A historic movie theatre in the Boston area has finally gotten a major upgrade.
The iconic Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline will unveil its new 14,000 square-foot wing next Wednesday, March 27.
The massive wing will include two new theaters, an expanded lobby, and the first-ever Education and Community Engagement space for classes, private events and more.
“Since 1933, the Coolidge Corner Theatre has showcased great works of cinema and offered innovative programming to audiences of all ages,” Katherine Tallman, executive director & CEO and campaign for the Coolidge Co-Chair said in a press release. “Our new expansion allows us to continue to serve and grow our audiences with more curated programming, increased educational and engagement programs, and a more welcoming, accessible experience for all.”
The expansion involved 15 years of planning, 10 years of fundraising, and two years of construction, Coolidge Corner Theatre wrote in an Instagram post. Now that the day has finally come, the theatre is excited to welcoming the Brookline community into its new space.
“You make the Coolidge such a special place, and it’s your contributions that have made an expansion like this possible,” the post continued. “We are profoundly grateful.”
While Coolidge’s historic marquee and original theaters will stay the same, there are few new features that moviegoers should know about.
They are:
- New entrance: The theatre will have a new entrance through the Centre Street parking lot instead of the current entrance that is on the side alley. That entrance will now be exit only.
- More food and drinks: The expanded lobby will have two concessions and bars that are combined, so guests will not have to stand in two separate lines to order food and drinks.
- Indoor ticketing: All tickets will now be able for purchase indoors. Most lines will be inside as well.
- Theater changes: The Screening Room will now be called Moviehouse 3 and the GoldScreen will now be called Moviehouse 4. The two new theaters, Moviehouse 5 and 6, will hold 145 and 53 seats, respectively.
- Accessibility changes: The theatre will now have six All-Gender, ADA-compliant restrooms. More information about these changes can be found here.
In honor of the wing’s grand reveal, guests were invited to a grand opening screening of “The Wizard of Oz” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but nearly all shows are sold out. You can check online for any remaining tickets.
The Coolidge is also hosting two open houses for people to come and check out the space. The open houses, which are open to the public, are Tuesday, March 26 from 2-4 p.m. and Saturday, April 6 from 9-11 p.m.
