavernous, gutted former Metro, with a preview of the future, were NOT disappointed.

More than 100 local residents were treated to the presentation–a historic look at the former theater plus some never-before seen schematics of the build-out that were recently completed. Also on hand for the sneak peek and presentation were Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal and new State Senator Erik Bottcher–both of whom are exploring more ways they can help the Uptown meet its fundraising goal.

More Hard Hat tours may be in our future. Keep an eye out for an announcement–only in this newsletter! Thanks to all who came, and much appreciation to our volunteers, who always show up to help make these events such a joy.

Photographs ©Randy Enochs

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Uptown Joins Art House NY for Cinema Week, March 20-26

As the newest arthouse cinema coming to the block, the Uptown is proud to be participating in the first Art House New York Cinema Week, running from March 20-26, 2026, as part of a citywide partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME).

The aim of the Mayor’s office support, says new MOME commissioner Rafael Espinal, is to help our neighbors “rediscover New York together, one cinema at a time” by providing 5,000 free tickets–funded by MOME–to ensure the arthouse moviegoing experience is available to all New Yorkers.

Beth Krieger (Uptown), NYC MOME Commissioner Rafael Espinal, and Ira Deutchman Deutchman (Uptown) at the Art House New York meet-up announcing Cinema Week.

In honor of Cinema Week, the Uptown Film Center is offering FREE TICKETS to our screening of Jim Sheridan’s IN AMERICA on March 20, 6:30pm, at The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A with award-winning author Colum McCann. Filmgoers are also invited to tour the galleries of The New York Historical before the film (5pm-6:15pm) as part of the museum’s Free Friday’s program.

The following eligible New Yorkers, as identified by MOME, may attend the screening for free by presenting a valid form of identification at the door:

  • New York City teachers with valid ID
  • United States active-duty military personnel and veterans with valid ID or service record
  • New York City families registered with “Cool Culture”
  • People with disabilities with the presentation of their half-fare MetroCard, Access-A-Ride ID
  • SNAP/EBT cardholders with the presentation of their SNAP/EBT card
  • CUNY student ID

Cinema Week is an initiative of Art House New York (AHNY), a pilot regional alliance for independent film exhibition whose mission is to strengthen the independent film sector through audience development, research, and strategic initiatives. Learn more about Art House NY and the first annual Cinema Week at arthouseny.org

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March Progress Report

It may seem pretty quiet, but we get it– you all want to know where we are and what we’re doing! Well, plenty is going on behind the scenes and out in front!  Besides the installation of our new banner on the marquee, here’s what’s going on:

Building and Preservation–Schematics are completed!

  • Union Square Hospitality Group delivered cafe recommendations that helped our architects design for traffic flow, prep area, and equipment needs for our all-day cafe and bar.
  • Boston Sound & Light, the premiere technical design firm for arthouse cinemas, provided valuable input–including plans for both 35MM and 70MM projection.
  • V&M Architects completed the Schematics Phase this month. We’re now narrowing down our contractor selection. Once the contractor is chosen, we begin Design Development–fine-tuning drawings, hiring subcontractors, and selecting materials. This phase takes approximately 14 months. [Read about the vision and plan]

Programming

  • More than 350 filmgoers attended our first three pop-up screenings of the year, with three more to come. We’re already planning our Summer Pop-Up Series, which will include three free outdoor films. Stay tuned!
  • Our Film in the Classroom pilot continues at PS 84 this spring, with plans to expand to additional schools in the future.

Fundraising

Our 28-month buildout timeline depends almost entirely on continued fundraising progress:

  • Several city and state grant applications are pending; decisions expected July 2026. We anticipate significant funding given strong support from our elected officials.
  • Assemblyman Micah Lasher secured a $250K CREST grant toward our capital campaign.
  • Individuals and foundation donations continue to come in. We now count more than 739 donors and are pushing toward 1,000. Become a Founding Donor by making a gift online, by check, stock, DAF, pledge, or Naming Opportunity!