Due to the shortness of the cinema background, I combined the video rental store post.
I really miss Movie theaters so I thought it might be interesting and fun to see a movie theater or drive in on film.
Big Time Operators Aka The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Bill Travers inherits a barley operating business a cinema called The Bijou from a distant Uncle. Bill and his wife Jean decide to sell the business only to find it in bad shape. Bill and Jean start the work to make a profit from the inheritance.
Bikini Drive-In (1995)
Kim Taylor inherits her grandfather's old drive-in movie theater. Having fond memories of the place she wants to get it up and running again. However, there is $25,000 in taxes due in about a week. So, Kim her friends and the employees of the drive in create and implement a plan that involves wearing little to nothing.
Cinema Paradiso (1988) A successful Film Maker reflects on his childhood, his family and mentor the projectionist at the town's only movie theater in a small Sicilian town.
Christmas at the Drive-In (2022)
When the local Drive-In is going to be closed and torn down. A property
lawyer/professor that wants to save it has to prove the worth and value to the community
by Christmas which is in three weeks. As she works to revamp the business, she reconnects
with her first love a property developer that wants to tear it down and owns the
McCarthy Drive-In.
Christmas Movie Magic (2021)
Reporter Allie Blackman sent to write about the 65th anniversary
of a Christmas movie and song “Christmas With You” at the filming location,
White Falls, New York. While there she finds message to a mysterious woman from
the movie star/song writer. She joins with a movie theater owner and film
expert Brad Westfield to find the woman and the origin of the song.
Dead In Drive-In (1986)
Set in the future where sickness, economic collapse, food shortages, and 5 Rambo movies have been made. A recently unemployed teen and his girlfriend go to a drive in only to discover it is a trap/concentration camp for the unemployed and other unwanted members of society. Can he escape?
Demons (1985) Several people are given free tickets to a screening to a new horror film. After the film starts demons start attacking the people trapped in the theater.
Drive In (1976)
A group of people (mostly teens) in 1976 Texas have adventures at
the local drive-in theater one weekend night.
Drive In Massacre (1977)
The police in a rural California town search for a serial killer that uses a sword to kill at a Drive -In theater.
Electric Shadows (2004)
Two childhood friends come back together after an accident with one of them reading the others memoir of their childhood and an outdoor theater and the movies that was a big part of their lives.
Empire of Light (2022)
Set in England in the early 1980's a cinema manager and a new employee bond and heal while dealing with challenges of mental health, everyday life, and wanting to escape.
It's A Wonderful Knife (2023)
this is a reimagining of It's A Wonderful Life (1947) and It Happened One Christmas (1977) as a teen horror movie. A year after Winnie Carruthers stops a masked killer on Christmas Eve. Winnie is having a bad Christmas with grieving her friends who died, not getting into college, and finding her boyfriend cheating among other things. She wishes things had turned out different, so she finds herself in a world where she had never been born. In this world the killer was never caught and is still murdering the people of the town, and nobody knows who she is. Winnie tries to find people who believe her story as well as a way to get home.
The Last Horror Film (1982)
A New York City taxi driver dreams of being a famous director and
decided to follow/stalk actress Jana Bates to the Cannes Film Festival if
France to get her to be in his film. While in France the people close to the
actress start getting killed one by one.
The Last Matinee (2020)
Set in the 1993 people go to the Montevideo Opera Cinema to see a Frankenstein Film. As the show starts a killer starts to take out audience and staff one by one.
The Last Matinee (2021)
In a small town in an old-fashioned movie theater a killer goes after the patrons and the employees in the theater one by one during the last show of the day.
The Majestic (2001) Set in 1951 a Hollywood screen writer Peter Appleton has a car accident after a night of drinking and bad news he loses his memory and washes up in a small town where he is mistaken for the lost MIA son of the local movie theater owner Harry Trimble. Peter revives the local treater and brings life back to the town before he regains his memory. Having regained his memories, he has to face congress and the House on Un-American Activates after being accused of being a communist.
Matinee (1993)
Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis a showman promotes a science fiction movie in a South Florida. While a boy has a coming-of-age adventure at the theater that the film promotion is taking place.
Midnight Matinee (1989) A small town is restarting a horror movie marathon after a murder at a previous movie marathon. Will tragedy strike again?
Midnight Movie (2008)
A special screening of a lost horror film the audience and employees are trapped in the theater as the killer comes off the screen and attacks everybody trapped inside.
Phantom of the Megaplex (2000) At a 26 screen megaplex an assistant manager must keep the theater running after the manager disappears, look after his younger siblings and set up for a special premier: while a Phantom sabotaging and haunting the place.
Popcorn (1991)
A group of film students put on an all-night horror movie marathon. As marathon progresses a killer kills the students usually with the theme of the movie that is playing.
Popcorn (2007) Dany falls for a hot girl bus is unable to get her attention. So, he gets a job at her place of work a movie theater.
Porno (2019)
Set in 1992 a 2-screen movie theater staffed by Christians discover a basement level with a third screen which showed adult content in the past. While exploring they find an old film reel. Curious about it they vote, and a majority of the staff decide to screen the old reel. Doing this releases a succubus trapped within the film. The succubus traps, temps and attacks the people in the theater until they are able to trap or destroy the demon.
Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) Set during the Great Depression a waitress goes to the movies regularly. During her latest visit a charter comes off the screen from the film she is watching.
Ruby (1977)
16 years after Ruby's boyfriend and father of her child is killed/vows revenge; Ruby runs a Drive In employing the gang members that killed her boyfriend. The gang members/employees are killed in creative in a supernatural drive-in theme.
Save The Cinema
(2022)
Based
on the true story of Liz Evans who worked to save The Lyric Cinema a local
cinema and theatre in Carmarthen, Wales.
Splendor (1989)
Splendor is the name of an old movie theater in an Italian town that
is on the verge of closing due to debts and low attendance. The current owner
and manager Jordan who inherited the business from his father reminisces about
his past and the glory days of the theater.
Special Mention
Dimension 404: Episode 2: Cinethrax (2017) A film buff and his niece attend a new 3D movie that opens a gate to another dimension. They try and stop what is trying to get thru.
Video Rental Stores in film
I miss video rental stores where I live all of them have closed is this is the closest thing to seeing them again. These films take place or have important scenes in video rental stores.
An interesting fact is that the video rental setting is used 6 times during the 80's and 90's While 2000 to 2019 The time of Netflix, Redbox and Streaming the video rental setting is used 9 times not including the South Park special mention.
Another interesting fact is that Blockbuster is used only twice South Park and Yes Man. The rest are independents or are portrayed as independents.
Remote Control (1988)
A video store clerks stumbles onto an alien plot to take over earth by brainwashing people with a B grade1950s science fiction movie.
The Fisher King (1991)
After inspiring a listener's mass shooting a shock jock Jack Lucas falls apart until he starts helping Parry a man whose wife was killed in the shooting.
There’s
Nothing Out There (1991)
A group of friends and their girlfriends are going to spend spring break
at a cabin by the lake. Mike one of the friends and a fan of and an expert in
horror and science fiction realizes that patterns that reveal that they are in
a horror film. Unable to convince anyone of this he tries to save them when a
mutant alien attacks.
Clerks (1994)
A day in the lives of two clerks Dante (convince store) and Randal (video rental store) as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the roof of the store.
Scream (1996)
After the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.
Superstar (1999)
A girl working for a video rental store works for attaining her dreams of fame and kissing the Big Man on Campus.
Loser (2000)
University freshman, Paul Tannek is branded a loser by his hard partying
roommates and set up to be kicked out of his dorm, he gets a place off campus. After
saving Dora Diamond from being overdosed at a party; he falls in love with her however
she is involved with elitist Professor Edward Alcott.
Sugar and Spice (2001)
When high school cheerleader Diane gets knocked up by her boyfriend. They get married and get low paying jobs at a grocery store bank and a video rental store. Wanting to give the best life for her twins Diane and her squad mates plan to steal needed money. Researching bank robbery from movies and using their cheerleading skills, the girls devise a plan to rob a bank.
Jersey Girl (2004)
After his career is destroyed by an unexpected tragedy and a personal melt down, a single father Ollie Trinke grieves and just getting by. Until meeting a beautiful love interest Maya at a video rental store she works at; he starts to turn his life around.
I Am Legend (2007)
When an unstoppable virus that turns human race into bloodthirsty mutants, civilization's last hope for a cure lies with scientist Robert Neville, the sole survivor in New York City. Based on I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Mathenson[First Published in 1954].
Be Kind Rewind (2008)
A video-store employee accidentally erases every tape on the shelves, in order to stay in business, the employees try and re-create all the films, with their own camera, with a budget of zero.
Good Dick (2008)
An extreme introverted girl that rents soft-core porn from a local video rental store. While there she meets a video store clerk who vows to win her heart.
Yes Man (2008)
Based on the memoir Yes Man by Danny Wallace [First Published in 2005]. Banker Carl Allen has gotten through a bitter divorce, lives his life going to work and watching rented videos after work. Until he goes to a self-improvement seminar; at the seminar the guru makes Carl say yes to everything that comes his way.
This Means War (2012)
A pair of best friends and CIA agents wage an epic battle against one another when they discover they are dating the same woman.
A Nightmare on Facetime (10/24/2012) Season 16; Episode 12*
The 235th episode of the series overall. Randy Marsh purchases a Blockbuster video store and demands that his reluctant family work in it on Halloween with him. Aspects of which parody the 1980 film The Shining, and an episode of The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror V: Season 6: Episode 109 (1994) Act 1: The Shinning
Beyond the Gates (2016)
After their father's disappearance, two brothers Gordon and John reunite to close down his video store. While doing this they find an old VHS board game and decide to play. On the tape, a ghostly woman offers them a way to rescue their father.
Blockbuster (2022)
A Netflix sitcom about the last Blockbuster store the manager trying to keep it open and the employees that still work there. (Netflix making this seems ironic). (Update Netflix killed Blockbuster again).
The Last Video Store (2023)
A woman comes to Blaster Video Store (the last video rental store in Canada) with a cursed VHS tape which results in the people at the store experiencing a strange supernatural experience.
The Last Video Store (2023)
In a video rental store in Australia two young employees start a romantic relationship until the girls criminal ex shows up to cause trouble.
* While several TV shows have episodes use a video rental store as a location This is a special inclusion because it covers what things were like with video rental in 2012.
Blockbuster ceased operation in 2013 with only a few stores left only one left as of today.
